Markus Zehnder
53 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
53 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
# Introduction
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- [asterctl usage](asterctl.md)
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- [Linux shell control commands](shell_commands.md) without using asterctl
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## Motivation
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Developing open client software to use the embedded second screen on various Linux distributions.
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It *might* also work on Windows, but I neither have that OS, nor plan to install it.
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The official proprietary AOOSTAR-X display software is not suitable for NAS and security-minded users:
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- All-in-one solution that attempts to do everything, from sensor reading to running a web server for control and configuration (*exposed on all interfaces!*).
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I prefer using existing monitoring tools and combining them to my liking.
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- Resource hungry, written in Python. Archive of v1.3.4 is 178 MB.
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- Closed source, requires root access, distributed over filesharing sites, some without HTTPS.
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- Built-in expiration date. One must regularly update the software without being able to verify the source.
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- Many untranslated messages in Chinese and missing instructions for included features.
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The display remains on continuously (24×7) if the official software is not running.
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## Goals
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- [x] Reverse engineer the LCD serial protocol to provide open screen software.
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- Utilize the official AOOSTAR-X display software by sniffing USB communication, using `strace`, and decompiling the Python app.
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- [x] Document known commands so clients in other programming languages can be written.
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- [ ] Eventually, publish a Rust crate for easy integration into other Rust applications.
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**Out of scope:**
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- Reverse engineering the microcontroller firmware on the display board.
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That would be an interesting task — potentially uncovering additional display commands — but is outside the project's current scope.
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- Reimplementing the full AOOSTAR-X display software, which is overly complex for most use cases.
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## Development
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- [Reverse engineered LCD protocol](lcd_protocol.md)
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- [GitHub project](https://github.com/zehnm/aoostar-rs)
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## Contributing
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Pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.
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## License
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Licensed under either of
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- [Apache License, Version 2.0](http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)
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- [MIT License](http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
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at your option.
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