yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android General] Blackdc2:
Hi All

I have read through the 80 odd pages (at the time), then decided to get one of these units.

I recieved the unit a few days ago and immediately updated it to 2.1.1,

I then went on to root it by downloading and installing framaroot 1.4.1, went into the app and enabled root.

I then installed the free version of Root Browser Lite. I then restarted the device and installed GoogleServicesFramework.apk

I then rebooted the system again.

I now tried to move vending.apk from the SD card to /system/app but it says /system/app is read only, any tips????

I also went on to try ES explorer.

Any help would be appreciated.

Jason
[Android General] loveshackdave:
Did you make sure that root is working, root browser has been granted root privileges and you have tapped the "mount r/w" button?

EDIT: Also, I'm not sure that installing Google Services Framework will work, you might have to copy it to /system/app and change the permissions.
[Android General] iwaldo:
Also got the unit a few days ago, can confirm GSF installs from Downloads no problem without moving directory, although I did have trouble with the play store and even though I had enabled R/W in ES File Explorer, it wouldn't move to system/app. I had to re-root and used superSU instead which worked. Thanks for the help in this forum everyone btw!
[Android General] nikkobenson:
Done.
[Android General] Jinster:
I need some help guys.

My Asteroid Smart has been functioning perfectly for about a week, rooted and all.

But the GPS suddenly stopped working. I was on 2.1.1

A quick google shows a few other people on various forums with the same problem. Most seem to have solved the problem by replacing either the USB GPS module or the entire unit.

I plugged in my USB GPS unit into my Windows PC. And it recognises it as "Asteroid Smart GPS". But obviously there are no drivers for it. But at least some circuits within the GPS module is working.

When I plug it into the Smart, it behaves as if it's not plugged in. I have tried the "reset GPS" option, the various USB ports, many reboots, and nothing seems to work.

My theory is if I reset the entire headunit, it might recognise the GPS module. But how do I do that? Supposedly downgrading the firmware would do it, but I have gone to 2.1.2, and then back to 2.1.1 - and everything remained intact. No restore of the head unit as far as being a clean slate goes.

The Parrot website no longer has 2.0.1 firmware posted. The Oceania link shows 2.0.1 but is in fact 2.1.1.

Any ideas on the GPS or how to restore clean?
[Android General] nikkobenson:
Gps is usb right? Did you try another usb slot?
[Android General] loveshackdave:
I had this problem. You can fix it by installing an application that keeps GPS always on. Asteroid tweaker will do this with its GPS volume control or there are some GPS diagnostics tools you can use. I believe parrot implemented a similar "fix" in their recent update.
[Android General] loveshackdave:
Okay guys, I'm at the point with my plf extraction program that I could use some help. Here is the output of my application running on Asteroid_Smart_update.plf (should appear shortly). It is mostly working but there are a few unknowns that will prevent us from using it to build flashable plf files.

1) There are two section types that are still unknown, they can be found in the UNHANDLED directory. The first is archive section 8 (UNKNOWN_4_8 etc). These files appear to be directories and the names of seemingly random files. The other one is section type 13 (UNKNOWN_1701_13). There is only one section of this type and it is the last section of the plf file. It is 256 bytes long. I think it is likely that it is related to check sum but I'm not sure yet.

2) I do not completely understand the archive file_action section yet (section 9). It is clear that the section contains the filename, followed by a blank termination byte, followed by a 12 byte descriptor. I don't know what the first byte is for but the second one appears to denote file type with 0x41 denoting a directory path and 0x81, 0x85, and 0x89 denoting data files. I'm guessing these two bytes might also describe permissions. The rest of the descriptor is most often blank but occasionally contains information in the last 32 bits. This descriptor needs to be fully understood before we can attempt creating a flashable plf. To find the full section data instead of the handled files, use the plftool.exe file I posted a couple of posts back.

3) There is an archive file section type 0xA1 (or 161) that I don't know what to do with yet. Perhaps they are symbolic links? you can check the UNHANDLED directory for these sections.

