Boox Nova 2 Downgrade

[kaicho]

Hi, after update further from 2.1.2 regal refresh mode stopped to work as intended. From 1.5year of chats with support I get only ignoring (never said a bad word to them). Now I'm trying to downgrade or sell this useless piece of onyx.

Issue: regal mode doesn't refresh page with every turn.
Initially onyx accept issue and told me about workaround that worked until next update, and after next update workaround stopped to work and they refuse to accept the issue anymore (ray@o-in.me).

For now I'm having old 2.1 version of update.upx. I successfully decrypt it with decryptBooxUpdateUpx. I'm assume that if I change META-INF/com/android/metadata to something like

ota-property-files=metadata:69:284         
ota-required-cache=0
ota-type=BLOCK
post-build=Onyx/Nova2/Nova2:9/2021-01-01_08-58_3.1_9aed398/2499:user/dev-keys
post-build-incremental=2499
post-sdk-level=28
post-security-patch-level=2018-10-05
post-timestamp=1604451979
pre-device=Nova2

it could work. But I have no way to encrypt it back to upx. Maybe someone know how to downgrade boox or encrypt firmware into .upx?

[ottischwenk]

There are 4 modes - why do you need the special regal mode?

[kaicho]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

There are 4 modes - why do you need the special regal mode?

It is the only mode free of ghosting, since it used to force a full refresh with every page turn. Makes noticable difference when reading manga. All other modes gives you a low quality scan effect.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by kaicho

It is the only mode free of ghosting, since it used to force a full refresh with every page turn. Makes noticable difference when reading manga. All other modes gives you a low quality scan effect.

Not correct.
The only mode without ghosting is the full refresh mode.
Regal partially refreshes, but not completely.

[kaicho]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Not correct.
The only mode without ghosting is the full refresh mode.
Regal partially refreshes, but not completely.

Apparently there is no way to trigger full refresh in Nova 2. There is 5 refresh modes in-app:
1.Normal (some ghosting)
2.Regal (no ghosting prior to update with correct settings)
3.Speed mode (fast)
4.A2 mode (faster)
5.X mode (even faster)

I found this information relevant to how regal mode works in my case.

I add the screenshots to show the settings:

[kaicho]

I found a way to downgrade

Disclaimer:
By doing so you could easly brick your reader, this method worked one time for me, so if you don't understand fully what you are doing, please refrain from using it.
I don't know if user data affected by flashing, but do all possible backups in advance.
Method was used to downgrade firmware from 3.1 (if I remember correctly) to 2.1, but should be fine for any version, test required though.
Needless to say your reader should be fully charged.

1. You need to find old version of the firmware for your reader. Check the waybackmachine.
2. Extract the firmware with this tool
3. Follow this instruction to extract system.img from system.new.dat.br
4. Apply the same steps for the vendor.new.dat.br to get vendor.img
5. Download and unzip SDK Platform Tools
6. Copy all *.img files from update.zip (result of 2nd step) to platform-tools folder (from previous step)
7. Copy system.img and vendor.img to platform-tools folder.
8. Connect Nova 2 to PC via usb. Turn your Nova 2 on while Hold back button until you see recovery menu.
9. Use back button to navigate. Hold back button to select "Reboot to bootloader". You will see "Rebooting to bootloader..."
10. Now navigate to platform-tools folder and start CMD there.
11. Type in

fastboot devices

to check that your reader is presented.
12. One by one issue this commands in exact order.

fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash vendor vendor.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash rpm rpm.mbn
fastboot flash rpmbak rpm.mbn
fastboot flash aboot emmc_appsboot.mbn
fastboot flash sbl1.mbn sbl1
fastboot flash sbl1.mbn sbl1bak
fastboot flash splash.img splash
fastboot flash recovery.img recovery

If there is errors, don't worry, I guess. There is no patrition splash for example, I do it only because this write-in operation presented in META-INF\com\google\android\updater-script.

13. And finally:

fastboot reboot

Feel free to ask any question regard the proccess. Do all flash operation with extreme caution, there could be no way back.

