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1 | Q1. What is a FAQ? | ||
2 | A1. A rare small animal of the species 'Textius Electronicus'. It is known for | ||
3 | its helpful attitude and vicious misspellings. | ||
4 | |||
5 | Q2. Okay, fine, what is _this_ FAQ? | ||
6 | A2. This FAQ is for questions (that we have answers to) that have been asked | ||
7 | repeatedly either in emails or on IRC. | ||
8 | |||
9 | Q3. What is Rockbox? What is it's purpose? | ||
10 | A3. The purpose of this project is to write an Open Source replacement | ||
11 | firmware for the Archos Jukebox 6000, Studio 20 and Recorder MP3 players. | ||
12 | |||
13 | Q4. I want to write code for my Archos, how do I proceed? | ||
14 | A4. Our guide on first time (http://www.rockbox.org/docs/firsttime.html) | ||
15 | Rockbox development should answer most of your questions. | ||
16 | |||
17 | Q5: What is CVS? | ||
18 | A5: Concurrent Versions System (http://www.cvshome.org). We have a small | ||
19 | help page about how to use this to get, update and commit files on the web | ||
20 | at http://www.rockbox.org/cvs.html | ||
21 | |||
22 | Q6. What exactly is the CONTRIBUTING file? | ||
23 | A6. Just like the name implies, it lists conventions that the project follows, | ||
24 | and in turn asks you to follow, for the formating of source code in | ||
25 | general. | ||
26 | |||
27 | Q7. Okay, so I read CONTRIBUTING and although I don't agree with all your | ||
28 | conventions, I am going to be sensible and follow them anyway. Now what? | ||
29 | A7. Start by reading up on the information about the jukeboxes on our web page. | ||
30 | Then go into CVS and look at the code we've written. Then take what you | ||
31 | need and start writing. | ||
32 | |||
33 | Q8. I want to join the development team, but don't have a SourceForge account, | ||
34 | what should I do? | ||
35 | A8. You don't need a SourceForge account to help developing Rockbox. Just | ||
36 | submit patches (http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/WorkingWithPatches) | ||
37 | |||
38 | If your patches are consistently well-written and thus accepted, you may | ||
39 | ultimately be offered CVS commit access. If that should happen, you will | ||
40 | need to get a Sourceforge account: | ||
41 | http://sourceforge.net/account/register.php | ||
42 | |||
43 | Q9. Do you have a mailing list? | ||
44 | A9. Sure do! As a matter of fact, we have several of them for specific things. | ||
45 | Please check out: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/, and please see FAQ entry | ||
46 | 75. | ||
47 | |||
48 | Q10. Great you have a mailing list! Is there anyway for me to catch up on | ||
49 | past posts? | ||
50 | A10. Check out the archives at: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/ | ||
51 | |||
52 | Q11. How can I meet the developers working on the project? | ||
53 | A11. One way is by visiting us on IRC. Head on over to the server | ||
54 | irc.openprojects.net, and then join "#rockbox". There is usually at | ||
55 | least one person there. If you don't see any activity, feel free to post | ||
56 | questions anyway, several of us log the channel and will get you answers | ||
57 | when we unidle. | ||
58 | |||
59 | Q12: Wow, you guys talk on IRC a lot? I wish I had been around for those | ||
60 | conversations to see what happened. | ||
61 | A12: We are glad you mentioned that! http://www.rockbox.org/irc happens | ||
62 | to have a list of various logs we have recorded of events in the channel. | ||
63 | Feel free to read up, and ask questions on what you find. | ||
64 | |||
65 | Q13. What is this "SourceForge" you keep mentioning? | ||
66 | A13. http://www.sourceforge.net | ||
67 | |||
68 | Q14. Can the changes or the software that Rockbox suggests or offers | ||
69 | possibly damage my Archos Player? | ||
70 | A14. All firmware mods that are presented are still highly experimental. | ||
71 | Try them at your own risk. We offer no guarantee that this software, or | ||
72 | the hardware modifications we show, will not damage your player or void | ||
73 | your warranty. That said, we have not been able to damage any of our | ||
74 | units by modifying only the firmware. You can accidentally password | ||
75 | protect your hard disk, but there are ways around that. (See below.) | ||
76 | |||
77 | Q15. I want to see what the inside of my player looks like, but I would really | ||
78 | like to avoid voiding my warranty. Is there anything you can suggest? | ||
79 | A15. We have a collection of photos of both the player and recorder. Look at | ||
80 | http://www.rockbox.org/internals/ | ||
81 | |||
82 | Q16. What exactly are you trying to achieve with this line of development? | ||
83 | (A.K.A. what's your purpose for being here?) | ||
84 | A16. Firstly, we wouldn't start something like this if we didn't simply enjoy | ||
85 | it profusely. This is great fun! | ||
86 | Secondly, we feel the original firmware is lacking some features and | ||
87 | contains a number of annoying bugs that we don't want to live with. | ||