4) There appears to be some files with weird file names located in the /system/usr/share directory under modman_db and usb_modeswitch. They are named like '0af0:7a05' but the ':' character is not allowed. I've extracted these but replaced the ':' with a '.' I'm not sure what these are or what I should do with them.

5) Once we get the above issues resolved and build a flashable plf. We need someone with the balls to try flashing it on their expensive car stereo.

I will post my code after cleaning up a bit. Any comments, suggestions are welcome. Let's get this thing working.

EDIT: My code and binaries are also posted Here now. Enjoy!
[Android General] Jinster:
I have tried all four USB ports, no difference.

---------- Post added at 01:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:19 AM ----------

I was already using the speed dependent volume control from Asteroid Tweaker. I don't think it's a keeping the GPS on problem. It seems to be a Android not recognising the GPS dongle problem.

Has anyone actually been able to factory restore the head unit? All my downgrading/upgrading firmwares left the installed apps intact, which means no real restore...
[Android General] loveshackdave:
There are instructions and a plf for a brutal factory reset here. It worked when I gorked my head unit by installing busy box. It should work for you.
[Android General] danger355:
What program did you use to zip this up with?

I figured I'd take a look and 7zip wouldn't open it. (Not that I'll be any help anyway, but I am interested :))

Edit:

Scratch that. I don't know what was happening earlier, but it's opening now... ?
[Android General] K_Hismoom:
Did you take a look at this blog post detailing the file and descriptor format?
[Android General] loveshackdave:
Ha, I did not. That would have saved some time. It looks like my hunches about the file_action section were right. It's too bad there are still a couple uint32's in the descriptor that are not known
[Android General] K_Hismoom:
UID and GID are good guesses though. One would have to test this somehow.

Have you found any descriptors that actually have values other than 0 for those? If so, you could check on your Smart, if this matches the UID and GID.
[Android General] Jinster:
Thanks for the link. I have downloaded the plf file in that thread. But it's strange that it's only 2kb in size! I just wanted to confirm that with you before I flash some 2kb firmware when it should be more like 270mb. Thanks.
[Android General] loveshackdave:
Yeah that's correct, not sure why it's so small, but it works.
[Android General] loveshackdave:
Okay, I've posted the binaries and source for my .NET plftool project here. I've handled the symlink sections by simply creating a file called [filename].simlink that contains the section data. The should be fine for rebuilding the plf file. I've still got to handle the file permissions byte and figure out what the 2 unknown uint's are in the file_action header. the permissions shouldn't be too much of an issue, I'm thinking of creating a filesystem meta-data file that will hold all this information for rebuilding, unless anyone has any better ideas.
[Android General] Blackdc2:
Thanks for your help, I was missing the option in ES file explorer "Root Explorer". Problem solved :)
[Android General] Sirgeekalot:
i was up in the middle of the night feeding my newborn son and had some time to stop and think about what we're trying to achieve here.

Getting JB onto the device is all fine and well and a great acheivement, but Parrot put a lot of time and effort into this device getting all the other parts of the unit working. we have a lot of devices on this unit that no other Android device really has built in, such as Video input and output devices, lack of physical buttons, all the cables at the back which will send an intents to the system like the reversing cable and the Parking brake cable.

we have an awul lot of work to do to get JB ported and up to standard where i'd ever use it in the car. i definitely think its imperitive that we have the ability to reflash the standard ROM after some testing. i applaud loveshackdave on his work getting the PLFTool built.

i'm more than happy to help and learn more along the way, but i now have a 10 day old son and my time is evenly distributed between working to pay bills and looking after my son.

Perhaps we should start a new Dev thread if XDA aren't going to give us our own section and leave this one for helping new users use the device. also, perhaps a Github needs setup too so we can all chip in.

Just my 2pence. :)
[Android General] jaanusj:
Gingerbread rom on this device is working very fast and it is actually stable to. If you port JB to this device you will get some more functions but the device will be slow - as it has happened with all the devices which had previous generation hardware.

Maybe it is better to focus on tweaking the current rom and then to develop the options to load customized roms and/or apps through plf upload.

