Pre Plus on Sprint Step-by-Step conversion guide

[livinofframen]

This guide will allow you to get a Palm Pre Plus working on Sprint, assuming you already have an activated Sprint Pre. Using this guide, you will end up with a Palm Pre Plus activated on Sprint, with an entirely stock software installation. The included stock Sprint applications will work (SprintNav, Sprint TV). Your purchased applications from the app store will be re-downloaded automatically OTA.

Requirements
1. Activated Sprint Pre
2. Palm Pre Plus- It can be Verizon or AT&T, it doesn't matter. It also doesn't really matter if the ESN is clean or not, I used a brand new Pre Plus I got off Craigslist with a clean ESN, however the ones with bad ESN's tend to be cheaper on Craigslist or Ebay. Buy whatever you can get the best deal on.
3. T5 screwdriver (required to disassemble phones)
4. Meta-Doctor (get it here Application:MetaDoctor - WebOS Internals)
5. The most important requirement: the understanding that if done incorrectly, you can end up with TWO broken phones or malfunctioning phones. The Pre is *NOT* an easy device to disassemble and especially to re-assemble. A moderately high level of confidence and competence with electronics is required to attempt this.

Step 1: Extract working Sprint Pre Tokens
The tokens on your Sprint Pre are located at /tmp/tokens on your device. The values we want to extract are ProdSN, ModemSN, BATToRSP, BATToCH, DMSVRoNONCE, DMSVRoAUTHPW, DMCLoNONCE, DMCLoAUTHPW, DMCLoAUTHNAME, DMCARRIER, DMMODEL, WIFIoADDR, BToADDR, PalmSN, PRODoID, PN. Each token is represented by a file with that exact name, and the value is contained in the file. I simply opened each file in Internalz and wrote the values down in a text file on my laptop.

Moderator Edit:
NOTE: In order to avoid issues with battery charging, use "Show Properties" to capture the tokens.

Step 2: Setup meta-doctor
This is actually sort of tricky and the setup process is a little different for each operating system you are running on. I recommend following the directions located here: http://forums.precentral.net/palm-pr...ation-etc.html. However, there are a few little things that need to be done to do what we are trying to do. I will summarize the steps that we are taking with meta-doctor. Read these steps first, BEFORE setting up meta-doctor. All the initial icky steps on the meta-doctor setup involve getting the proper UNIX architecture setup to run the shell scripts that comprise meta-doctor (installing git, etc). I will not summarize those steps here (they are well-documented elsewhere and OS-dependent). However, once you have the basic packages installed and in place, do the following things:

1. Modify your makefile. The makefile is located in the "meta-doctor" directory and is called "Makefile". Open it in your favorite text editor. We are going to remove the carrier check (since VZ and AT&T carriers will NOT work with the regular Sprint webOS Doctor) and we are going to remove the model check (since there is no such thing as a Pre Plus on Sprint). To do this, remove the "#" symbol next to "REMOVE_MODEL_CHECK = 1" and "REMOVE_CARRIER_CHECK = 1". You will also need to set "DEVICE" to "pre" (no quotes) and "CARRIER" to "sprint" (no quotes)- exactly as below. Your makefile should now look like this (changes noted in bold for legibility):

##########################
## END OF DOCUMENTATION ##
##########################

########################################
## START OF AREA FOR END USER CHANGES ##
########################################

# Uncomment the features that you wish to enable below:
# BYPASS_ACTIVATION = 1
# BYPASS_FIRST_USE_APP = 1
# ENABLE_DEVELOPER_MODE = 1
# DISABLE_UPLOAD_DAEMON = 1
# INCREASE_VAR_SPACE = 1
# ENABLE_USB_NETWORKING = 1
# INSTALL_SSH_AUTH_KEYS = 1
REMOVE_CARRIER_CHECK = 1
REMOVE_MODEL_CHECK = 1
# DISABLE_MODEM_UPDATE = 1
# CHANGE_KEYBOARD_TYPE = z

# Select "pre", or "pixi".
DEVICE = pre

# Select "sprint", "bellmo", "telcel", "verizonwireless" or "wr".
CARRIER = sprint

######################################
## END OF AREA FOR END USER CHANGES ##
######################################

Save your modified makefile and close your text editor.

2. Unpack and Patch meta-doctor. Since we are going to import our Sprint tokens into meta-doctor, we need to build meta-doctor in a stepwise process, and insert the tokens at the proper time. Do NOT simply run 'make DEVICE=pre all-sprint'. This will NOT work. From the command line, and within the meta-doctor folder, run 'make unpack':
[CODE]make unpack[/CODE]
After this command has finished, run 'make patch':
[CODE]make patch[/CODE]