88 | |||
89 | Q17. You mention supporting Ogg Vorbis and other file types on your list of | ||
90 | ideas. What is the status on that? | ||
91 | A17. Pessimist's Answer: At the current time we believe this is not very | ||
92 | likely. The Micronas chip (MAS3507) decoder in the Archos does not | ||
93 | natively support decoding and there is very little program space in the | ||
94 | player to implement it ourselves. The alternative would be to write a | ||
95 | software decoder as part of the Rockbox firmware. However, as much as we | ||
96 | love our players, the computing power of the Archos (SH1 microcontroller) | ||
97 | is not fully sufficient for this need. | ||
98 | |||
99 | Optimist's Answer: We can play any format if only we can write code for | ||
100 | the DSP to decode it. The MAS 3507 (and 3587) are generic DSPs that | ||
101 | simply have MP3 codecs in ROM. We can download new codecs in them and | ||
102 | we will be the first to celebrate if we can get OGG or FLAC or anything | ||
103 | into these DSPs. Unfortunately, we have no docs or tools for writing new | ||
104 | MAS DSP code and Micronas is very secretive about it. If anyone can | ||
105 | help, please get in touch! | ||
106 | |||
107 | The recent release of Tremor (integer Ogg decoder) indicates it uses | ||
108 | around 100 KB for lookup tables. That's not unreasonable for a decoder, | ||
109 | but we only have 4 KB for both code *and* data. So the grim reality is | ||
110 | that Ogg will never be supported by the Archos Players and Recorders. | ||
111 | |||
112 | Q18. What about supporting playing of WMA files? | ||
113 | A18. Dear Mr. Gates, you have two options. Re-read previous question, or go | ||
114 | buy your own project. | ||
115 | |||
116 | Q19: But you don't understand, I'm not talking about decoding here, | ||
117 | since the data we want may already be in the decoded format (PCM). | ||
118 | A19: Okay, last time. No. We have no problems whatsoever reading different | ||
119 | file formats, call it PCM, WAV, GRI, PQR or whatever. The problem is | ||
120 | that the CODEC only accepts MP3 data and nothing else. We could write a | ||
121 | new CODEC if we knew how to do it, but there is no documentation on the | ||
122 | DSP. Please note that we have no access to the DAC, so we can't send the | ||
123 | data directly to the DAC. | ||
124 | |||
125 | Q20. What is the most recent version of Rockbox? | ||
126 | A20. We recently released version 2.3, so head on over to | ||
127 | http://www.rockbox.org/download/ and pull it down. | ||
128 | Make sure to read the release notes. | ||
129 | (http://www.rockbox.org/download/rockbox-2.3-notes.txt). | ||
130 | |||
131 | Q21. What do you plan to add to coming versions? | ||
132 | A21. We don't plan versions in detail. We just write code, and when it feels | ||
133 | right we release a new version. | ||
134 | |||
135 | Q22. I tried one of your firmware files and now I can't access my hard disk! | ||
136 | When I turn on my jukebox, it says: | ||
137 | Part. Error | ||
138 | Pls Chck HD | ||
139 | A22. Your hard disk has been password protected. We're not 100% sure why it | ||
140 | happens, but you can unlock it yourself. Look at: | ||
141 | http://www.rockbox.org/lock.html | ||
142 | |||
143 | Note: This is a very rare problem. Most people who think they have a | ||
144 | locked disk actually just experience hardware and/or driver problems. | ||
145 | |||
146 | Q23: This FAQ doesn't answer the question I have. What should I do? | ||
147 | A23: You have a couple options here. You could forget the question, find an | ||
148 | easier question, or accept '42' as the answer no matter what. We don't | ||
149 | really recommend any of these (though I do opt for '42' often myself). | ||
150 | What we do recommend is stopping by IRC, visiting the web site | ||
151 | (http://www.rockbox.org) to see if the question was answered else where | ||
152 | (like our nodo http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo FAQ) | ||
153 | and just not included here, or ultimately dropping an email to the | ||
154 | mailing list (rockbox@cool.haxx.se) or the FAQ maintainer listed on the | ||
155 | project home page. | ||
156 | |||
157 | Q24: Are there other ways to contact the developers? | ||
158 | A24: Yes. | ||
159 | |||
160 | Q25: Are you going to tell us what they are? | ||
161 | A25: No. Post to the mailing list and we will get back to you. | ||
162 | |||
163 | Q26: But I _really_ want to talk with you in person. | ||
164 | A26: I'm sorry. My girlfriend/boyfriend/pet says I'm not allowed to, and the | ||
165 | doctors here won't let me have pens or pencils. They say its some rule | ||
166 | about us not having sharp objects. I'm sorry. Now please stop calling | ||
167 | me here. | ||
168 | |||
169 | Q27: Will you ever port Quake II to the Archos? | ||
170 | A27: If you ask that again, I'm sending your address and phone number to the | ||
171 | guy that mailed us with question #24. | ||
172 | |||
