[E3-hacking] Fw: I found Cliff Lawson old website about Amstrad

Sun Apr 7 17:35:55 BST 2019

I don't think I had anything written down --- this was all years ago,
remember. I have managed to dig up this old Getting Started page, with
instructions on reflashing the E3 with Linux:
https://wiki.earth.li/E3_Getting_Started Remember that we were all
interested in running stock Linux on the machine rather than hacking the
built-in firmware. Those instructions are all based around pbltool, which
was the *other* tool for talking to PBL and which I'd completely forgotten
about, but should work fine. Bear in mind that this will replace the stock
firmware.

Regarding forums... I've never met a forum yet which was as easy to use as
email, let alone coming close to the convenience of getting messages
delivered directly to my inbox. (If this had been a forum I would never
have seen your posts!)

Have you seen the mailing list archives at
https://www.earth.li/pipermail/e3-hacking/?

On Sun, 7 Apr 2019 at 17:15, Nick Griffin <span1922 at live.com> wrote:

> I need help with PBLQ I don’t understand its commands and options what am
> I as pose to know how to use it, when there are no instructions on how to
> use it, all it has is a read me,please can David Given help me because he
> made it..?? or anyone who has used it…??
> Like “ writeflash <filename> <offset>” I don’t understand what is offset
> and length is ,is length the size of the NAND..????
> I am don’t know about pbl commands..??? Has anyone used this program
> before,I just hope I am not talking to myself or I will go mad…lol
>
> ”live at commodoreos ~
> READY.
> pblq -h
> pblq: Amstrad PBL boot load client v0.3.pre1.
> (C) 2005 David Given.
> Usage: pblq [<options>] <command...>
> Options:
>    -h         Displays this message
>    -v         Switch on verbose mode (what that)
>    -r         Reuse an already existing connection
>    -e <model> Set which emailer model to use (what Mode do not understand)
>    -p <port>  Sets the serial port to use
>    -s <rate>  Sets the slow baud rate
>    -f <rate>  Sets the fast baud rate
>    -m <size>  Sets the maximum packet size (0=ask PBL)
> Commands:
>    ping       Pings the device, testing communication
>    term       Start simple serial terminal (is this like Putty, when I
> reset the email there is no txt just binary.)
>    bless <filename>
>               Makes a PBL image bootable (does this copy PBL to your PC as
> a bootable image or something)
>    execute <address>
>               Executes an on-device program and enters the terminal (not
> sure need more explaining)
>    checksum <startaddress> <length>
>               Calculates the checksum of an area of memory ( not sure is
> the binary code,so need the code for the area in the Memory so it can grab
> it)
>    read <filename> <startaddress> <length>
>               Reads data from RAM into the specified file ( Reads data
> from the memory and copies into a file,so you can copy it back)
>    write <filename> <startaddress>
>               Writes data from the specified file into RAM ( same as above
> but the opposite)
>    readflash <filename> <offset> <length>
>               Reads data from the NAND flash (very, very slowly)( not sure
> need help with offset and length do not understand)
>    writeflash <filename> <offset>
>               Writes data into the NAND flash ( same as above but the
> opposite)
> Addresses should begin 0x if you want them in hex. ( hex ok  so starts
> with 0x so 0x1234567)
> WARNING. Use this program at your own risk. The author accepts no
> responsibility
>     for any damage this program may do to your hardware. You have been
> warned!”
>
> This needs a manual on how to use it properly,some I understand not all. I
> have notice there is not a lot of info on flashing the emailer and its not
> explained well, its like you put it up to show you have hacked it, but how
> do you expected to do it yourself, I have looked there is nothing on how to
> read the NAND from the E3,please someone make a walkthrough or explain
> offset and length..?
>
> Not beaning funny but posting on here is hard, I have never used  email so
> much,well I don’t use email, I know people on here don’t like Facebook so
> what about a Forum so all info can be in one place not scattered over
> different websites, it very hard to look up any thing in the Mailing list
> Archive because it has no search options so you have to press on each
> thread one by one.
>
> Would you be happy If I make a forum for the Emailer, no point me making
> one if no one uses it..?? I am proberly 8 years to late…lol, I am good at
> making them, I make one for TheC64 Mini. http://thec64community.online
>
> I think I know why you made the E3 Hacking Mailing list because you could
> at the time look at it on the Emailer by redirecting the emails to your
> email addy on Amserve.… 😊 would of cost a bomb to look at it at the time
> at 20p a collection. I only connected email once a day when I was using
> it and that was about £6.20 a month so it cost about £75 a year just to
> have it turn on…lol
>
> Thanks..
> Spanner..
>
> _______________________________________________
> e3-hacking mailing list
> e3-hacking at earth.li
> https://www.earth.li/mailman/listinfo/e3-hacking
>

-- 
┌─── http://www.cowlark.com ───
│ "I have always wished for my computer to be as easy to use as my
│ telephone; my wish has come true because I can no longer figure out
│ how to use my telephone." --- Bjarne Stroustrup
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