Have you seen Volvo Sensus launcher? It is actually quite nice and user friendly during driving. If someone uploads the volvo plf file then maybe we can get the launcher and icons from there?

Link_youtu.be/CP58lMtkhLo?t=49s

Second thing which I would do is to enable auto hide function for the left side button bar - you don't need to look at them during driving. This can be done with certain apps but on this rom they dont help - probably rom needs to be configured.

Third: Adding apps to source button menu - it would be nice to switch between music and navigation through one button press - and to configure this button to work via one steering wheel button.

Basically I see that all the custom apps and hardware based functions Parrot has made are very good - now I would like to get options to customize them:)
[Android General] devoidx:
i'd be happy if we could somehow get rid of the soft key buttons, they're taking too much of the screen....unfortunately with the disastrous hardware specifications of this UNIT, loading JB on it will probably backfire ...I agree that tweaking what we have should probably be the first step
[Android General] loveshackdave:
I'd just be happy if we can come up with a plf file to flash that hides the status bar and softkeys so that I can use LMT and gain some screen real-estate. That being said, having a JB rom complete with google now and a "Motorola X"-like "hot voice command" would be absolutely fantastic. I doubt that will ever happen though.
[Android General] jamieb122:
Agreed, however....The fact that any drivers written for their devices are already in the source tree for the kernel means we simply port their code to the JB kernel. For the java side, it actually very simple...I have already pulled most of their framework apks from the device and using apktool/dex2jar/jd-gui have taken them back to very readable java src. Its really not all that complex to be honest. I have even been able to import the class file from the dex2jar conversion into a project and implement a media listener. Essentially I get updates when media meta data changes....something that is undocumented and built into their framework, yet I was able to utilize.

Like I said, its really not all too hard. Many of the devices they rolled they didn't write the driver for (example: touch screen), Other things like the FM tuner, I am pretty sure they rolled a stock one from digikey and implemented via an RS232 interface.

Hard? Maybe. Possible? Most definitely.
[Android General] loveshackdave:
So I think I've figured out everything that wee need to know about the file_action section to build plf files. Attached is my .permissions metadata file for those who are interested. I believe that the unknown bytes are indeed uid and gid. The uid is always blank, the gid is mostly 0 but can also be 2000, 3003, 3004 or 1002. netcfg and ping are in the 3000's and dbus.conf is 1002 while 2000 appears to be associated with executable files. I don't really know what groups these correspond to but it should be inconsequential to our assembling a plf. I will just use default values for all files that don't have an entry in the .permissions file. The only other unknown with the file_action section is the second 2 bits of the type indicator (which can be 0x81, 0x85, 0x89 or 0x8D which is my favorite 8D). The 8 means a file rather than directory (4). The second 2 bits seem to be loosely associated with the GID. It would be nice to know what this means, but I don't think it is a deal breaker.

What is looking more and more like a deal breaker to me is the section type 13 entry. I initially thought it might be related to checksum but I can't find any checksum algorithms that generate a 256byte string. The more commonly used ones are usually 16 or 32 bytes. I'm beginning to think that this section is some sort of encrypted file signing certificate but I can't find anything that would indicate a 256byte string in this area either. Whatever it is, it is necessary to flash (I've tried flashing a plf file with this section removed, it doesn't work) and it is different for each update that has been published. If anyone has any idea about what this might be, please let me know, I'm really scraping the barrel with this one. Otherwise, we are SOL.
[Android General] tankslapper:
Hbo and Max go

Just thought id share. Verizon Fios customers can stream HBO Go and Max Go to our Parrots. Its not perfect, but its not terrible either.
[Android General] jamieb122:
Where would the setup occur for the soft key buttons, I would assume that would not be at the linux level, but higher up into the android level. If that is the case I can probably modify their asteroid-core.apk to do what we want and make it smaller...
[Android General] moogvo:
After reading every single post up to this point, I am happy to say that I will be the owner of one of these on Monday. I pulled the trigger and bought it on about page 33 of this thread.

In these later postings, it looks like there is a great deal of dev taking place and several users asking for a category all our own here. I have an idea...

I have run many forums in the past. I will be happy to build a site dedicated to these units and provide plenty of space to upload files.