173 | Q28: Umm, was that sarcasm? | ||
174 | A28: That's it, I'm mailing him now. | ||
175 | |||
176 | Q29: Is this legal? I mean, I'd just hate to see something like that | ||
177 | challenged under the DMCA in all its ridiculousness. Any thoughts or | ||
178 | ideas? | ||
179 | A29: We believe we are in the green on this. We are not violating anyone's | ||
180 | copyright and we are not circumventing any copy protection scheme. | ||
181 | This has been a big point for the project since its inception. Some | ||
182 | people wanted us to distribute patched versions of the original firmware, | ||
183 | but seeing as that _would_ have violated Archos' copyright, we didn't | ||
184 | follow that course of action. | ||
185 | |||
186 | Q30: On the web site [and various information postings] you state | ||
187 | "Every tiny bit was reverse engineered, disassembled and then | ||
188 | re-written from scratch". | ||
189 | If it was rewritten from scratch then why was it first reverse-engineered | ||
190 | and disassembled? Instead this sounds more like someone disassembled it | ||
191 | then used the understanding that they gained to create a new version, | ||
192 | which is not quite the same as "from scratch". | ||
193 | A30: Don't confuse the terms. Reverse engineering means examining a product | ||
194 | to find out how it works. Disassembling the firmware is merely one tool | ||
195 | used in that examination. Oscilloscopes and logic analyzers are other | ||
196 | tools we have used. We have written every single byte of the Rockbox | ||
197 | firmware. But we could not have written the software without first | ||
198 | researching how the hardware was put together, i.e. reverse engineer it. | ||
199 | All of this is completely legal. If you define "from scratch" as writing | ||
200 | software without first researching the surrounding interfaces, then no | ||
201 | software has ever been written from scratch. | ||
202 | |||
203 | Q31: This FAQ is great, but do you have anything with a bit more detail? | ||
204 | A31: Check out our website and it's documentation. Rockbox also has a user | ||
205 | manual you can read. http://www.rockbox.org/manual/manual.pdf | ||
206 | |||
207 | Q32: I've heard talk of a 'Rolo'. What is that? (Or 'All you ever wanted | ||
208 | to know about Rockbox boot loaders') | ||
209 | A32: Rolo is our bootloader. Rolo became available with our 1.4 release. | ||
210 | To make use of Rolo, you must have a file with the same extension as | ||
211 | your Rockbox firmware (.ajz on Recorder, .mod on Player) but a different | ||
212 | name. You can then browse to it, and you 'run' the other firmware | ||
213 | you wish to switch to by pressing play. Remember to set the Show Files | ||
214 | option to "Supported" or "All" to be able to see the firmware files in | ||
215 | the browser. | ||
216 | |||
217 | *Poof* You will reboot to that firmware. (Note that in order to return | ||
218 | to Rockbox you may need to reboot manually if the new firmware you loaded | ||
219 | does not have a bootloader itself.) | ||
220 | |||
221 | Q33: Can I use the Archos as an USB hard disk to store data from my PDA/ | ||
222 | digital camera/phone etc. | ||
223 | A33: No. See http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo#4_Interfacing_with_other_USB_dev | ||
224 | |||
225 | Q34: When I use Rockbox my jukebox's red "error" light turns on a lot, but this | ||
226 | doesn't happen on the factory firmware. Why? | ||
227 | A34: Rockbox uses the red LED as harddisk activity light, not as an error | ||
228 | light. Relax and enjoy the music. | ||
229 | |||
230 | Q35: I have a question about the batteries... | ||
231 | A35: STOP! We have put together a completely different FAQ for battery | ||
232 | related questions. | ||
233 | Check out: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/BatteryFAQ | ||
234 | |||
235 | Q36. I have a question about patches... | ||
236 | A36. Check out http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/WorkingWithPatches | ||
237 | as it should answer any patch related questions you may have. | ||
238 | |||
239 | Q37: What is the WPS? | ||
240 | A37: That is the 'While Playing Screen'. Basically this is what is shown on | ||
241 | your player's display while we are playing your song. | ||
242 | |||
243 | Q38: What good is the WPS? How usable/flexible is it? | ||
244 | A38: It is very good if you want information about the current item playing ;) | ||
245 | By using a WPS configuration file you can manage exactly how/what you | ||
246 | want displayed on your Archos Player. (Even better yet, if you want | ||
247 | a feature that's not there, we are _always_ open to suggestions!) | ||
248 | Please see http://www.rockbox.org/manual/wps.html for information. | ||
249 | |||
250 | Q40: So how do I load/make a .wps file? | ||
251 | A40: You check out http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/CustomWPS | ||
252 | to learn the format/features of a .wps file, and read the manual to | ||
253 | learn how to load it ;) | ||
