Sony Ericsson T630 and Linux via IrDA

Index

• System configuration
• Setting up IrDA
• Storing your settings
• The software
• GPRS [updated]
• Misc
• Useful links

The informations in this document apply to Sony Ericsson T610 and T630; you can find useful links and informations for other models as well. I'm writing this paper as I've had lots of troubles in getting the phone working with Linux and finding related docs on the web; of course, now that I got it working I'm finding all the docs I'd have needed... Feel free to contact me for questions, errors, new links or software.

System configuration

• Toshiba Satellite 1410
• SMC Infrared Communications Controller (integrated on the laptop, and in many other Toshiba models)
• GNU/Linux Debian Sarge (testing)
• Vanilla kernel 2.6.7
• IrDA utils ver. 0.9.16

Please note that green boxes apply to (some) Toshiba Satellite only.

Setting up IrDA

As a first thing disable any serial port with setserial /dev/ttySx uart none; as I've got no serial ports on this laptop I'm not too sure if you have to disable them all, but to follow the most secure way just do it ;) This is because IrDA and serial controllers could share base addresses and thus conflict.

You will need kernel support for your IrDA controller and IrCOMM; you can find these options in the kernel configuration menu Device Drivers -> Networking support -> IrDA (infrared) subsystem support. If you don't know your controller chip you can find it with findchip -v (included in IrDA-utils).

If you have a SMC chip, you need some software to enable it, as the BIOS doesn't. You can find it at http://www.janerob.com/rob/ts5100/irda.html or http://libxg.free.fr/irda/lib-irda.html. The program is to be launched every time you modprobe the smc module. See below about modules configuration.

Now you can load the modules and set up IrCOMM connection:

modprobe smsc-ircc2
modprobe ircomm-tty
irattach irda0 -s

Use your module instead of smsc-ircc2.

Now you should see an irda0 interface via ifconfig and ircomm# devices in /dev.

irda0     Link encap:IrLAP  HWaddr 30:3a:30:38  
          UP RUNNING NOARP  MTU:2048  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:238 dropped:238 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:240 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:8 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 b)  TX bytes:7446 (7.2 KiB)
          Interrupt:3 Base address:0x130 

Try to see if it works with irdadump, which will sniff any packet on the interface. You should read some lines regarding your computer informing other devices about its presence

01:21:33.405394 xid:cmd 2ce874b7 > ffffffff S=6 s=0 (14) 
01:21:33.495375 xid:cmd 2ce874b7 > ffffffff S=6 s=1 (14) 
01:21:33.585363 xid:cmd 2ce874b7 > ffffffff S=6 s=2 (14) 
01:21:33.675348 xid:cmd 2ce874b7 > ffffffff S=6 s=3 (14) 
01:21:33.765337 xid:cmd 2ce874b7 > ffffffff S=6 s=4 (14) 
01:21:33.855319 xid:cmd 2ce874b7 > ffffffff S=6 s=5 (14) 
01:21:33.945309 xid:cmd 2ce874b7 > ffffffff S=6 s=* flyback hint=0400 [ Computer ] (23) 

When you'll activate your phone IrDA you should notice also its packets, like

06:41:42.185505 xid:rsp 62f9eab1 < 4b51d3a2 S=6 s=0 T630-T628 hint=9124 [ PnP Modem IrCOMM IrOBEX ] (26) 

Now the last step. Because of a bug in T630 (and T610 too) you have to echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/irda/max_tx_window to reduce the transmit window. Some people suggest to modify max_baud_rate to 115200 and max_tx_data_size to 2000, but it seems I don't need them.

It should work now! Go to the last section and try some software to check if all is OK, then proceed to the last configuration step, storing your setting.

Storing your settings

Of course you should repeat the steps above every time you reboot your system, and this isn't what you want. You can automate the procedure on a Debian system proceeding as follows (it could vary a little on other distributions).

At first configure the modules. Open /etc/modprobe.d/irda with your favourite text editor and add the lines

alias irda0 smsc-ircc2
install smsc-ircc2 /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install smsc-ircc2; \
/sbin/modprobe ircomm-tty; echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/irda/max_tx_window

using the name of your module instead of smsc-ircc2.

install smsc-ircc2 /usr/local/sbin/smcinit; /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install smsc-ircc2;\
/sbin/modprobe ircomm-tty; echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/irda/max_tx_window

Finally, configure irda-utils. In Debian, dpkg-reconfigure irda-utils: use simple irda0 as the serial device (not /dev/irda0), enable discovery mode, choose if you'd like to start it at boot time or not. Personally, I prefer not to activate it to save battery: I lauch it with irattach irda0 that loads our aliased module and IrCOMM and sets up the other stuff.

The software

With this programs you can:

• transfer files from/to your phone
• synchronize the phonebook and the calendar
• download SMSs on your PC or send SMSs (not tested yet)

UPDATE: I recently discovered that you can browse the phone's filesystem, or at least some parts of it. For details see just below in the obexftp section.

Generic programs

There are many programs for phones that support AT commands and OBEX standard.

I have to mention also gnokii and gammu with the respective GUIS xgnokii and wammu. Unfortunately they don't work very well for me (gammu can't do almost anything yet).

Specific Sony Ericsson programs

GPRS connection

Your phone will behave just like a normal modem, so you can use any connection tool (eg wvdial, pppconfig...). You need of course a GPRS enabled SIM, and some data from your operator: the APN (Access Point Name) or an initialization string containing it, and if your network requires them also a username, a password, an IP and a DNS address.

Once you've collected these data you have to set an account on your phone, in the Connectivity section (you can find the procedure on the manual). Remember the CID (Connection ID) of the connection, as you will need it for the chat script. You are now ready to set your dialer: I will propose an example based on pppconfig and Wind (an Italian operator).

# Abort strings
ABORT BUSY ABORT 'NO CARRIER' ABORT VOICE ABORT 'NO DIALTONE'
ABORT 'NO DIAL TONE' ABORT 'NO ANSWER' ABORT DELAYED

# Modem init
'' ATZ

# Selection of the PDP Context (eg here you choose which of the data connections
# set on the phone you want to use). The parameters are CID, protocol (IP or PPP), 
# APN. If your provider gives you a string, use that one (with the right CID).
'' 'AT+CGDCONT=3,"IP","internet.wind",,0,0'

# QoS requirements: requested and minimum acceptable
'' 'AT+CGQREQ=1,0,0,0,0,0'
'' 'AT+CGQMIN=1,0,0,0,0,0'

# "Dial string". 3 is the CID.
'' 'ATD*99***3#'

CONNECT \d\c

# Almost self-explainatory. Details on pppd manpage.
# Note that I don't need username and password.

hide-password 
noauth
connect "/usr/sbin/chat -v -f /etc/chatscripts/gprs"
debug
/dev/ircomm0
115200
defaultroute
noipdefault 
remotename gprs
ipparam gprs
usepeerdns
/dev/ircomm0

# Prevent dial line checking via lcp packages, as it
# doesn't work with T630 and causes it to disconnect
lcp-echo-interval 0
lcp-echo-failure 0

Misc

Here are some known T630 internal files (from obexftp docs).

And the list of available phonebook and SMS stores (from gsmpb manpage and direct AT interrogation):

Useful links

Here are some links I found useful. I'd like to thank expecially Emanuele Aina, whose page let me discover the IrDA bug ;)

• AT Test Commands
• TuxMobil - Linux on laptops, notebooks, PDAs and mobile phones
• myT630 Free T630 downloads : Welcome to the new T630 site
• Telit phones handbook. I included it here only because it contains a useful reference to AT commands.

Alessandro Dalvit, last changed fri 2004/08/13