Set-top box Geode SC1201 based

[Piero]

Hi all,

I have in my hands two "old" set-top boxes branded as Kreatel Tornado/K5 2.0.
In the link provided below you would see some board pictures (38MB, password: "CorebootLinux"): 
http://tinyurl.com/kh4qllr

This set-top box works (or better worked) by loading remotely the Linux kernel via Ethernet.
The bios inside the ST49LF020 chip (as you can see in the picture, I removed the chip and I solder a PLCC32 socket to speed-up the new bios flashing :-)) is a customize version of XpressRom.

I tried to find on Google some information about the XpressRom development platform (as indicated in the AMD guide Geode document, the evaluation platform must be distributed freely) but it seems that the software is not longer available.

I'd like to say you if I could flash inside the set-top box a coreboot Linux bios.
My intent is to convert the set-top box in an Emulator-PC (Nes, Snes, Mame) connected to a TV or an old arcade monitor cabinet.

On the net is available a guide to load (via Ethernet or USB) a Linux kernel (2.6.22) in this specific set-top box, but no information are provided to customize the bios. I want to remove the old firmware and transform the top-box in a free Linux system.

I want to add an IDE HDD, a Serial Port and customize the box as I want :-)
FYI the link to the guide is the follow (sorry but it is in Italian language only): http://tinyurl.com/lyetzlx

According to the guide above the main characteristics are (lspci):

00:00.0 Host bridge: Cyrix Corporation PCI Master
00:0f.0 Multimedia controller: Philips Semiconductors TriMedia TM-1300 (rev 83)
00:10.0 Ethernet controller: National Semiconductor Corporation DP83815 (MacPhyter) Ethernet Controller
00:12.0 ISA bridge: National Semiconductor Corporation SCx200 Bridge
00:12.1 Bridge: National Semiconductor Corporation SCx200 SMI
00:12.2 IDE interface: National Semiconductor Corporation SCx200, SC1100 IDE controller (rev 01)
00:12.3 Multimedia audio controller: National Semiconductor Corporation SCx200, SC1100 Audio Controller
00:12.4 VGA compatible controller: National Semiconductor Corporation SCx200 Video (rev 01)
00:12.5 Bridge: National Semiconductor Corporation SCx200 XBus-
00:13.0 USB Controller: Compaq Computer Corporation ZFMicro Chipset USB (rev 08)

The Set-Top Box has RGB output, 1 Spdif output, 1 IR for remote controller, 2 SCART (video), 2 USB, 1 SmartCard Reader, 1 Ethernet Port, 128MB RAM and an AMD Geode SC1201 cpu.
Datasheet from the vendor: http://tinyurl.com/kxesx82

I downloaded a ton of guides, circuit diagrams (taken from the restrict AMD development page) but no information about the bios programming so I'd like to ask you an help how to proceed :)

Thank you very much in advance for the help :)

Peter.

[Peter Stuge]

Hi,

Piero wrote:
> I have in my hands two "old" set-top boxes branded as Kreatel Tornado/K5 2.0.

Good times. When I first came to coreboot some 13 years ago
I worked on a competing product based on the same Geode.
> I tried to find on Google some information about the XpressRom
> development platform (as indicated in the AMD guide Geode document,
> the evaluation platform must be distributed freely) but it seems
> that the software is not longer available.

Don't confuse "freely" with free as in speech, but anyway I don't
think XpressROM was ever free.

XpressLoader was a royalty-free BIOS skeleton for the Geode. It did
not include any significant BIOS funtionality and excluded several
VSA modules, in particular the ones for SoftVGA and what's-it-called
for audio.

XpressROM was a commercial BIOS product based on XpressLoader which
featured the full set of VSA modules.
> I'd like to say you if I could flash inside the set-top box a
> coreboot Linux bios.

coreboot does not support the Kreatel mainboard. There was support
for the Geode SC2200 SoCs at some point, but that code might well
have bitrotted by now. The difference between SC12xx and SC22xx is
that the latter have hardware for driving LCD panels over LVDS.

If you have the right background and want to learn about these old
platforms you could probably reach a working system after a few
months of intense hacking, reverse engineering and studying.
> I want to add an IDE HDD, a Serial Port and customize the box as I want :-)

How much do you value your time?
> no information about the bios programming so I'd like to ask you an
> help how to proceed :)

I somehow know the platforms and I would still recommend not to
bother, but to just buy an ASRock E350M1 mainboard, where coreboot
is known to already work.

//Peter