tinyapps.org / docs / Kindle DX as E Ink computer monitor

Warning

Note that in some jurisdictions, it may actually be illegal to jailbreak your tablet (but not a phone!).

These directions are current as of March 2012 and worked well for me. They may not work for you, and might even destroy your Kindle. At the very least, they definitely void your warranty. Proceed at your own risk (and joy).

Environment

• Kindle DX Graphite (DXG) running 2.5.5
• Mac OS X 10.6.8 & Vine Server 3.0 (though most any OS and VNC server should work)

Procedure

1. Jailbreak

1. On Mac: Download NiLuJe's JailBreak and UsbNet.
2. On Mac: Extract the appropriate bin from kindle-jailbreak-0.10.N.zip (e.g., update_jailbreak_0.10.N_dxg_install.bin) to the USB storage root of your Kindle.
3. On Kindle: Press Menu, choose Settings, press Menu again and choose Update Your Kindle. The Kindle will reboot.
4. On Mac: Extract the appropriate bin from kindle-usbnetwork-0.37.N.zip (e.g., update_usbnetwork_0.37.N_dxg_install.bin) to the USB storage root of your Kindle.
5. On Kindle: Repeat step 1c.

2. Setup VNC

1. On Mac: Download hawhill's Kindle VNC viewer and copy the kindlevncviewer directory to the USB storage root of your Kindle.
2. On Mac: Download and install Vine Server (OSXvnc). Set authentication to "none" and RFB Protocol to "3.3".
3. On Kindle: Rotate display (using AA) to desired orientation (portrait or landscape).

3. Connect

1. On Kindle, from the Home Screen:
   1. Press Del, type ;debugOn and press Return^*
   2. Press Del, type `usbNetwork and press Return^†
   3. Press Del, type ;debugOff and press Return
2. On Mac: Connect the Kindle's USB cable. The following dialog box will appear:
   
   Click "Network Preferences..." and configure IPv4 manually (IP Address: 192.168.2.1, Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0)
3. On Mac: Issue the following 4 commands:

   $ telnet 192.168.2.2
   Trying 192.168.2.2...
   Connected to 192.168.2.2.
   Escape character is '^]'.
   
   Welcome to Kindle!
   
   #################################################
   #  N O T I C E  *  N O T I C E  *  N O T I C E  #
   #################################################
   Rootfs is mounted read-only. Invoke mntroot rw to
   switch back to a writable rootfs.
   #################################################
   [root@kindle root]# /etc/init.d/netwatchd stop
   system: I netwatchd:def:stopping Netwatch Daemon
   [root@kindle root]# /etc/init.d/powerd stop
   Stopping Power Management Daemon: [root@kindle root]# /mnt/us/kindlevncviewer/kvncviewer.sh 192.168.2.1:1 &
   

4. Disconnect

1. On Mac: To end, press Ctrl+C and then [root@kindle root]# killall kindlevncviewer . Restart netwatchd and powerd if desired.
2. On Kindle: To return to USB mass storage device mode, repeat steps 3.a.i-iii or simply restart (Home Screen > Menu > Settings > Menu > Restart).

5. Notes

• ^* Don't confuse the Return key, which looks something like ⏎, with the center button of the 5-way controller (as I did)
• ^† The backtick (`) is used in Kindle Version 2.x and earlier; the tilde (~) in Kindle Version 3 and later.
• Optimize Mac OS X settings:
  • Safari > Preferences > Advanced > check "Press Tab to highlight each item on a webpage"
  • System Preferences > Universal Access > Seeing > check "Use grayscale"
  • Dig into some of the more obscure keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+F2 (activate menu bar) and Ctrl+F3 (activate Dock)

More Info & Updates

• Video by ArtemRomanov of the DX in action
• The Kindle can also be used as a standalone terminal
• Browser-based text editing on the Kindle:
  • Text editing / shell access on a Kindle 3 via shellinabox
  • E-Ink word processing with Amazon Kindle - Introduces Typewriter
• Several readers have asked for a similar walkthru using Windows as the host OS. I did a quick test with TightVNC under 64-bit Windows 7, changing the port number to 5901 and disabling authentication - worked like a charm. The Kindle was recognized by Windows as a "USB Ethernet/RNDIS Gadget" and the device driver installed automatically. Used PuTTYtel as the telnet client.
• To bypass the battery check (which prevents the Kindle from booting if the battery is under 3600 millivolts), change _SKIP_CHECK=0 to _SKIP_CHECK=1 in /etc/rc2.d/S50battcheck (have a look through S50battcheck - other methods abound, like the nobattcheck boot arg). Here is the Kindle refusing to boot with a low battery (taken from the most recent log file in /var/local/log/):

  init: Entering runlevel: 2
  ...
  system: I S50battcheck:def:running
  system: I S50battcheck:def:current voltage = 3738mV
  system: I S50battcheck:def:gasgauge capacity=2% volts=3794 mV current=179 mA
  system: W S50battcheck:def:battery low. Not booting
  and here it is after the battery check has been disabled:
  init: Entering runlevel: 2
  ...
  system: I S50battcheck:def:running
  system: I S50battcheck:def:skipping battery check
  init: Switching to runlevel: 5

  The battery check can also be skipped by hacking the hardware.
• If you must work on a backlit screen, try drinking lots of water and wearing GUNNAR computer eyewear. The latter sounds like some kind of cheap plug, but it's not - I'm just a very surprised and satisfied customer.
  • UPDATE: I still prefer GUNNAR's Phenom computer glasses, but see Uroš's thorough review of Spektrum's Prospek-99 Elite glasses.
• There is finally an E Ink device with Bluetooth support (for keyboards and speakers) and a full version of Android (4.04): the 6.8" Onyx BOOX T68 Lynx. Amazon | Reviews: 1, 2, 3
• DASUNG has released the second generation of their Paperlike 13.3" USB E Ink monitor. In my testing (August 2016), it is far more performant than the Kindle DX; even the mouse is quite responsive and usable under Windows (the OS X driver is vastly slower).

created: 2012.03.31, updated: 2018.05.17