254 | |||
255 | Q41: Does Rockbox support other languages? How do I load/use different | ||
256 | languages? | ||
257 | A41: See: http://www.rockbox.org/lang | ||
258 | |||
259 | Q42: Does Rockbox support other fonts/character sets? | ||
260 | A42: Recorders do, Players don't. | ||
261 | |||
262 | Q43: How do I use the loadable fonts? | ||
263 | A43: If you own a Recorder see: http://www.rockbox.org/fonts/ Players | ||
264 | cannot make use of loadable fonts. | ||
265 | |||
266 | Q44: Why can't I use loadable fonts on the Player? | ||
267 | A44: This is because the Player font is character cell based (as opposed to | ||
268 | the Recorder's bitmap based display). This | ||
269 | means that we are able to choose what characters to display, but not how | ||
270 | to display them. We do have the ability to change/create up to 4 chars | ||
271 | on one model and 8 on another, however we are currently using several of | ||
272 | these 'letters' to store icons for the player. | ||
273 | |||
274 | Q45: Why don't you have as many games available for the Players? | ||
275 | A45: The display on the Players is character cell and not bitmap based. | ||
276 | This means there is much more limitations in the amount of graphics that | ||
277 | can be displayed, and thus what kind of games can be written. | ||
278 | |||
279 | Q46: I keep shutting off my player in my pocket. Can the OFF (Recorder) or | ||
280 | STOP (Player) key be locked? | ||
281 | A46: No. Unfortunately, the ON/OFF mechanisms are handled entirely in | ||
282 | hardware. The firmware can read the keys, but can't prevent them from | ||
283 | shutting off the player. | ||
284 | |||
285 | Q47: Can I record with Rockbox? | ||
286 | A47: You sure can. Take a look at our manual. | ||
287 | http://www.rockbox.org/manual/manual.pdf | ||
288 | |||
289 | Q48: Now that I can record, can I use custom codecs (like LAME)? | ||
290 | A48: The MP3 encoder is in the MAS3587F chip, and nothing we can change. | ||
291 | |||
292 | Q49: What are the max/min bitrates for recording on the Recorder's encoder? | ||
293 | A49: The builtin encoder is variable bit rate only with a max of 192kbit/s, | ||
294 | and a min of 32kbit/s. | ||
295 | |||
296 | Q50: Would it be possible to record from line in on the player? | ||
297 | A50: No. | ||
298 | |||
299 | Q51: I have a question about the id3v1 and id3v2 tags... | ||
300 | A51: Rockbox supports both id3v1 and id3v2. If you have problems, | ||
301 | report it to the developers and please provide an example. | ||
302 | |||
303 | Q52: Where exactly did the name 'Rockbox' come from? | ||
304 | A52: Well you can follow the full line of emails at | ||
305 | http://www.rockbox.org/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2002-01/0062.shtml | ||
306 | However, the brief rundown is that it was recommended first by | ||
307 | Tome Cvitan, and put to a vote (which it lost). | ||
308 | |||
309 | Funny thing about democracies. This isn't one ;) Our beloved project | ||
310 | leader vetoed the winning name and chose Rockbox instead. | ||
311 | http://www.rockbox.org/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2002-01/0134.shtml | ||
312 | |||
313 | There you have it. Recommended by users, decision by dictator. | ||
314 | |||
315 | Q53: Why is there a limit of 400 files in a directory? | ||
316 | A53: This is a configurable value, 400 files is just the default. | ||
317 | |||
318 | Q54: Why is there a 10,000 song limit on playlists? | ||
319 | A54: This is a configurable value, 10,000 songs is just the default. | ||
320 | |||
321 | Q55: How can I make playlists on my PC? | ||
322 | A55: There are many programs that can create .m3u playlists. WinAmp is one. | ||
323 | Another simple method, that requires no extra software, is to use dir: | ||
324 | |||
325 | dir /b /s X:\ > X:\allfiles.m3u | ||
326 | dir /b /s X:\Pop > X:\pop.m3u | ||
327 | |||
328 | ...where X: is your Archos drive. | ||
329 | |||
330 | Linux users can use the 'find' command: | ||
331 | |||
332 | cd /mnt/archos | ||
333 | find . -name "*.mp3" > all.m3u | ||
334 | |||
335 | Remember that playlists are simple text files. You can edit them with any | ||
336 | normal text editor. | ||
337 | |||
338 | Q56: How does the shuffle work? | ||
339 | A56: It sees the playlist as a deck of cards, shuffling the entries using a | ||
340 | pseudo-random generator called the Mersenne Twister. After shuffling, | ||
341 | the list is never changed again until you re-shuffle the list, by | ||
342 | stopping the playback and restarting. If the repeat mode is enabled, | ||
343 | the list will simply start over from the first file again, without | ||
344 | re-shuffling. | ||
345 | The random seed is stored in the persistent setting area, so that the | ||
346 | resume feature can shuffle the playlist in exactly the same way when | ||
347 | resuming. | ||
348 | |||
349 | Q57: How can I find out about all the neat features that Rockbox has? | ||
350 | A57: This information is in our manual (It sometimes gets a bit out of | ||