3. Import tokens into castle.xml and package meta-doctor. We are now going to add your Sprint Pre tokens into meta-doctor and build the customized version of webOS Doctor that will write your Sprint tokens to your Pre Plus and remove the Carrier and Model checks. To do this, open the castle.xml file, which will be located in meta-doctor/build/pre-p100eww-sprint-1.4.5/webOS/castle.xml. (Or you can just use the search function on your computer, haha). Open castle.xml in your favorite text editor. Locate the tokens section, which will look like this:
[CODE]
<Section name="tokens" type="token" size="4KB">
<Val name="installer" value="trenchcoat"/>
</Section>
[/CODE]
The new section will look like this (thanks jhoff80!):
[CODE]
<Section name="tokens" type="token" size="4KB">
<Val name="installer" value="trenchcoat"/>
<Val name="ProdSN" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="ModemSN" action="overwrite" value="X"/>
<Val name="BATToRSP" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="BATToCH" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="DMSVRoNONCE" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="DMSVRoAUTHPW" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="DMCLoNONCE" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="DMCLoAUTHPW" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="DMCLoAUTHNAME" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="DMCARRIER" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="DMMODEL" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="WIFIoADDR" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="BToADDR" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="PalmSN" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="PRODoID" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
<Val name="PN" action="overwrite" value="x"/>
</Section>
[/CODE]
Where the X's are located, insert the corresponding token values that you extracted at the beginning of this guide. Leave the quotes in place. Once you have completed this step, save the XML file and close your text editor. Go back to the command line and run 'make pack'
[CODE]make pack[/CODE]
Your new webOS doctor is now all packaged up and ready to go, and will be located in meta-doctor/build/pre-p100eww-sprint-1.4.5/webosdoctorp100ewwsprint-1.4.5.jar. Now that the software is all setup, we are ready to begin the hardware surgery!

Step 3: Remove your Sprint Pre com board
So this is the part where you can actually damage your device. So, as one last form of warning, I will say, DANGER WILL ROBINSON! If you are not comfortable with the possibility of destroying a perfectly nice Sprint Pre or are not comfortable disassembling tiny electronics, STOP NOW, go out and see Inception or something (great movie!). Otherwise, let's proceed. The entire Pre teardown guide is located here for reference: Palm Pre Teardown - Page 2 - iFixit

1. Remove the 6 back screws. Remove the back cover of your Sprint Pre and remove the battery. Using a T5 screwdriver, remove the 6 screws. The screw in the upper right corner has a small "Palm" sticker on it, probably to void your warranty if broken


2. Gently separate the backplate. There are interlocking plastic tabs securing the backplate. Separate them as so:


3. Remove the coms board. As opposed to the iFixit guide, you actually do not need to fully separate the backplate from the rest of the phone (which involves disassembling the volume rocker). If you are able to release the bottom section of the Pre's backplate and the 4 side plastic interlockers, you should be able to elevate the backplate enough to get access to the coms board. To remove the coms board, first gently reflect back the small plate covering the GPS connectors, as shown here:


Next, simply apply gentle pressure, and the coms board will pop right out:

Coms board removed:


Congratulations! You have now removed the Sprint Pre coms board! You are now ready to install it in your Pre Plus. PLEASE NOTE: The Pre is *NOT* an easy device to re-assemble, and although the coms board will be missing, I *highly* recommend practicing the re-assembly of the Sprint Pre a couple times to make sure you are able to get it to fit together nicely and the slider action is good, to ensure when you re-assemble the Pre Plus, it is of the highest quality.

Step 4: Swap Sprint Pre coms board into Pre Plus
So you've made it this far have you, Dr. Frankenstein! Excellent! Now, disassemble your Pre Plus by following the disassembly instructions detailed above. Remove the Pre Plus coms board. Insert your Sprint Pre coms board by pressing it into place, ensuring that the two connectors on the board push into place. Re-connect the two GPS wires on the inside of the case to the coms board. Re-assemble your Pre Plus.

Step 5: Re-program your Pre Plus using meta-doctor
Remember all that time we spent getting meta-doctor setup? Well, now the time has come to make use of it. Put your Pre Plus in recovery mode by holding the volume rocker in the 'up' position and while holding it, press and hold the power button. A USB icon should appear on the Pre Plus' screen. Navigate to your custom meta-doctor located at meta-doctor/build/pre-p100eww-sprint-1.4.5/webosdoctorp100ewwsprint-1.4.5.jar. Run the JAR file and doctor your device. When that has completed, your phone will reboot and the "first use app" will run. Go ahead and go through the setup process (note that there will be multiple odd languages to select- keep this in mind, as it will be useful to us later). Log in to your Palm profile. Once it is setup, the phone will reboot and you will be at your webOS home screen. Note that the carrier should say "Sprint." Confirm that our tokens were properly over-written by going to "Device Info" from the webOS menu and clicking on "More Info". The Carrier should say "Sprint" and the Model should be "P100EWW". If either of these values are wrong (most like Carrier: Verizon or Model: P101EWW), then the tokens did not write correctly, and most likely, you made an error properly rolling castle.xml into meta-doctor. If the values are correct, you are now ready get yourself a standard Sprint install.

Step 6: Run regular Sprint webOS Doctor 1.4.5.
To get all the stock Sprint apps back, like Sprint Nav and Sprint TV and to get the Sprint PRL you need to run the regular old, run of the mill Sprint webOS Doctor. (Download here: http://palm.cdnetworks.net/rom/pre/p...0ewwsprint.jar)
Put your phone in recovery mode and run the regular Sprint webOS Doctor. If your tokens are wrong, you will get an error saying that your device is not compatible with this version of webOS Doctor. If the info you verified in Step 5 is correct, the webOS Doctor will run without difficulty and you will end up with a stock Sprint install on your Pre Plus. You will be able to note this immediately on the first use app, as there will only be TWO language options (English and Spanish), rather than many.

