GH1 firmware research volunteers required

hey tester, why not start up a project over at sourceforge.net? is the code linux based? i also have the 1.2 firmware that allows 3rd party batteries. would that help any?
 
tester13 said:
If you try to read carefully, you could find documents on used CPU core. Venus Engine is just marketing name for proprieraty LSI, same is true for any camera manufacturer.

Most other your theories are just plain wrong.
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Please direct me to the pages in the MM103 user manual that describes the DSP processing performed by the chip on the sensor data, as well as the the block diagram that indicates the image data flow.

The reason I ask, is perhaps I missed something but the only features of the block diagram in the manuals, appnotes, etc. that I down loaded from the Panasonic Semiconductor site, only had a block diagram for what these days may be classed as an embedded processor, having such features as DRAM, FLASH, interrupts, a variety of bit I/O, serial interfaces, and the like.

In fact, on the Panasonic Semi site there was scant indication of any chip dealing with ccd/cmos imaging arrays...

Since I don't read Japanese, perhaps it is available some where else.
 
Car3o said:
hey tester, why not start up a project over at sourceforge.net? is the code linux based? i also have the 1.2 firmware that allows 3rd party batteries. would that help any?
Click to expand...

We don't need sourceforge as I have my own site.
And no code yet, as I don't know about any good windows cross-compiler.
I believe, result will be special patcher.
 
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j1clark@ucsd.edu said:
Please direct me to the pages in the MM103 user manual that describes the DSP processing performed by the chip on the sensor data, as well as the the block diagram that indicates the image data flow.
Click to expand...

Why do you need block diagrams and how they can help you (from my previous expirience with such things they won't much)?
Inside camera you have special LSI chip, normally with CPU and DSP. Usually they share same command set, but DSP have extensions and some low level parts are similar to FPGA.
LSI detail are closed for every major manufacturers.
 
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Useful donation could be only GH1 for experiments.



I want you to remind that we almost don't have any text inside firmware. So, it'll be extremely hard to try to remove AGC (even if found only option will be to turn on analog and digital gains and use it as linear level input). If anyone have photos of GH1 main PCB it could help a little.

Service manual also could help.
 
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I have the service manual and the pics of the inside - PM me. Not much info there though. Just shows how to disassemble the camera and a few other things.

Another thought is to see if anyone knows someone at Panasonic who can get a copy of the 'tatsujin' software that allows control of the camera from a computer via USB. Perhaps that will allow some tweaking.... who knows - although this software is really only for experts - perhaps it allows uncompressed HDMI for testing purposes. Just a thought.But keep very quiet about it's intended use.........he he he
 
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tester13 said:
Why do you need block diagrams and how they can help you (from my previous expirience with such things they won't much)?
Inside camera you have special LSI chip, normally with CPU and DSP. Usually they share same command set, but DSP have extensions and some low level parts are similar to FPGA.
LSI detail are closed for every major manufacturers.
Click to expand...

The questions that are being asked, deal with the DSP, AVCHD encoding, and data pathways.

Sure, in some applications the DSP and the management CPU are one and the same. In other applications, data is processed in 'engines' that are just dropped in and configured/managed by the management CPU.

So, yeah, for a TI320 it did everything... for apps that use an ARM for the management, unless the DSP needs are really low, a separate DSP engine is used.

With the FPGAs one can collect a set of functions, and depending on the size one can have a large number of interconnects.

Here's a link to the Panasonic page regarding software development environments for the MM101/103 processors. Don't know if the GH-1 uses the realtime OS mentioned
on this page or not.

http://www.semicon.panasonic.co.jp/e-micom/softtool.html

But the bottom line is, unless you have a 'picture', a 'block' diagram, you're pretty much shooting in the dark.
 
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As I said, diagram won't help much. Yes, it is good to have all information. But reality is slightly different :)
Both software development enviroument and diagrams didn't helped much in Pentax DSLRs case. As development tools are very different for LSI chips (libraries, realtime os, configuration, many things).
As for shooting in the dark - I can't agree. Normally high level stuff can be understood quite good without detailed DSP knowledge.
 
Thanks all you guys.
We now have service manual at hand (I also have PDF version).
Unfortunately Audio P.C.B. schematics are not present because it is not serviceable part.
So, we need macro photos of this part. It is located on the top of all internal assembly, so if anyone risky enough to remove outer shell and photo at top PCB from both sides, you are welcome.

1271488380.jpg


All we know that internal mics use NJM2747 op-amp :)
And we must know CODEC chip used. It is on Audio P.C.B.
 
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Good find - let me add my voice to the throng of people - all I care about is uncompressed HDMI. Tester13 - if you achieve this I will gladly donate £100 or even more to you if you can upgrade my GH1 to have uncompressed HDMI. This may mean I can get close to the AF100 less £ 5000.

Pulldown,24p,Bitrate,AGC and other settings IMHO are not as important as uncompressed HDMI!!!!!!!!!!!!!Once we have this quality we can do other things in post.
 
ZS1 and ZS3, GF1 etc. also use MN89520RF.
May be we could find service manuals for them also.
Unfortunately, ZS3 firmware is encrypted. And this requires time to research and understand how it is encrypted.
Otherwise it could be good testing bed, much cheaper.
But, as can understand, firmware have build in dumping capability.
These service software must have necessary command.

As for live HDMI output, most probably it is impossible.
I don't know how to write large chunck of pure assembly code without any documentation
and almost no text references in reversed listing.

Most probably camcorder will be using same chip as in GH2 and few other upcoming models.

Today main thing is to make good photos of Audio P.C.B.
Knowing Codec model it is possible to know used registers and parameters and after this it is possible to find proper disassembled parts.
 
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Hey Tester, is there any way that us lowly non-developers can help? If you really think that a firmware hack for AGC or codec bitrate is possible, I would gladly donate to a project like this. What is the risk that you brick your GH1 in testing a custom firmware?
 
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