Software update for Audrey !

Updating Audrey's Software

Why do I want to update Audrey's software ?

You don't really need to. Audrey will work as is, for web browsing, email and PDA functions. However, if you update to the latest software version, you can gain access to the 'unix' like operating system, and that will make it possible to add features in the future.

Audrey does not have a hard disk (not yet anyway). The software load is protected in a way that requires a special procedure to change it.

This procedure is normally something that is done automatically by Audrey, but the website where Audrey looks for this update is no longer maintained by 3COM.

However, a very nice fellow madmax is currently providing a web address which emulates the 3COM site, and Audrey can be convinced to use that address.

So this whole procedure is aimed at quickly getting Audrey updated to the latest software revision, and is required if you want to do any of the later modifications to her.

Here's basically what we're going to do :

Physically set up the Audrey and connect it to your LAN or directly to the web.
Go thru the basic Audrey setup
Change some elements to cause Audrey to use the 'pirate' update site.
Force Audrey to go thru 4 different 'updates'.
Change Audrey's setup back so that it doesn't try to access the pirate site.

Follow the manual

The manual is sufficient for setting up the physical connections. However, it will be easier if you connect the Audrey power adaptor to a 'power strip' that has a Switch so that you can power-cycle the Audrey with little bother.

So let's :

Insert the batteries into the keyboard (batteries included !)
EITHER:
- Plug in the USB to Ethernet adaptor in either of the two USB connectors.
- or connect the phone cable to a telephone jack.
Plug the Audrey power adaptor into the power strip.
Position the keyboard in front of Audrey (It's wireless !)
Power ON !

One thing to remember before you start :
Audrey will go to sleep after 3 minutes of no activity.

She will turn off the screen, and this will surprise you if you are in the middle of thinking about the procedure and don't expect it.

But Don't Worry ! Just press any key on the keyboard or touch the screen. She will wake up exactly at the same place where you were working.

Welcome to Audrey !

Go thru the first setup steps

Calibrate the Touch Screen
- a note: Do be careful to touch the center of the targets.
Adjust screen contrast
- Note: the first time I did this, I must have tapped the screen too soon, and didn't get to the 'adjust screen contrast' page... Don't worry, you can do it later.
Enter User Information
- Enter as much as you care to. It will not be reported to 3COM.
Enter your credit card information
- Nuts... you don't need to do this and I suggest Don't.
Get Online
- Here's where we get to the tricky parts

How do you normally access the Web ?

Either you have a dial-up, or you have some sort of high-speed connection.

But here's the trick:

Select the 'dial-up' option ONLY if you are connecting Audrey directly to the phone line.

If you have Ethernet in your home, you should have bought the USB-to-Ethernet adaptor (3COM only), and need to run a cable from the Audrey adaptor to your Ethernet hub.

This works even if you have another Mac (PC?) which acts as a Router (like IPNetRouter) for your web access,
EVEN if your connection is a Dial-Up !

You can of course connect the cable directly to your DSL/Cable Modem...

I'm gonna cop out at this point

I have not gone through the procedure for doing a direct connect to a dial-up line.
But I do believe that the procedures after this should be the same except that Audrey will have to dial up each time that you do a powerfail or reset...

I already have a broadband Internet access account

This is another tricky part. I used a software router (IPNetRouter) on a Mac that had a dial-up connection.
But I believe that these choices will work even if you have a broadband connection.

Make sure your USB-Ethernet adaptor is connected to Audrey.
Do you have a "DHCP" or an "assigned/static IP" account ?
- Choose 'Static' Touch CONTINUE.
Enter the IP address that you want to assign to this Audrey:
- 192.168.0.x
Subnet mask : 255.255.255.0
Gateway : 192.168.0.1
- This is the IP address of your Router or the Mac running IPNetRouter.
Now set the DNS addresses to that of the website that offers the Audrey updates.
- Note that this address was good as of 9/15/2002... it may change !!!
- ISP's primary DNS: 66.107.123.66
- ISP's secondary DNS: 66.107.123.66
  - PLEASE be polite... you must change these last two in the procedure below
    If you don't, the website that is providing this service will become overloaded. !
Touch CONTINUE

Set up your Email account information

If you expect to use Audrey's email client, you need to set this up. Else you can enter dummy data.

Use the same information that you use with your Mac email client.

If you set up dummy information, and your web connection is 'live', you may see a yellow error box complaining about a failure of the email client.

Set up the correct date and time

Audrey will attempt to get the time from the web. This may or may not succeed.
Don't worry because you are about to reset Audrey anyway...

Here's where it starts to get 'interesting'

Turn off the power strip (or unplug Audrey's power adaptor from the wall)
WAIT more than 60 seconds
Turn on the power strip (plug it back in)
Audrey should come back up, and then try to get the time from the web.
In any case, you need now to make sure that the time and date are correct.

If Audrey does not take you to the date/time settings automatically,
PRESS the Audrey Actions button on the right side of the unit.
This is a physical button, second from the bottom ...

Set the correct date and time

When I did this, and touched CONTINUE, Audrey said that it was doing an Update. It waited only a few seconds, and then went to the "Welcome" page showing the controls.

Then I got the 'bugle' warning and a Yellow mail message : 'Can't log on to your mail server. Please verify. Ignore this...

Go to the Datebook (top right button), and verify that the date and time are still correct.