Step 7: Have a beer! You've earned it.
Also, be sure to install Preware and all the other goodies you want!

Special Thanks: rwhitby (for meta-doctor, Preware); jhoff80 (for castle.xml configuration), ifixit (for teardown images).

[Jason Black]

Yeah..i def would be able to accomplish this

[cobrakon]

As my Pre is my work lifeline and thus "non-riskable", I would never try this. Great write up though and it looks straightforwards enough to follow. (If I had an extra Sprint Pre and a P+, I'd give it a go.)

[Nightburn]

livinofframen, thanks for writing this guide. I too have moved to a pre plus and I wish this guide was available when I did it

Separating the keyboard bezel from the bottom housing and reassembly are probably the most difficult steps in this process. If you decide to try this definitely take it slow specifically with the keyboard bezel. There is a technique to it that is hard to describe but once you get it, it's easy. A video might help but I haven't found one. Maybe I'll make one

I love my verizon sprint pre plus!

[junkTzu]

Wow great writeup! I may end up doing this after my warranty runs out in October. I've taken my Pre apart before to fix the headphone jack and like the previous posters have noted the keyboard bezel is definitely the trickiest part due to how the pointy parts need to "lock" into the rest of the phone before you click the tabs in.

One question though; does the Sprint 1.4.5 WebOS recognize the extra ram/memory? I imagine it would but I'm just curious if that's actually the case.

[RUSH]

Wow, dude that's awesome. Could I pay you to have mine done.

[ToniCipriani]

Originally Posted by cobrakon

As my Pre is my work lifeline and thus "non-riskable", I would never try this. Great write up though and it looks straightforwards enough to follow. (If I had an extra Sprint Pre and a P+, I'd give it a go.)

Do what I do... get broken screen Pres and bad ESN Pre Pluses.

[livinofframen]

Originally Posted by junkTzu

Wow great writeup! I may end up doing this after my warranty runs out in October. I've taken my Pre apart before to fix the headphone jack and like the previous posters have noted the keyboard bezel is definitely the trickiest part due to how the pointy parts need to "lock" into the rest of the phone before you click the tabs in.

One question though; does the Sprint 1.4.5 WebOS recognize the extra ram/memory? I imagine it would but I'm just curious if that's actually the case.

Yes, as far as I can tell, the extra memory is recognized. Under device info, my Pre shows 16 GB.

[dec]

Originally Posted by rush

Wow, dude that's awesome. Could I pay you to have mine done.

exactly what I was thinking . . . would pay well for the service no doubt~

[JED-WEB-OS]

I am on Verizon but still excited for the Sprint Pre owners who can now have access to the Pre Plus. Great write-up! I don’t know why Sprint and Palm haven’t offered the Pre Plus on Sprint ages ago.

[bill2455]

Well, let's just call this what it is: incredible. Nice job, livinofframen.

[pastorrich1]

Awesome Post. I may do this as a project when I upgrade to a new WebOS device (when one comes out). If I get it to work I will pass on the Sprint Pre Plus to one of my kids who are using Pixi's or the one who has a regular Pre.

I would do it now if I could get a dual CDMA/GSM Pre somehow.

[Nightburn]

If someone sends me their original pre and a working plus variant I would be happy to do it for minimal/negotiable fee to cover shipping and a bit of my time. Pm me.

note: I'm near Portland, OR

[livinofframen]

Thanks for all the props everyone, it really means a lot. At this time, I would probably not accept money to convert these over, solely because I don't want to take on the responsibility if (god forbid) I broke someone's phone. I am more than happy to help anyone that has questions with the process though!

[ToniCipriani]

Originally Posted by Nightburn

If someone sends me their original pre and a working plus variant I would be happy to do it for minimal/negotiable fee to cover shipping and a bit of my time. Pm me.

note: I'm near Portland, OR

I can offer similar service in Canada for Bell units once I get mine working.

[victorkruger]

Very nice find and very detailed instructions.

I'll be monitoring the auction sites to find pres/pre pluses for just this idea.

[berdinkerdickle]

What a great guide, ivinofframen!

I'm hoping Dieter gets this posted on the Front Page.

[Klownicle]

Awesome write up, I could easily accomplish this. However, I won't be purchasing a pre plus (as great as it would be) due to the nature of a new palm phone in the works hopefully by years end. Im content with my Sprint Pre.

Koodos to the op thoe, very infomative. I like you say Gently and show what looks to be a chizel being used lol... Here let me get the SawSaw under my car to cut a piece of metal...

[livinofframen]

Holy crap, this made engadget?!?! I think i've just reached nerd-vana!

[JED-WEB-OS]

Originally Posted by livinofframen

Holy crap, this made engadget?!?! I think i've just reached nerd-vana!

You also just made the pre|central front page. Congratulations!