351 | date, so please bear with us.) The information you are most likely | ||
352 | looking for is a bit down the tree, so the here is the url: | ||
353 | http://www.rockbox.org/manual/rec-general.html | ||
354 | |||
355 | Also, check out the features-list at: | ||
356 | http://www.rockbox.org/docs/features.html | ||
357 | |||
358 | Q58: How can I see what bugs are currently open/being worked on? | ||
359 | A58: Check out http://www.rockbox.org/bugs.shtml for a listing of bugs | ||
360 | that have been reported. | ||
361 | |||
362 | Q59: How can I report about bugs in Rockbox? | ||
363 | A59: If we were better programmers we would take that as an insult. But we | ||
364 | aren't, so we won't. The first step in reporting a bug is to review | ||
365 | the rules we ask you to follow in your submission (listed at: | ||
366 | http://www.rockbox.org/bugs.shtml#rules). | ||
367 | |||
368 | Please note that we ask reports of bugs in CVS/daily builds to be sent | ||
369 | to the mailing list, and bugs in released versions of Rockbox to be | ||
370 | submitted through SourceForge's bug tracker. (A link to the bug tracker | ||
371 | can be found under our bug submission rules.) | ||
372 | |||
373 | Q60: What's with all the different versions of Rockbox? | ||
374 | |||
375 | A60: We currently support four different hardware platforms: Players, Recorder | ||
376 | v1, Recorder v2 and FM Recorder. | ||
377 | For each platform, Rockbox is released in three versions: Release, Daily | ||
378 | Build and Bleeding Edge. These only differ in release frequency. | ||
379 | |||
380 | The Release version (currently 2.3) is a frozen known-good state. This | ||
381 | means that we are confident that few, if any, significant bugs reside | ||
382 | within the code for that version. This is the version for the common | ||
383 | user, *except for Ondio*. Use a current daily build for Ondio. | ||
384 | There are 2 bugs in the 2.3 release that render it not recommended for | ||
385 | Ondio: (1) Saving configuration files or radio presets takes ages, and | ||
386 | wears the flash chip much more than necessary. (2) Rockbox 2.3 does not | ||
387 | yet support all Ondio hardware variants. This may lead to non-working | ||
388 | storage access both from rockbox and via USB. | ||
389 | |||
390 | The Daily Builds (http://www.rockbox.org/daily.shtml) are automated | ||
391 | daily builds of the CVS (development) code. As such they contain all the | ||
392 | new features (and bugs) that have been introduced after the last official | ||
393 | release, up to this morning. | ||
394 | |||
395 | The Bleeding Edge builds (http://www.rockbox.org/daily.shtml#bleeding_edge) | ||
396 | are built from the CVS code every 20 minutes. The purpose of these builds | ||
397 | is to verify the code builds properly on all platforms (and simulators) | ||
398 | and also to allow testers to try out new features and bug fixes without | ||
399 | having to build the code themselves. | ||
400 | |||
401 | Please Note: Bleeding Edge builds are expected to be buggy at times. We | ||
402 | ask that you _do not_ submit bug reports for Bleeding Edge builds, but | ||
403 | would love to hear any reports you may have about Release or Daily build | ||
404 | versions. (see "How can I report about bugs in Rockbox?") | ||
405 | |||
406 | Q61: I am in Windows and can't create a .rockbox directory to store my | ||
407 | files. When are you going to fix this? | ||
408 | A61: You don't need to. The directory should have been created when you | ||
409 | installed Rockbox. If it wasn't created, you haven't installed it | ||
410 | correctly. Re-read the installation instructions on the download page: | ||
411 | |||
412 | http://www.rockbox.org/download/ | ||
413 | |||
414 | Q62: I own a Mac. I can't seem to create the .rockbox file. Can you | ||
415 | fix this? | ||
416 | A62: See question 61. | ||
417 | |||
418 | Q63: Will Rockbox work on any of Archos' other units? | ||
419 | A63: Other than the 6 currently supported models: no, probably not. If Archos | ||
420 | releases another rockbox-able player (such as the V2) then rockbox will | ||
421 | find its way onto it, but their new devices as the Gmini, MM, and AV | ||
422 | units are completely different hardware and probably won't be supported | ||
423 | by Rockbox unless someone enthusiastically reverse engineers them and | ||
424 | submits patches to make it happen. | ||
425 | |||
426 | See also: http://www.rockbox.org/docs/nodo.html#7 | ||
427 | |||
428 | Q64: I installed Rockbox, removed the jukebox safely and rebooted, but Rockbox | ||
429 | still didn't load. What is wrong? I am running Windows. | ||
430 | A64: The old MOD/AJZ was not entirely deleted from the disk. It is still | ||
431 | there, and the boot loader finds that one instead of the new file. Here's | ||
432 | what you can do: | ||
433 | |||
434 | - Download and install Directory Snoop (version 4.03 in November 2002) | ||
435 | from http://www.briggsoft.com/dsnoop.htm. | ||
