Unlocking the Mio C230 – Version 3.3 with Route & Settings Management; no BananaPC!

December 27, 2007 at 11:34 pm · Filed under mio c230

[UPDATE]  Version 3.5  Released Feb 1, 2008 

 

OK, I’m done tweaking my Mio C230 for now.   This update includes the latest combination of drivers I could find to give you the best performance and screen displays thus far.   I’ve gotten programs that have never worked before in my C230 to run with this build.

Like Amida with his Version 3 release, my new version depends on replacing the BananaPC exit option with the data.zip modification to unhide the Exit Door button.

I must say I like his iPhone desktop look,  and it will be very easy for you to use his main.ini icon settings and his icons with my build if you so desire, but my build continues to diverge from his with my menu approach to allow easy and quick changes of SYS.TXT (the MioMap “ini” file) settings which also has the advantage of being able to change flyover and street settings as often as you wish (you can add your own as well if you find a setting that you toggle often).   The largest advantage however is the ability to pre-plan upcoming vacation trips, business trips, delivery routes, etc., save those routes, and activate them at your convenience.   Many blog readers are stating that this is their main reason for unlocking, not for the desktop access of other programs.

I’ve gone through a lot of coffee on this release ( the best one yet! ) and if you are pleased with the results, kindly consider a small donation to my coffee fund.   My next project is investigating how to delete individual items in the Route History list which is part of the SQLite 3.0 database file iGo.db, since right now it’s Clear All or nothing.

Route Management

Someday, there could well be built-in MioMap screens (I’m available, Mio) either in alternative skins or adopted by iGo or Mio in an update, to do these same functions using the logic strategy contained in my menus (with thanks to Xania for the initial work), but for now the menus seem like an excellent alternative, especially now that the Exit button functions so nicely.  I’ve updated the menu to Version 3.3 as well to include automatic entries to the SYS.TXT file needed for this menu to function.  You no longer need to run through the setup process.

Unlock Version NXT-R3.3

[BEFORE YOU FOLLOW THE PROCEDURES TO MODIFY YOUR MIO C230, KNOW THAT YOU MIGHT RENDER YOUR C230 UNUSABLE AND YOU MIGHT VOID YOUR WARRANTY.  YOU DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK.]

Installation procedure

1. Turn on C230 and connect it to the computer using a 5-pin Mini-B USB 2.0 cable (not included in the package).
2. C230 will show up as a flash drive in My Computer as Mio Device. Mine is assigned as F drive. I’ll use F drive in the following steps. Substitute it with the actual drive letter of your system.  If you have a SD card in the slot, it shows up as well – in my case as G drive.
3. Rename the folder F:\MioMap\MioMap to F:\MioMap\MioMap2.
4. In order not to get the message ”destination full”, you may need to free up some space on your flash disk.  See Note3.    
5. Download MioC230_NXT_R3_3.zip  
6. USA MioC230 users –  download the modified MioC230 data.zip file with the Exit Door button restored.    Owners of the European C230, please review this page and Note 4, before Unlocking for information on using this Unlock on your units.   You can modify the file yourself – See Note 4. 
7. Extract the files from your Unlock download ONLY and find the two folders MioMap and  Script 
8. Copy MioMap to F:\MioMap\ and copy Script to F:\ as in the screenshot.  Don’t speed through this step – it’s got to be done as described!
    
9. Copy the data.zip file AS IS (don’t unzip it) to the MioMap2 folder after copying the original file to your PC or to the Storage Card as a backup. 
10. Disconnect Mio C230 and do a hard reset by sliding the switch on the rear of your C230 to OFF and back to ON again.
11. After calibrating the touch screen, the initial Unlock script will automatically run AUTOPATCHER (no menu selection necessary), soft reset and present you with a simple clock screen with two faint icons to proceed into either the main desktop screen or into the MioMap Route Management screen, that each become more visible when pressed. 

Note 1: If you wish to undo the enhancements and return the Mio C230 back to factory condition:

1. Turn on C230 and connect it to the computer using a USB cable.
2. Rename the folder F:\MioMap\MioMap to F:\MioMap\MioMap3 (or delete) and rename the folder F:\MioMap\MioMap2 to F:\MioMap\MioMap
3. Copy back any map files you may have deleted or moved to your SD card and restore your data.zip file.  The SYS.TXT file shouldn’t need to be restored.
4. Disconnect the cable and hard reset C230 using the switch on the back of the unit.

Note 2: Remember, every time you disconnect the USB cable linked to your PC, you will need to do atleast a soft reset, although in most cases you really should do a hard reset.  The time and date will need to be reset, unless you are going right into MioMap with Time Autosync enabled.   This is why you might consider using a SD card in conjunction with a USB card reader for adding programs and storing media files once you’re happy with your unlocked Mio setup.

