Dec 9 2008
Updated DSDT for Samsung NC10
If running Mac OS on a non-Apple laptop, then there’s a sting in the tail of the forthcoming 10.5.6 update: it appears that the new kernel only wants to run with ACPI HPETs, and will fail on boot if legacy i8254/RTC timers have interrupts assigned to them.
To fix this, a replacement ACPI Differentiated System Description Table is required. efi_boot, version 6.1 or above, has the ability to replace the DSDT supplied to the kernel from the system firmware with a customised one: Simply place the alternative DSDT.aml in the root of the EFI volume – generally /Volumes/EFI/.
Getting the correct DSDT is another job altogether. Luckily for Samsung NC10 owners, I’ve already made the relevant edits (based on the original 02CA firmware) and recompiled successfully – and the updated binary is available here!
One caveat, however: Since I’m not part of the Apple Developer programme and have no interest in downloading non-legitimate copies of (Snow) Leopard, I’ve not yet been able to test this with 10.5.6 itself. I’m hopeful that when the update is released and with this patch already in place, efi_boot‘s overlays will allow me up perform the upgrade without any more hassle than on a real Mac 🙂
14th December 2008 @ 12:05 pm
Hi Stuart,
thanks for the corrected DSDT table. I’ve installed it alongside with efi_boot 6.1.
I’ve read that netkas (http://netkas.org) has released PCEFI v9, another bootloader which supports hibernate as well. I might be tempted to try that at some point.
For now I’m very happy how things are with my NC10. The only downsides are the sound output/input (I currently use a bluetooth headset for skype, works great!) and the keyboard. I’ve managed to make it a bit less annoying by remapping the # key where it is on the real keyboard. Let me know if you’re interested – I can send you the layout.
You said in one of your earlier comments that you found a working AppleDecrypt.kext – is that working as expected? I’d be still very keen on trying any kext combinations you come up with since you started to install OS X. Any chance you might be willing to share your current setup?
By the way, I’m sure you know about this but Superhai’s GenericCPUPowerManagement is a great way to control you Atom’s frequency switching. (http://www.superhai.com/darwin.html)
16th December 2008 @ 12:59 pm
Have you tried the 10.5.6 update yet? In theory everything should go fine with the updated DSDT. I’m going to backup/clone my system before I try anything 😉 I’m just too chuffed with the state of my NC10 at the moment.
I managed to get brightness control working. I followed the instructions on this thread: http://ipis-osx.wikidot.com/forum/t-91753/brightness-control
“Hagglebeef” gives the right instructions on how to patch AppleIntelIntegratedFramebuffer to make it loose control over the LCD backlight. When the patch is done, you can set a register (legacy backlight control) of the Intel GMA950 graphics controller to manually set the backlight level via the command line. The backlight state is restored after waking up from sleep so no problem there as opposed by the description on the thread. I can send you my patched kext if you’d like.
It’s not pretty but it works very well – and battery life prediction just crossed the 6 hour mark with a fully charged battery! 🙂
21st March 2010 @ 7:19 pm
I think I will get a Samsung NC10, it looks really great and has good specs. Or does anybody know a notebook with similar specs?