• Registered: 2011-03-24
  • Posts: 13

Topic: Cannot mount usb flash drive

I was going to give Zurk's a try, but I cannot get it to boot. I copied all the folders/files to the root of the flash drive, but no luck actually using it. So I tried it on 2 other flash drives - still not luck.

I then booted up the chumby with a thumb drive attached, then logged in via SSH to see if I could even see the USB drive and I cannot see it. I tried with 3 different usb drives, all different make/model/and size.

Looking under /mnt I only see /mnt/storage - no /mnt/usb.

df does not show that the usb is mounted - so I am pretty sure it is not mounting at all. I have tried finding how to manually mount it, but have had no luck (cannot figure out what the correct /dev/xxxx path is).

This is a Chumby One.

Any thoughts on how to get USB working?

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,197

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

Sounds like the external USB port might have died - can you try plugging in a USB keyboard and see if you get a console?

One other quick question - how is the USB drive formatted?

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2011-03-24
  • Posts: 13

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

Tried USB keyboard, does not appear to do anything when I attached it. Rebooted, still does not seem to be seen - did not bring me to a console, just back to the clock.

drives are formatted FAT32 from a macbook.

So maybe the port is dead - bummer.

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,197

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

That's a pretty rare failure - I've only seen three devices with that issue and the others failed on both internal and external ports - your internal one is working otherwise you would not have network.

Duane's Website

  • From: Australia
  • Registered: 2008-11-12
  • Posts: 104

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

What size USB stick? I have had no hassles with sticks up to 8G, not much luck with 16G+ sticks - they seem to take forever to be recognised & are v. slow to access.

  • Registered: 2011-03-24
  • Posts: 13

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

Sizes that I have tried are 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB.

I will keep trying, but it is starting to look a lot like the port is bad, like Duane said.

  • Registered: 2011-03-24
  • Posts: 13

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

ok - so here is a thought.

Is there a way to make /mnt/usb not be removed when I restart the chumby? I was thinking of just putting the widget that I need along with a profile.xml in /mnt/usb and loading the widget locally. Problem is that if I manually create /mnt/usb it gets toasted on restart.

8 Reply by servalan (edited by servalan 2013-02-21 13:33:10)

  • From: Australia
  • Registered: 2008-11-12
  • Posts: 104

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

aconnell wrote:

Is there a way to make /mnt/usb not be removed when I restart the chumby? I was thinking of just putting the widget that I need along with a profile.xml in /mnt/usb and loading the widget locally. Problem is that if I manually create /mnt/usb it gets toasted on restart.

Thinking aloud... You could just try mounting psp/etc as r/w & making a directory there -  then just using that as the path in the profile.xml - not worry about /mnt/usb.

e.g.
/psp/etc/localfoo/widgetfoo.swf
/psp/etc/localfoo/profile.xml

The hard part is making psp r/w without a USB stick... I have this in a debugchumbyearly file on a USB stick:
mount -t loop -o bind /psp/etc /etc

The other alternative is to try /tmp. I think contents there may survive a reboot. Have a look at timestamps in /tmp to check.

(All my ref. is for Chumby Classic - which may or may not mirror your setup)

  • Registered: 2011-03-24
  • Posts: 13

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

servalan wrote:
aconnell wrote:

Is there a way to make /mnt/usb not be removed when I restart the chumby? I was thinking of just putting the widget that I need along with a profile.xml in /mnt/usb and loading the widget locally. Problem is that if I manually create /mnt/usb it gets toasted on restart.

Thinking aloud... You could just try mounting psp/etc as r/w & making a directory there -  then just using that as the path in the profile.xml - not worry about /mnt/usb.

e.g.
/psp/etc/localfoo/widgetfoo.swf
/psp/etc/localfoo/profile.xml

The hard part is making psp r/w without a USB stick... I have this in a debugchumbyearly file on a USB stick:
mount -t loop -o bind /psp/etc /etc

The other alternative is to try /tmp. I think contents there may survive a reboot. Have a look at timestamps in /tmp to check.