[kaicho]

Originally Posted by kaicho

I found a way to downgrade

Disclaimer:
By doing so you could easly brick your reader, this method worked one time for me, so if you don't understand fully what you are doing, please refrain from using it.
I don't know if user data affected by flashing, but do all possible backups in advance.
Method was used to downgrade firmware from 3.1 (if I remember correctly) to 2.1, but should be fine for any version, test required though.
Needless to say your reader should be fully charged.

1. You need to find old version of the firmware for your reader. Check the waybackmachine.
2. Extract the firmware with this tool
3. Follow this instruction to extract system.img from system.new.dat.br
4. Apply the same steps for the vendor.new.dat.br to get vendor.img
5. Download and unzip SDK Platform Tools
6. Copy all *.img files from update.zip (result of 2nd step) to platform-tools folder (from previous step)
7. Copy system.img and vendor.img to platform-tools folder.
8. Connect Nova 2 to PC via usb. Turn your Nova 2 on while Hold back button until you see recovery menu.
9. Use back button to navigate. Hold back button to select "Reboot to bootloader". You will see "Rebooting to bootloader..."
10. Now navigate to platform-tools folder and start CMD there.
11. Type in

fastboot devices

to check that your reader is presented.
12. One by one issue this commands in exact order.

fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash vendor vendor.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash rpm rpm.mbn
fastboot flash rpmbak rpm.mbn
fastboot flash aboot emmc_appsboot.mbn
fastboot flash sbl1.mbn sbl1
fastboot flash sbl1.mbn sbl1bak
fastboot flash splash.img splash
fastboot flash recovery.img recovery

If there is errors, don't worry, I guess. There is no patrition splash for example, I do it only because this write-in operation presented in META-INF\com\google\android\updater-script.

13. And finally:

fastboot reboot

Feel free to ask any question regard the proccess. Do all flash operation with extreme caution, there could be no way back.

Fastfix

fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash vendor vendor.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash rpm rpm.mbn
fastboot flash rpmbak rpm.mbn
fastboot flash aboot emmc_appsboot.mbn
fastboot flash sbl1 sbl1.mbn
fastboot flash sbl1bak sbl1.mbn
fastboot flash splash splash.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

[Renate]

I wouldn't downgrade, that's kind of a dead end.

I haven't looked into the details, but I'd patch the manga app to do the refresh itself.
That could be an Intent or some method or an ioctl.
I've done that on B&N Glow (which is totally different as an iMX) as:

ioctl(fd, MXCFB_SEND_UPDATE, &update);

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Renate

I wouldn't downgrade,

Neither do I, mainly because you can set the refresh rate for the additionally installed applications

[salamanderjuice]

I'm pretty sure on the latest firmware you can change the "full refresh frequency" to 1 or check the "use full refresh when page switched" check box to have full refresh every page in the app optimization settings. That's what I do on my Nova 2/Note Air. Not sure why yours doesn't seem to have the same options?

EDIT: oh for some reason you only look at the GLOBAL refresh options and not the app refresh options.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

EDIT: oh for some reason you only look at the GLOBAL refresh options and not the app refresh options.

There is no such thing in the Boox applications

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

There is no such thing in the Boox applications

Yes there is...

If you set the refresh mode from the Android notification shade quick settings area that sets it globally overriding whatever the current app settings are.

[kaicho]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

I'm pretty sure on the latest firmware you can change the "full refresh frequency" to 1 or check the "use full refresh when page switched" check box to have full refresh every page in the app optimization settings. That's what I do on my Nova 2/Note Air. Not sure why yours doesn't seem to have the same options?

EDIT: oh for some reason you only look at the GLOBAL refresh options and not the app refresh options.

Sadly, it doesn't elliminate ghosting completely, moreover check box doesn't affect a thing. I just checked the onyx subreddit and it seems like ghosting is a major flaw across the onyx devices.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

If you set the refresh mode from the Android notification shade quick settings area that sets it globally overriding whatever the current app settings are.

Nowhere do I see a refresh setting for a certain number of pages

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Nowhere do I see a refresh setting for a certain number of pages

As I said it's not in the global settings, only in the app optimization settings. It's called "full refresh frequency" in English. Set it to 1 and it refreshes every page switch, 5 every 5, 20 every 20 and so on.