Note 3: In order not to get the message “destination full”, you’ll need to free up some space on your flash disk by moving at-least 12MB of map files to your SD card by creating a MioMap folder and within that folder a maps folder so that the path appears as G:\MioMap\maps.   Choose a combination of map file(s) you’re not accessing every day (in case your SD card isn’t always inserted) from F:\MioMap\MioMap2\maps and move them to the maps folder on your SD card.  MioMap will see them after a hard reset as if nothing happened.  Or you could delete them (or copy to your PC) if you choose not to use a SD card at this time, since it’s easy to explore your MioMap DVD and copy them back to the original folder or a SD card later, if needed.
Note 4:  Instructions to Modify your DATA.ZIP file yourself  (from Amida’s Hack #2)

1. Make a backup of your original DATA.ZIP file. The file is F:\MioMap\MioMap2\DATA.ZIP .
2. Unzip the original DATA.ZIP to your local hard drive.
3. Edit the file mio\common\ui\default_setup.ui in the uncompressed files.
4. Find the following line and delete it. Note that this is for C230 only. You might need to edit/delete other line for other models.
   runif vDeviceType “MIOC230″ ‘btn_exit_app.hide’
5. Compress the files back into DATA.ZIP again.
6. Copy the DATA.ZIP from step 6 to the F:\MioMap\MioMap2\ directory.
7. If you get a ctype.dat error as has happenned with some users, either try again or download the file instead.  When it comes to zipping the file back up, it has been learned that WinZip version 11 (10 is OK though) is not compatible with MioMap.   I use WinRAR and I choose “best” compression but I’m not sure if that really matters. 

And now the manual:  Using your unlocked C230

Default Screen

You’ll note that the MioMap icon and the Next Screen icons are dimmed, so that the initial screen might serve as a simple, unclutterd clock screen in your RV or automobile.

• The MioMap icon will take you directly to my new menu with options to either proceed into the MioMap program, Save / Delete / Rename / Load routes, View / Update MioMap settings in SYS.TXT, view a brief  Help screen on Exiting MioMap, and quickly be able to turn off the taskbar before running MioMap.
• The Next Screen icon will take you to the regular Desktop screen which was the Main screen in former releases.  (I’ve included instructions in SysInfoSettings.ini if you would rather this be your default screen)

I’ve provided an alternate clock screen in the Sysinfo folder, so that you have an example on how to change to your liking.  In the /script/sysinfo folder, rename clock.ini to clock_orig.ini and then rename clock_alt.ini to clock.ini if you wish to use the alternate screen.  A secondary text line is already set-up for you if you wish to add your name or a short message.

Route Management

^ From either the clock screen or the desktop screen, click on the MioMap icon (the GPS unit in the upper left)

Prior to unlocking your Mio GPS, you would be unable to save multiple routes and the default route.dat file normally saved in \My Documents\MioMap folder would be erased during a hard reset, making the Route Management menu feature a substantial add-on to your Mio C230!

Normally you don’t need to save a route on your Mio, since you can just create a POI for the destination and regenerate the route dynamically when you want to go there.   If you want to see where you actually drove along the way, you can record a track log.   However, there could be times when you have created a more complex route with multiple waypoints, and you want to save it.   This could be because:

• you’ve imported the route as a set of waypoints from an online route planning site, and you don’t want to lose the effort of setting it up on the Mio
• vacation pre-planning – you’ve set up a complex route for a vacation trip that doesn’t start from “home” and you want to load it into memory once you’ve arrived at the start point
• you want to share your route with another Mio user. 

NOTE:  When planning routes that start from a location different from your present location (Vacation pre-planning), the Off-Route Recalculation option has a habit of interfering.  You have a couple of options here: 

• The first leg of your trip can be from your present location to the intended starting point.  Just keep setting your route up and when you’re finished, remove the first Waypoint (using the second button on the bottom of the Edit Route screen) which deletes that first segment of the Route.   It seems that once you’re in the Edit Route screens /Fit to screen/ etc., that the GPS doesn’t recalculate from your present position.  It’s when you are in Map or Cockpit where that happens.  With the Route Management Menu, you just exit and Save your Route for future viewing or navigating. 
• The bottom selection on the General Settings page is Off-Route Recalculation. Switch this from Automatic to Disabled.  This doesn’t actually turn off the GPS receiver, but it keeps the C230 from messing up your Route planning.  Just don’t forget to switch it back to Automatic when your done with your Route planning.