I am in NO WAY attempting to step on the toes of this site whatsoever! Just willing to provide a place for all to learn and develop for it. I am happy to build the site, but don't want to waste my time and resources if nobody is interested in using it. PM me if you are interested in a place like this. If I get enough interest, I will build it.

Tom
[Android General] jamieb122:
If you host it, I am sure we will use it (at least until XDA builds a section)...

---------- Post added at 07:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:36 PM ----------

Have we thought about going the other route?

ClockworkMod works for the Droid 2 (same OMAP 3630 SoC). If we put it on the device we more than likely could flash our custom kernel. The bad thing about doing this would be getting updated Asteroid software on the device when updates come. If you can convert the PLF to a valid flashable ROM, than we could flash their updates via CWM right?
[Android General] vINyL3:
I need help, i bought i connects2 interface CTSST001.2 but when i try to active the steering wheel controle, it said that i need to update it but it don't pass 0% and turn off. I got the last update on the parrot.

another thing, i want to change the gps and music player, which you recomend?

In my S2 I use apollo and the google maps, but on the parrot the apollo could search the musics in the pen and i don't have internet connection to use google maps.
[Android General] donaldta:
The Parrot Asteroid Smart (PAS) is actually trying to update adapter for the Steering Wheel Controller (normally the Parrot Unika). There is a work around discussed on the Parrot's forum look for Connects2 SWC issues workaround.
[Android General] Joe333x:
Can anyone think of a way to reassign the swc voice command button? Right now it opens the parrot voice command app but I have installed google voice search and it would be cool if I could set it to that but cant think of a way to do so.
[Android General] vINyL3:
It didn't work for me, i already try
[Android General] donaldta:
You should contact Parrot and / or Connects2 directly it might be a new issue that needs attention or replacement.
[Android General] loveshackdave:
You could set tasker to kill the parrot voice search and open Google voice search whenever parrot voice search is opened. You could also take it a step further and only have tasked do this when you have internet connectivity.
[Android General] 0space_monkey0:
Very in-genius!

BTW i just released my new app. I run a radio station and made an app that works great with the parrot asteroid. 3 Channels currently.

http://app.indieco.re/android/indiecore_2_1.apk
[Android General] donaldta:
I have seen it. It actually looks too simple and would seem very cumbersome to use if you had many apps. The one thing I would prefer to get from the Volvo Sensus Connected Touch's PLF is the apk for the Parrot SmartLink which apparently uses the MirrorLink technology to duplicate the view of the compatible apps on your smartphone on the headunit.

Btw, the Volvo Sensus Connected Touch (SCT) is closer to the Parrot Asteroid Tablet than the Smart. If you google for Volvo # 31350401 then you'll find the dealer's instruction manual on how to retrofit the unit(s). Incidentally, the screen at the top is LCD with IR emitters / sensors which surround it.

According to Parrot OEM support page, you'll be able to download updated PLF files from Asteroid Market then copy onto a USB drive and Flash/Update your units. So, I suspect the only way you'll be able to root it is with a modified PLF. www[dot]parrot.com/uk/support/sensus-connected-touch
[Android General] moogvo:
Ok. for what it's worth, I put a forum for Parrot Asteroid Smart users with several topics and sections available to post. I'm sure I missed something but it is online and you are free to use and abuse it all you want. If you see something you want added, let me know.

You can find it at asteroid (dot) doisara (dot) com. I need some testers to make sure everything works... Again, I am not trying to step on ANY toes here at XDA. Just trying to provide a specific place to work this device out until it gets enough momentum to get it's own section here.

Tom
[Android General] donaldta:
I also don't want to step on toes but I started a wikia page for the Asteroid. I think forums and threads are great for discussions about particular topics but wikia pages seem better for organizing information. Here is the "link" parrot-asteroid[dot]wikia.com

Moogvo, would you mind if I linked your forum's url on the wiki?
[Android General] moogvo:
That's fine. I will also put a link to your wiki from my site if that's okay...
[Android General] szumacher:
I am new user of Asteroid Smart and now I am planning to connect Unika to my car but I do not know how to connect it to steering wheel.

