MSDroid with MS3 1.4.0

[clew]

Hi!

My MSDroid can not connect to my MS3 running version 1.4.0 because it can not find a definition file for this version.
It worked flawlessly with previous versions. Is definition for this version not available or do I have another issue?

[arran]

You need to get the INI file from the firmware. Assuming ms3, it will be called ms3.INI.
Copy this to the device, into the msdroid/INI folder.

I use Dropbox to upload the file from PC, then with Dropbox client on the android device you can copy it down. I just also discovered that es file explorer, in the cloud section, has a drop box addin so you can get the INI straight from Dropbox and put it in the correct place on the android device

Arran

[Trev16v]

Apologies for missing this myself before! In August I added the .ini files to the server for MS3 1.4.0, so from that point onwards MSDroid should be successfully automatically obtaining the .ini and creating a project for this firmware.

Trev

[jsmcortina]

You need to get the INI file from the firmware. Assuming ms3, it will be called ms3.INI.
Copy this to the device, into the msdroid/INI folder.

Where exactly?

James

[arran]

Assuming you installed the app on the device rather than the external SD card, on my two android devices the folder is located sdcard/msdroid/INI
I think if you installed the msdroid app onto the external SD it will be something like ExtSdCard/msdroid/INI.

I copy the ms3.INI to Dropbox, rename the old ms3.INI on the android device to something else, say ms3_1.4.1, then using ESFileExplorer, the current version will allow you to go into cloud and copy straight from Dropbox to the directory of choice.
When I went from 1.4.1 to 1.4.2 on my Android car stereo, after I did the above, msdroid complained that the firmware signature still mismatched, and asked something like
Start a new project
Stay offline
Cancel

As I didn't want a new project, I selected start a new project but named the new project the same name as my old project and it seems to have gone ahead and picked up all the old settings and dash no probs.

In contrast, shadow dash did not bother with any such irritations, it just opened straight up after the ECU firmware update.

[Trev16v]

If I understand right, I think the problem is that although you can start a fresh project easily, MSDroid does not have the ability to automatically update an existing firmware to a new MS version.

I will get this fixed.

[jsmcortina]

I couldn't find any obvious directories at all, even after a complete device search from my PC.

James

[Trev16v]

James,

What's the Android device that you have? I'd be a little surprised if the external storage directory (which in many cases isn't really 'external' at all) can't be accessed using a file manager app such as Solid Explorer.

In your situation as a firmware developer, presumably you're wanting to work with a definition file that's still under development. Would I be right? If that's the case then I should work on a mechanism that makes this easier. For example, every time you make manual changes to a definition file in a Dropbox folder on your PC, the MSDroid project should automatically use that updated version.

At the moment, MSDroid is good at automatically obtaining a standard definition file from the server and creating a new project with it, but the things I think I need to improve / fix are:

(1) a project should automatically detect an upgrade in MS firmware and get the latest definition for it;
(2) make it easier for a project to work with a local / developmental definition file, with changes watched. (MSDroid can already use an .ini you supply via Dropbox, but changes aren't watched.)

Essentially the ultimate goal being to eliminate the need for users to have to manually access directories on their Android device, making everything automated or painless as possible.

Thoughts?

Trev

[jsmcortina]

I was connected directly using a USB cable, I don't use Dropbox.

James

[Trev16v]

James, try using a file manager app on the device itself such as Solid Explorer.

[jsmcortina]

James, try using a file manager app on the device itself such as Solid Explorer.

Using a file manager doesn't appear to be the problem? There doesn't seem to be a suitable directory there?

James

[Trev16v]

Ah, what I was wondering was if, when connecting via USB, a different storage area is being mounted than the root of the external shared storage space.

What you should have is an MSDroid directory in the root of the primary shared (external) storage.

Does MSDroid function properly, in terms of creating projects and so forth?

What Android device is it?

[jsmcortina]

Ah, what I was wondering was if, when connecting via USB, a different storage area is being mounted than the root of the external shared storage space.

What you should have is an MSDroid directory in the root of the primary shared (external) storage.

There isn't that I can see.

Does MSDroid function properly, in terms of creating projects and so forth?

I can't see an option to create a project, I just have Demo.

What Android device is it?

Android 4.2.2 on a Samsung GT-I8200N phone.

James

[arran]

James is the phone rooted?
Perhaps if the phone isn't rooted you won't see the directory. Both the android device I mess around with are rooted so have full visibility of the system.

[Peter Florance]

Motorola XT1080; not rooted.

[jsmcortina]

I have that on my local storage. Within Projects there's just "demo". Non-rooted phone.

James

[arran]

What about looking in "ini"?

My Projects just has demo as well.