Sample pre-loaded route to view

^ click on “Load a Saved Route…” and select this sample file and it should copy itself as route.dat and open up in MioMap.  To visualize this Route, select Cockpit > Menu > Routes icon (third in bottom row) > Info > Fit to screen.  When you edit or delete route from within MioMap, you are impacting route.dat file, not the saved file you selected from the menu, so if you want to save changes you’ve made, you’ll have to do so after you exit MioMap and return to the Route Management menu.

Creating Routes

• We’ll make an example up > Go to History or Address and select a destination,  Mio will create a route, click in the area of the 3 green rectangles, Select Fit to Screen to see route.   Your route has already been autosaved as route.dat.
• Now we’re going to save it with another name so it doesn’t get erased > Menu, Home, Exit, go to Route Management Menu, select Save, select a Name and you’re done.
• If we go back into MioMap, it always resumes with the route.dat file (if it exists) so if you wan’t to work on a different saved route, you need to load it into memory using that option in the Route Management menu.
• If you create a new route in MioMap now, that route replaces route.dat with this new information, but since you’ve saved the former route with another name, you can just load that saved route in to replace route.dat again.

SYS.TXT Options

iGo calls the two flyover modes: Lifelike simulation mode  which runs real-time (at speed-limit rate) and includes voice instructions – mainly used by retail stores with looping turned ON as DEMO mode, and for the user to become familiar with it’s routing functioning.   Fast-flyover mode runs 10 times faster (10X the speed-limit rate) and voice instructions are not played in this mode, but I find that it is much more useful for reviewing a planned route.

^ your choice.  Mio’s default is YES (demo mode).

 ^ the script reads your current SLOWSIM value (slow simulation – which is the inverse of fast flyover) entry in the file and allows you to keep the value (YES) or change it (NO).   For fast flyover, slowsim=1 is changed to slowsim=0.  

 ^ the script reads your current entry in the file and allows you to keep the value (YES) or change it (NO).

Main Desktop Screen

You’ll note that the MioMap icon and the Media Player are larger than the rest.  My reasoning for this is that they will probably be your favorites and you are likely to access these without a stylus.   The other icons…

• MioTool – hitting the small “ab” box in the top left corner with your stylus will reveal a virtual keyboard for entering data.  To turn the keyboard off again, just hit the icon again.  Another method of engaging the keyboard is hitting the keyboard icon on the taskbar (2^nd from the right).
• MioMap – Starts my new menu with options to either proceed into the MioMap program, Save / Delete / Rename / Load routes, View / Update MioMap settings in SYS.TXT, view a brief  Help screen on Exiting MioMap, and quickly be able to turn off the taskbar before running MioMap.   Exit and Cancel both take you back to the desktop screen.  You can either select your option and hit OK, or simply double-click your option.
• TCPMP Media Player – Core Pocket Media Player is loaded with features and options that aren’t realized until you click Options\Settings\Select Page and explore around.  The current version in this build is TCPMP version 0.72RC1 with all of the available extra drivers and it will play many audio and video formats, as well as photo files and flash videos.   By running the program once, you will associate all of the supported file types, so that you will then be able to click on a .wav file, as an example, in File Manager and play the file.

Shortcuts 2nd row-from-bottom across:

• Clock – returns to the (default) clock screen for that uncluttered look. 
• Windows Explorer – my primary reason for using this shortcut is to fix file icon associations in File Manager and to  resolve the Show Toolbar performance.  It should be noted that the first time you select Windows Explorer, you are likely to get the Mio orange screen with a minimized taskbar at the bottom.  You just need to use your stylus in the right corner of the hidden taskbar (the narrow gray stripe at the bottom edge – this is why it is important to carefully calibrate your screen with a stylus!) and choose Desktop (don’t click on MainShell).  At this point, the taskbar and Windows Explorer will behave better, and the icon associations in File Explorer will work, and other programs that seem to be missing menus, like exit, folder selection, etc. will display their own taskbar (see the Freecell screenshot).
• Pocket Notepad – viewing txt files and for creating quick txt files with the virtual keyboard.  Comes in handy for quick editing ini, mscr and other text files.
• Volume Control – graphic volume control display
• Pocket-G Freecell – so you can have a little fun.  Stylus recommended though (not a pen).

  

• An empty spot for a shortcut of your own (plus room for another 8 shortcuts above this row and as many more pages full of icons as you wish) *
• GQ Photo Viewer – GQ is easier to use for viewing multiple photos than media player, and it has a zoom function
• Restart – soft reset button

Shortcuts 1st row-from-bottom across:

• MioUtility – quick access to adjust Backlight, Volume, Screen calibrate, Power, Date/Time and Language.  This is the program that older units like the Mio C220 used to exit from MioMap into, but MioMap 3.3 has been written such that these choices are all available from within the program now and in fact the Volume Control appears to be non-functional.   You’ll find that setting the date and time is much easier by clicking on the clock on the toolbar, unless you like the 24-hour format.