Now we're ready to set up the first software Update

NOTICE: You may have a 'later' software system !
Just try the 'three finger salute' described below.
If that causes any action, then go to the 'Second' software update
If nothing happens, then continue here :

Push the Audrey Actions button (get used to this button)
- A selection list pops up.
Touch the Audrey Options spot. (far right, top)
- A window opens with many 'touch' selectable choices
Touch the Download Schedule options spot
- A window appears with a few options and several 'schedule' times.
  Note: putting blanks in the times will shut them off...
Un-check the Broadband option
Set the TOP download time to the Current Time PLUS 5 minutes or so.
Make sure that the AM/PM is set correctly.
BLANK out the time in all of the other entries. (just to avoid confusion)
Touch Done
PRESS the physical button on the lower right (this is the 'on/off' button)
- Note that you may have to switch off/on Audrey at the power strip.
- Keep it OFF for 30 to 60 seconds.
- This can be useful to get you back to some 'startup' point if things get screwed up.

Audrey should do the 'first' update

The 'Activity' light on the USB connector (or your modem), should start flashing occasionally. Maybe about a minute later, a message should pop up that says that Audrey's software is being updated.

This update takes some time. With my 56Kbps modem, this took 20 minutes.

This update gets 9 files. File number 7 takes a very long time. Not to worry. Just watch the activity light.

At the time you set above, Audrey should connect to the pirate website and download the first software update.

I'd keep my fingers off the keyboard and screen during these updates...

Note also that during this time, I had two other Macs which were collecting email and web pages over the same connection. I saw no problems other than the obvious delays imposed.

The Three Finger Salute

While this update is happening, take the time to look at the Audrey's buttons, and familiarize yourself with what has affectionately become known as the 'three finger salute' which is a 'secret' method of forcing the Audrey to do a Software Update.

Look at the manual if you need. Locate the Email button which is the lower left hand side (Envelope Icon).
Now find the 'Browser' button. Second from the Top on the right.

Although other documents say to hold these three buttons 'simultaneously', that's just impossible...
Don't worry. Try this :

Push the Email button

then push the Actions button

and then the Browser button.

Hold these buttons for a few seconds.

In my first trial with this, it didn't seem to work even after three attempts. I'm not sure I was holding the right buttons. But then I saw the screen go blank, the USB activity light flashing, and a screen appeared saying that Audrey is being readied for a Software Update.

I must have learned how to do this, because I had no such problem with the later use of the 'three finger salute'.

The Second Software Update

After the first update, the software revision should be :
1.02.04.01 RC24 2/5/2007
Don't worry and look for this. If you saw the 9 files downloaded, it's right.

For the second Update, all you have to do is perform the above "Three Finger Salute".

This update will download 7 files.

A yellow box comes up saying: "Checking for software update"

This second update took 13 minutes.

Shortly after the download, Audrey announced that it was updating the software.

THEN she shut herself off !. I was worried, but the instructions I first read warned me of this.

After waiting 2 minutes, I pressed the 'space' key on the keyboard, and bingo, she came back up at the "Welcome" page. Turns out that this wait is not necessary. Just my anxiety.

The Third Software Update

Now you get the picture. Obviously the first software update added the 'three finger salute' feature that lets you Force a software update...

So, to start the Third update, just do the Three Finger Salute.

This update takes less than 15 seconds !
A yellow box comes up, only long enough to read it.

Audrey shuts herself off again.

The FINAL Software Update

Press the 'space' key again (any key will do), and Audrey wakes up at the 'Welcome' page ...

Do yet another Three Finger Salute.

Audrey goes through another software update, but this one is not nearly as long as the first one. Only three files to download.

Again she powers herself off.

Just to be Sure

Wake her up again with a gentle 'space', and then just do one more Three Finger Salute.

This time she should check the web and soon you will see a message :

"Audrey's software is up to date."

I was taken to a page where I had to again calibrate the touch screen, and set up the 'get online' information.
Do calibrate the screen again, but I think that you can just cancel out of the 'get online' dialogs. That information should be 'sticky'.

NOW let's be Nice

The kind soul that put up that 'pirate' website for updates doesn't want to be buggered by continuous hits from all these Audreys that are looking for updates that aren't needed.

So, when you set up the 'get online' information this time, CHANGE the Primary DNS and Secondary DNS IP addresses back to the ones that you normally use with your TCP/IP control panel. Please ?

NOW, to make sure this 'sticks', Power down Audrey. When you wake her up again, the correct IP addresses should be there.

That's all there is to it ! (whew).

If you never do anything beyond this, at least you know that your Audrey has the 'FINAL' software update.

So now what ?

Now you can explore the full feature set of Audrey. You don't ever have to get into the QNX operating system, unless you really like to play with Unix systems.

There are plans afoot to provide 'web browser' access to XTension, which won't require any further modifications to Audrey.

If you do want to play

There are many things already that the linux-hacker community have discovered, not the least of which is getting access to 'root', which gives you complete freedom to screw the whole thing up.

You can also add a VNC client to Audrey, and put the VNC server on your XTension Mac, and bingo, you've got a beautiful control box for XTension, anywhere you have a connection to your Ethernet.

Other nice things you get with 'root'.

If you buy multiple Audreys (as many have), you'll certainly not want to have to go thru the software update for each one.

After you have made the changes that get you access to 'root', you can save the entire software load to a Compact Flash card.

This CF card can be used to transfer a software load from this first Audrey to all of your other Audreys. Not only a real time saver, but also a very nice 'backup' in case something happens to screw up the software of any of your Audreys.

PLEASE note that this tutorial is 'in work'. I'm sure that there will be many changes necessary before it becomes a simple and reliable tool for updating the Audrey.

ALSO note that the links below are probably not finished yet ...

How to get VNC onto the Audrey

Save or Clone your Audrey

Back to the main Audrey page

Audrey Tips and Links

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Last modified: August 6, 2003
Michael Ferguson, webmaster@shed.com