I have Nissan X-Trail T31 2.0 Dci from 2008. My Asteroid replaced my old fabric audio NISSANCY11C PP-2804T 6CDCLARION24LC64 smd.

Could you help me what kind of cables I have to connect together (I attached few photos of UNIKA and my car cables)?

thanks in advance
[Android General] donaldta:
The Unika wiring seems complicated but you won't use most of the cables. Here are the ones you would use.

Red to +12V Car Battery (Constant)

Black to Ground

Yellow/Red to +12V Car Accessory (Switched)

Yellow/Blue supplies +12V ACC for Asteroid Smart.

The idea here is to allow the Unika to power up completely before the Asteroid Smart. For the SWC connection you'll only be using V1 & V2 according to the instructional guide at dbinstall[dot]parrot.com/Pdf_manual/UNIKA1229.pdf
[Android General] BykaZoiD:
It's obviously a software problem of a GPS dogle firmware from 2.1.1 version. I have the same situation. GPS dongle is based on Telit JN3 chip and a chineese clone of CP2104 as UART-USB bridge. You can download CP210x drivers and make Windows use them for "Asteroid Smart GPS" device, they'll work perfect.

The problem is, Telit GPS chip is not responding at all. UART-USB bridge is working but no data comes from GPS chip. I think that firmware from 2.1.1 makes something wrong and chip locks or hangs in some way. I've unpacked 2.1.2 and found firmware for GPS dongle, I have all datasheets and user manual for GPS chip. All that have to be done is resetting GPS ship to firmware update mode and uploading the firmware from 2.1.2. I don't have any time for that now, maybe at the end of the week I'll try.
[Android General] Jinster:
That would be awesome if you can make it work again. But reading around the forums, I think people were having this problem already even before 2.1.1. But I know what you mean. The description of 2.1.2 reads suspiciously like Parrot is trying to fix some mistakes.

I hope you can make it work. I have contacted Parrot. They sent me a reply, requesting my shipping details and invoice for a "RMA" request. When I replied, they simply "closed" the ticket and didn't respond anymore. I don't know if this means they are sending out a new GPS unit or what. It seems Parrot is admitting hardware fault/stuff up here.
[Android General] danger355:
I haven't had a chance to look it up, but there should be a small 3-wire connector by itself that you disconnected from your stock head unit. Those are the steering wheel controls (if you have a resistive setup like mine).

I've got a couple posts earlier in this encyclopedia of a thread where you can follow my progress from my install if you want, otherwise I'll take a look when I get home later today and see if I can help you out.

Edit:

I was looking through my old posts during lunch and I was wrong above where I mentioned the 3-wire connector.

There are still only 3 wires, but the connector itself is a 16-pin that is just empty except for those 3 wires.

(see here and here)

I also tried looking for a FSM to see exactly how your controls are wired, but didn't have any luck.

I'll give it another shot later.
[Android General] donaldta:
That would be great. Thanks.
[Android General] moogvo:
Come and join the site, Donald!
[Android General] ansvlug:
Steering Wheel Controls

My Steering Wheel Controls stopped functioning after installing 2.1.1. This has been fixed after installing the 2.1.2 firmware. HOWEVER, the mode-button now opens the home-screen instead of changing the source (or muting/unmuting which would also be useful). Anyone have an idea on how to reconfigure the action of the mode-button on the steering wheel control?
[Android General] moogvo:
I can't believe that I am no pins and needles waiting for the UPS guy. When they say delivered by the "End of the day", they really mean... END... OF... THE... DAY!
[Android General] Joe333x:
Thanks for the tip, I'm new to tasker, could you help me out with how I would set that up?
[Android General] moogvo:
Ok. I am having issues getting play to work. I got it to work once but signed in under the wrong account. I reset the smart and re-rooted, reinstalled framework and all of the apks. Now I am in the android market and it is stuck at "Starting Download"... What did i do wrong?!

***EDIT***

I got it working, but there are many of my apps on the market I can't get. I want to install CoPilot for my GPS. How can I do this?