Kobo Nia

From postmarketOS Wiki
Kobo Nia
Insides
Insides
Manufacturer Kobo
Name Nia
Codename kobo-nia
Released 2020
Type ebook reader
Hardware
Chipset Freescale i.MX 6ULL
CPU 1x 900 MHz Cortex-A7
GPU PXP + EPDC
Display 1024x758 6 inch eink/epaper
Storage Internal 8GB SD slot
Memory 256MB
Architecture armv7
Software
Original software Kobo Firmware
FOSS bootloader yes
postmarketOS
Category testing
Pre-built images no
Mainline yes
Features
Flashing
USB Networking
Works
Internal storage
SD card
Battery
Works
Screen
Works
Touchscreen
Works
Multimedia
Camera Flash
Connectivity
WiFi
Works
NFC
Miscellaneous
FDE
Works
USB OTG
Works
HDMI/DP
Sensors
Magnetometer
Ambient Light
Proximity
Hall Effect
Haptics
Barometer


Contributors

Users owning this device

Warning

There seem to be different versions out there, Kobo Nia Rev. A and Revision C.

Kobo Nia A is known to have issues with touchscreen reads if the data is read during a screen refresh; doing so introduces jitter and warps the coordinates in the corners towards the center. This makes it very hard to use onscreen keyboards for example. It is currently not known if revision C has the same issue.

Installation

An original Kobo Nia SD card or a copy (e.g. via dd) is recommended. The unpartitioned space at the beginning of the SD card contains the E-ink panel waveform information. This information is device specific and is copied to /lib/firmware/imx/epdc/epdc.fw on boot. See the original Pull Request for more information.

Replacing internal µSD

Internal µSD card can be replaced by something bigger.

A recommended practice to install software is to clone the SD card and keep the old one as backup or have at least the hidden waveform partition in place. before doing pmbootstrap install

So basically pull out µSD and connect to your PC and do:

  dd if=/dev/sdX of=nia-backup.img

replace with something bigger (in reality only the waveform is needed but for simplicity) and do:

  dd if=nia-backup.img of=/dev/sdX

and then use that sdcard with pmbootstrap install --sdcard

Hardware

Wireless

The Kobo Nia contains a wifi chip.

Display

USB

By default the USB port is in gadget mode. This enables rdnis (USB networking) and storage when plugged into a PC.

The USB can be changed to host mode, allowing a keyboard or storage to be plugged in. This requires a Micro USB OTG adapter. As root, you can change the USB role.

   echo gadget > /sys/bus/platform/devices/ci_hdrc.0/role

Note: For some devices, external power may be required via the USB adapter.

UART

Software

GUI support

Display servers

Display managers

Note that this device is heavily RAM limited, even more so than the Kobo Clara. Most DEs will struggle.


Plasma Desktop

Does not run, looks like it's short on RAM.

Other

Mobile DEs need to be tested, but they likely require GPU acceleration.

See also

Applications

Other