436 | It's shareware, the trial version can be used 25 times. | ||
437 | |||
438 | Directory Snoop can display true drive contents by bypassing the | ||
439 | operating system and reading the raw drive sectors directly. | ||
440 | |||
441 | - Plug the Jukebox in the PC as usual and power on | ||
442 | |||
443 | - Launch Directory snoop | ||
444 | |||
445 | - Click on the Jukebox drive letter in the [select drive] field in the | ||
446 | toolbar. The content of the jukebox hard drive appears in the main | ||
447 | window. Files which appear in red color don't seem to be present on the | ||
448 | hard drive, but they still here. | ||
449 | |||
450 | - Simply select the appropriate files (red color) and purge them | ||
451 | (Purge button). Of course, don't erase the new archos.mod file and the | ||
452 | .rockbox directory :) | ||
453 | |||
454 | - Safely remove (Windows unmount device function) the Jukebox. | ||
455 | Power it up and ...voila... Rockbox is there! | ||
456 | |||
457 | (Thanks to Olivier Rafidison for this info) | ||
458 | |||
459 | Another alternative: | ||
460 | |||
461 | - Copy the firmware file to the jukebox again. Windows will rename it to "Copy of XXXXX" | ||
462 | |||
463 | - Delete the original firmware file and remove the "Copy of" part from the new file name | ||
464 | |||
465 | - Reboot | ||
466 | |||
467 | If it doesn't load the correct firmware, do the whle procedure again until the new file is recognized. | ||
468 | |||
469 | Q65: What kind of mic can I connect to my AJBR? | ||
470 | A65: There are several types of microphones. | ||
471 | |||
472 | Dynamic: The one that's available from Archos is a dynamic one. | ||
473 | Their output level is high enough so that they don't need an | ||
474 | amplifier (that's the reason why the Archos mic is of this type - | ||
475 | it's cheap). | ||
476 | - cheap | ||
477 | - no good sound quality of cheap dynamic mics (good enough for | ||
478 | speech) | ||
479 | - no amplifier needed | ||
480 | |||
481 | Backplate Condenser: These are the professional mics. They need phantom | ||
482 | power (48V) for charging the condenser. | ||
483 | They also need an amplifier, because their output level is low. | ||
484 | - good sound quality | ||
485 | - need phantom power (48V) | ||
486 | - need amplifier | ||
487 | - expensive | ||
488 | |||
489 | Electret Condenser: These capsules are cheap and result in a good | ||
490 | recording quality. They don't need phantom power voltage. They need power | ||
491 | for the FET (field effect transistor) that's inside. If you have such a | ||
492 | mic with a battery in it, it is mostly because of the FET power, not | ||
493 | because of an amplification circuit inside the mic. These mics are in | ||
494 | all the consumer products like mobile phones, PC headsets and so on. | ||
495 | - cheap (2 EUR for a capsule) | ||
496 | - good sound quality | ||
497 | - need amplifier | ||
498 | - need power for the FET (1,5 - 15V) | ||
499 | |||
500 | Recommendation for do-it-yourselfers: Use electret condenser mic capsules, | ||
501 | solder an amplifier for them which both amplifies the output level | ||
502 | and feeds the power needed for the FET to the capsule. | ||
503 | The one on http://www.geocities.com/ferocious_1999/md/micpreamp2.html | ||
504 | was soldered and tested by Uwe Freese, and it works. | ||
505 | There are some others available from www.elv.de and other sellers. | ||
506 | |||
507 | Recommendation for others: Buy some mic + preamp combination which can be | ||
508 | plugged into a line in of any amplifier. Maybe such a commercially | ||
509 | available combination needs a power supply and doesn't work with | ||
510 | batteries. Some are very expensive. You might have some luck at | ||
511 | http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/. | ||
512 | |||
513 | What does not work: Don't use an amplifier thing that is simply connected | ||
514 | between some mic cable. Maybe it sounds as if it could work, but I | ||
515 | doesn't. If the piece of (expensive) electronic doesn't have a power | ||
516 | source and your mic doesn't either, it does not work! A PC sound card or | ||
517 | md player usually has a power output (same pin where the sound goes | ||
518 | through, dc value) for feeding the FET of an electret condenser capsule | ||
519 | (see above) (and this power could also used to feed a mic amplifier), but | ||
520 | the Archos hasn't (it's a line in and no mic in!). | ||
521 | |||
522 | If you want to know more on microphone powering, read this: | ||
523 | http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/microphone_powering.html. | ||
524 | (As described, you also need amplification.) | ||
525 | |||
526 | Q66: I can't start rockbox when the charger is connected. What am I doing | ||
527 | wrong? | ||
528 | A66: If your device is off and you connect the charger, the Archos charger code | ||
529 | is started immediately. You can then start Rockbox with holding down the | ||
530 | ON key for several seconds. Hold the key down a really long time, until | ||
