Operate checkpoint 4800 LCD screen with pfSense (EZIO-G500)

Pepito Payet

Could anyone help me please ? to operate the checkpoint 4800 screen on pfsense.

stephenw10

The key fact here is that this is the Portwell EZIO-G500.
https://portwell.com/products/detail.php?CUSTCHAR1=EZIO-G500

Unfortunately there is almost no detailed info available for this display (or was not last time I looked) which makes creating a driver very much more difficult. There is no lcdproc driver for it currently.

Steve

Pepito Payet

Hello,

it's a shame if anyone can help or has any information please?

stephenw10

If you find any details of the protocol the screen uses let us know. It may not be that hard to develop a driver once that information is available.

Steve

Pepito Payet

do you know where i can find this?

stephenw10

Nope, I never found it. You could try to contact Portwell and ask.

fmertz

I believe the only hints about these better EZIO devices came in a PDF document titled "NAR-7100 Series Communication Appliance" by Caswell/Portwell (Google it). It refers to the EZIO-400 but wiring pictures in that document seem awfully similar to your picture above.

There is a list of commands to send, and they do not match the EZIO-100 or EZIO-300 we already have, so maybe they do work for an EZIO-400.

As you have the hardware, you might have to try them at the command line. The device might be attached to COM1 as the documentation suggest, or COM2 (COM1 is usually the serial console).

So, install an operating system you are comfortable with, initialize the COM port (looks like 115200,n,8,1 would be a good start) and hack away. Start by sending a few characters ("Hello"), next try clearing the screen, then put the cursor somewhere and sending another "Hello".

Let us know what you find out.

stephenw10

Ah, I see it. Yeah the G400 is also a graphical display, though lower resolution.

The G500 has a bunch more buttons are lights etc. All the bells and whistles.

If you just write raw serial to it (from lcdproc here):

Experiment time!

Steve

Pepito Payet

@fmertz

Hello,

I have pfsense installed on it but I don't know how to run the commands to get it displayed on the screen. How to do it please?

stephenw10

Looks promising.

[root@T-160 /bin]# echo -e '\x0c\x0bSome test text\x0a\x0dAnd a new line\x0a\x0dAnd another' > /dev/cuau1

Results in:

Seems like there might be a generic driver that would cover this....

Pepito Payet

@stephenw10

So you found it?

stephenw10

A driver? Nope. I just send commands to the LCD directly to test if the G400 command list works and it appears it does. I haven't tested them all. The backlight command does nothing.

Steve

mfwade

Watching as I too have several of these Checkpoint devices and would love to get the display working.

-MW

srgsng25

I would love to be able to get the LCD working on a Checkpoint 4600. I have no programming skills to donate to the cause, unfortunately. but would love to help someway

Saint-Frater

Hello peoples,

I've tapped a Checkpoint 4400's EZIO serial communication; and that some commands are way different from the G400.

I'm still making some data decoding from the tap file, but I've so far, I've discovered that Checkpoint isn't working in text mode, they transfer all menu via graphics...

I don't know how to share my findings ?

stephenw10

If can't post here directly you can link to a share somewhere, pastebin etc.

We don't need a graphics mode to use the G500 with lcdproc though.

Steve

Saint-Frater

@stephenw10,

I've started to build some git site with all information I can collect from the tap, but also from the CP's process...

here is the binary tap file:

https://git.nox-rhea.org/globals/reverse-engineering/ezio-g500/-/raw/master/TapFiles/Tap_1.hex?inline=false

I'm still reading the file and the application to try to find as many information I can find...

Saint-Frater

Hello everyone,

Since I've an working 4400 with demo license on it, I'm able to tap all serial communication...

4400 tapped

I've started some RE on the CP's drivers... very interesting...

I've discovered that CP is indeed full graphics...
The LCD graphic mode is very special but logical, each bytes represent 8 pixels 'vertically'...

I've also be able to control the 3 LEDs:
https://git.nox-rhea.org/globals/reverse-engineering/ezio-g500/-/blob/master/LED.MD

here is the current command discovered so far:
https://git.nox-rhea.org/globals/reverse-engineering/ezio-g500/-/blob/master/CommandSet.MD

stephenw10

Ooo this is nice work.

Definitely some differences to the G400 command set then. Mostly the same though.

Steve