• Taskbar toggle – toggles the taskbar on and off in whatever state it is in (hidden or revealed)  The taskbar area of the main desktop screen is also programmed to trigger this function.
• FileManCE2 – Two-pane File Manager application alternative to Windows Explorer.
• Another empty spot for a shortcut of your own * 
• More Tools Screen – <described below> an animated slide to another Desktop screen with additional tool programs that may not be used as frequently.  This will serve as an example for you to come up with alternative screens if you install many other programs onto your Mio C230 and wish to group them onto their own screens. 
• WR-Tooks ResInfo – Quick access to status info on battery, program memory, storage memory, Flash Disk useage, Storage Card useage, tasks and processes currently running, system information and settings.  Most of this information is also available from Control Panel as well.



• My Calculator – a scientific calculator that is large enough to use without a stylus.  To exit, click on the About tab, then on the X on the right side
• CapScrUtil – a screen capture utility. Remember to store the .bmp images to either Storage Card or My Flash Disk for easy access to the screenshots.  (This utility was used to create all of the images in this blog page)

More Tools

• ScreenRotate – gives you the ability to rotate the screen counterclockwise 90° with each tap
• DPMS – puts your screen to sleep while everything else continues to run.  This could save battery consumption while recording GPS track logs or playing an audio book, etc.
• Suspend – suspends the C230 in sleep mode, using some power though – so don’t use this in place of the actual orange power button.
• Taskbar toggle – toggles the taskbar on and off in whatever state it is in (hidden or revealed)
• Move Any Window – the mouse icon, is used when you anticipate needing to move windows around (those that drag properly can just be slid over with your finger) or gaining access to the right mouse function by opening this program window beforehand
• RegEditor – TRE Registry Editor ver 0.82    Only use this to view entries though until you are confident that you are not going to end up with a C230 “brick” (Not really since a hard reset wipes out all of your changes)
• ITaskMgr – Another tool to allow you to view CPU usage, as well as view and manage processes and tasks that are currently running
• Restart – soft reset button

Taskbar 

The registry tweaks introduced with version 3.1 should help tame the taskbar performance.  The default setting for “Always on Top” has been deactivated.   Try to remember to toggle the taskbar OFF prior to using MioMap though.   Want the day and date?  Press and hold the clock on the screen.  Want to minimize the taskbar?  Start/Settings/Taskbar Properties/OK.

Adding your own programs and icons

Add any additional programs (.exe files, not .cab files) you’re interested in to the script folder, try them, and if you decide to keep them and want a desktop shortcut to them, add your own icon (.ico file) to the script folder and add the data to main.ini, also in the script folder.

 *  The two “empty” icons on the desktop screen are in fact not empty, but the icons are “dimmed” to zero (actually 1).    Otherwise the go.ico would show with no program associated with it and people would complain about the error message and ask why the icon doesn’t work.    I doubt that you’ll find this documented anywhere else on the web – but just change the ScaleAlpha parameter to 100, and wala, the icon will shine thru at full “brightness”.    That is how I “dimmed” the two icons on the default clock desktop screen  – I set the ScaleAlpha to 25.   You could dim those icons to 1 if you wanted to hide them completely, but they would still function.

ICONXPBUTTON
X = 121
Y = 175
Command = \My Flash Disk\Script\(your program.exe)
SizeNormal = 32
SizePushed = 32
ScaleAlpha = 1 (change to 100)
IconNormal = \My Flash Disk\Script\(your icon file name).ico
ScaleAlpha = 100
IconPushed = \My Flash Disk\Script\go.ico

Registry tweaks that are included

• The 2007 changes for DST work correctly now for the EST time zone*
• The default time zone is GMT-5 (EST)*
• Key clicks and screen tap sounds are enabled
• Volume level in Windows CE, which is independent of the volume settings within MioMap, is cranked up
• File Manager font is Tahoma 7, which works much better on the 3.5″ screen
• The default folder for GQ Viewer media is \Storage Card
• The default ALWAYS ON TOP behavior for the taskbar is disabled, although the setting seems to sneak back in once in awhile
• The automatic tutorial during startup of the Calculator is disabled

         

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* Added instructions in the script file so that using my code as an example, you can adapt the script to a time zone other than EST.

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To return to the desktop screens or the Route Management Menu from within MioMap, simply click on the Exit Door.

ENJOY!!

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