531 | you see the Rockbox logo! | ||
532 | |||
533 | Q67: Why can't you implement a cross-fader? That would be so cool! | ||
534 | A67: Please read our NODO faq. http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo#3_Crossfade_between_tracks_ | ||
535 | |||
536 | Q68: My screen is all black/white when I run Rockbox on my Recorder! | ||
537 | A68: This bug has been fixed in the later versions of Rockbox. Upgrade! | ||
538 | |||
539 | Q69: Where are the FM controls for the FM Recorder? | ||
540 | A69: In the menu: FM Radio | ||
541 | |||
542 | Q70: I installed/renamed ajbrec.ajz (or archos.mod) but I am still booting | ||
543 | with another version of firmware. | ||
544 | A70: When looking on the hard disk the Archos firmware only matches the first | ||
545 | ten characters of the file name. Because of this files like | ||
546 | ajbrec.ajz.bak or ajbrec.ajz-20030404 match and are loaded. To | ||
547 | prevent this from happening, give the it a file name that differs in | ||
548 | the first 10 characters, e.g., ajbrec.bak.ajz. | ||
549 | |||
550 | Q71: Help! My recorder crashes when I copy files to it! | ||
551 | A71: Yes, the recorder can crash when you copy several gigabytes of | ||
552 | files to it. The explanation is simple: Copying several gigabytes | ||
553 | of files through USB requires a long period of sustained disk | ||
554 | activity and drains more power than the batteries of the recorder | ||
555 | can store. A long copy will eventually drain the batteries to the | ||
556 | point where the recorder can no longer function and it halts. | ||
557 | This even happens when connected to the charger, since the power | ||
558 | drain is more than the charger can provide! If the recorder halts | ||
559 | while connecter to the charger, the batteries will recover and | ||
560 | after a short while it will reboot the Archos firmware in charger | ||
561 | mode. To make it worse, depending on the USB drivers of your | ||
562 | system it can cause your system to crash as well, or confuse it | ||
563 | to the point it needs a reboot. | ||
564 | |||
565 | There is no solution, just some tips: | ||
566 | |||
567 | - Connect to the charger when copying lots of files. This will | ||
568 | not prevent the problem, but it will take longer to happen. | ||
569 | |||
570 | - Make sure you have "Deep Discharge" disabled. | ||
571 | |||
572 | - Switch off the "Backlight On When Plugged" option. | ||
573 | |||
574 | - Use USB 2.0. Transfers will be much faster. | ||
575 | |||
576 | - Copy incrementally. With fully charged standard batteries it | ||
577 | should be capable of sustained copying for 2 - 2.5 hours. | ||
578 | |||
579 | Q72: What should I know about digital I/O connector on my jukebox? | ||
580 | A72: The Recorder models have a connector for digital audio output using the | ||
581 | common S/PDIF standard (Sony/Phillips Digital Interface). This jack is | ||
582 | not present on the Studio/Player/FM Recorder models. By using the digital | ||
583 | output in combination with high class external equipment, you can get | ||
584 | much better sound quality out of your jukebox. This is because you can | ||
585 | use better DA-converters and better amplifiers, plus you eliminate the | ||
586 | analog audio connections between the jukebox and your equipment that can | ||
587 | introduce noise and distortion. | ||
588 | |||
589 | The Recorder and the FM Recorder models are able to record from digital | ||
590 | sources, too. The digital inputs don't have the 15kHz lowpass filter like | ||
591 | the analog inputs and you are sure to minimize the noise floor. | ||
592 | |||
593 | Although S/PDIF can be an electrical or an optical signal and there are | ||
594 | many devices that support both, the socket on the jukebox is for | ||
595 | electrical signals only! Some devices have sockets that look the same, | ||
596 | and can take either an optical or an electrical cable, but sadly this is | ||
597 | not true with the Jukebox. | ||
598 | |||
599 | If you want to connect your amp with digital input (RCA type) to the | ||
600 | output of your Recorder you need an adapter cable (3.5mm stereo jack to | ||
601 | dual RCA jack). Plug the 3.5mm stero jack into the digital I/O socket of | ||
602 | your jukebox and the red RCA jack (right channel) into the digital input | ||
603 | socket of your amp and that's it. You don't have to enable the digital | ||
604 | output, since it's always on. The sound settings on the digital output | ||
605 | are always flat, your volume, bass, treble, bass boost, loudness settings | ||
606 | won't have any effect here, that's why fade in/out won't work, | ||
607 | either. The sampling frequency of the digital output is the same as the | ||
608 | sampling frequency of the mp3. It's therefore possible that your external | ||
609 | equipment won't be able to synchronize to the output of your jukebox if | ||
610 | you have mp3's with sampling frequencies other than 32, 44.1 or 48kHz | ||