(All my ref. is for Chumby Classic - which may or may not mirror your setup)

This WORKED! So - /psp is already r/w on my chumby one, so I plopped the xml and widgets in there and rebooted. Works!

Now I just need to figure out all the correct xml options from Dual Cams so that I can actually see my camera! (If you happen to know this off the top of your head that would be splendid :-) )

Thanks!

  • Registered: 2011-03-24
  • Posts: 13

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

Figured out the Dual Cam params I needed.

I am back in business! The wife will be so happy to have her baby monitor back at her bedside.

  • From: Australia
  • Registered: 2008-11-12
  • Posts: 104

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

& there was much rejoicing. wink Excellent job getting it back up & running.

  • Registered: 2013-02-25
  • Posts: 3

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

Hi,
Do you have the Dual Cams Widget? That is the only widget I used with my Chumby. Since Chumby's offline, I lost it. Can you tell me how to get the widget and to install it to the USb drive? Your help greatly appreciated.

13 Reply by aconnell (edited by aconnell 2013-02-25 21:45:55)

  • Registered: 2011-03-24
  • Posts: 13

Re: Cannot mount usb flash drive

sperera wrote:

Hi,
Do you have the Dual Cams Widget? That is the only widget I used with my Chumby. Since Chumby's offline, I lost it. Can you tell me how to get the widget and to install it to the USb drive? Your help greatly appreciated.

This was done on a Chumby One - depending on your model, this process may or may not work...

That said... I was able to SSH in and locate the Dual Cam widget in the cache by doing the following:

1) SSH to the Chumby
2) cd to /mnt/storage/widgetcache
3) You will notice several files with long, unfamiliar names such as: BFCFC78E-60CD-C72B-76AC-8AF170232F0E
4) The fewer of the above files you have, the easier this is...
5) I then ran the strings command against these files looking for output that was similar to the settings for the Dual Cams widget. Example below:

strings BD7C4BC0-E6C6-11DD-9A7D-001E681DF646 will give the following output:

chumby:/mnt/storage/widgetcache# strings BD7C4BC0-E6C6-11DD-9A7D-001E681DF646
cam1
configMsgText
Please Configure CAM 1
notThis
cam2
url_image
url1
url_move_left
left1
url_move_right
right1
url_move_up
url_move_down
down1
havePanTiltControls
panTilt1
true
configMsg
_visible
loadingMsg
small
Please Configure CAM 2
url2
left2
right2
down2
panTilt2
_root
Arial
loading...
Configure Message
name0
image
index
name1
swapDepths
this
_visible
firstLoad
removeMovieClip
createEmptyMovieClip
url_image
Math
random
loadClip
loading
camMoving
pressed
small
startx
_xmouse
starty
_ymouse
start_move
camMoved
url_move_left
load
left
url_move_right
right
url_move_up
url_move_down
down
_height
_width
loadingMsg
visible
text
Error Loading
notThis
Error (
havePanTiltControls
moved
image0
image1
MovieClipLoader
loading2
addListener
configMsgText
onEnterFrame
configMsg
moveCam
doLoadImage
onPress
onRelease
_root.
onMouseMove
onLoad
doLoadImage
moveCam
onLoadInit
0NGO
onLoadError
status
loadingMsg
o$%c@
configMsg
cam1
cam2
chumby:/mnt/storage/widgetcache#

This is the Dual Cam widget!

I then copied this file (BD7C4BC0-E6C6-11DD-9A7D-001E681DF646) to /psp/widgets/dualcams.swf:

mkdir /psp/widgets
cp BD7C4BC0-E6C6-11DD-9A7D-001E681DF646 /psp/widgets/dualcams.swf

Then it was just a matter of creating a profile.xml under /psp and rebooting the Chumby. I used the script from WidgetOnAStick (find in the forums) to create the profile.xml.

You will need to modify the profile.xml file with the proper settings that are specific to the Dual Cam widget. I only set one parameter (see earlier post in this thread - in the widget forum).

This is what worked for me - hope you find success with this as well!