611 | (The pitch shift function also modifies the sampling frequency!). | ||
612 | |||
613 | For recording digital signals on the Recorder, use the white RCA jack | ||
614 | (left channel) and plug it into the digital output of your CD player, MD | ||
615 | player or whatever. Don't forget to select digital input in the recording | ||
616 | settings! | ||
617 | |||
618 | Note that some adapter cables exist with different color coding, so if it | ||
619 | doesn't work try to swap red and white. The tip of the 3.5mm jack is the | ||
620 | digital input, the ring is the ouput. For recording digital signals on | ||
621 | the FM Recorder, you need a special 4-pole 3.5mm plug (shaft = ground, | ||
622 | tip = left channel analog line in, first ring (next to tip) = right | ||
623 | channel analog line in, second ring = digital in). | ||
624 | |||
625 | If you want to connect devices with optical inputs/outputs, you need a | ||
626 | small converter box which converts your signal from electrical to optical | ||
627 | (for digital output from the Archos) or optical to electrical (for | ||
628 | digital recording in to the Archos). | ||
629 | |||
630 | Q73: How do I unsubscribe from the rockbox mailing list? | ||
631 | A73: The same way you subscribed, but you send an 'unsubscribe' request to the | ||
632 | mailing list server instead of the 'subscribe' one you sent before. | ||
633 | |||
634 | This is all mentioned on the same web page: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/ | ||
635 | |||
636 | Please please please pretty please with sugar on top, DO NOT attempt to | ||
637 | mail unsubscribe requests to the mailing list itself. That will only | ||
638 | annoy more than 400 readers and will have no effect on your subscription. | ||
639 | |||
640 | In fact, you NEVER unsubscribe to ANY mailing lists by mailing unsubscribe | ||
641 | to the list's address. You might as well take the opportunity to learn | ||
642 | this right away. | ||
643 | |||
644 | When you first subscribed to the mailing list, you were sent a welcome | ||
645 | mail from the server. It contained information about the mailing list and | ||
646 | instructions on how to unsubscribe. It is considered a good habit to keep | ||
647 | such welcome messages from mailing lists. | ||
648 | |||
649 | In addition to all this, every mail that is sent out to the rockbox | ||
650 | mailing list has a set of standard headers that offer info about the | ||
651 | mailing list: how to post, how to unsubscribe, where to find the mailing | ||
652 | list archives etc. Sensible mail clients can display these headers. | ||
653 | |||
654 | Q74: What is the Recorder V2? | ||
655 | A74: The Recorder V2 is essentially an FM Recorder without the radio. It looks | ||
656 | and works like the FM Recorder except for the radio, and has LiIon | ||
657 | batteries. It is meant to replace the older Recorder model. | ||
658 | NOTE! The first V2 Recorders were in fact real FM Recorders with the | ||
659 | radio parts still mounted. If you are lucky, the FM radio might work in | ||
660 | your V2, try it! | ||
661 | |||
662 | Q75: Why is there a Radio option in my Rockbox for V2? | ||
663 | A75: Some of the first V2 units had an FM radio in there, so if you're one of | ||
664 | the few lucky ones, you can use the radio fine. | ||
665 | |||
666 | Q76: What does "dir buffer is full" mean? | ||
667 | A76: It means you have more files in a single directory than you have | ||
668 | configured Rockbox to support. See Q53. | ||
669 | |||
670 | Solution: Increase the "max files in dir browser" setting. | ||
671 | |||
672 | The 2.2 release contained a bug that set the default buffer setting | ||
673 | to 0, giving the dir buffer full error. | ||
674 | |||
675 | Solution: Upgrade to 2.3. | ||
676 | |||
677 | Q77: Why are you developing X when you should be doing Y? | ||
678 | A77: You make the common mistake of confusing Rockbox development with that of | ||
679 | commercial projects. There is not much of an agenda for the development | ||
680 | of Rockbox. Anyone who wants to write new features can do that. | ||
681 | |||
682 | If there is a current "huge emphasis" on the X functionality, it is | ||
683 | because one or more developers, decided he/they wanted to write it. It's | ||
684 | not because "Rockbox project management" decided function X is a more | ||
685 | important feature than anything else. | ||
686 | |||
687 | That is the nature of Free Software: People write code that scratches | ||
688 | their own itches, or that simply is fun to write. Everybody working with | ||
689 | Rockbox is doing it for fun. A wide or narrow audience actually has only | ||
690 | little bearing on the choice of features to implement. | ||
691 | |||
692 | The moment someone with a bit of time to spare and the necessary | ||
693 | programming skills (or a will to learn them) feels function Y is a | ||
694 | sufficiently useful feature, it will be written. | ||
695 | |||
696 | (That could be you.) | ||
697 | |||
698 | Q78: How do I control the recording frequency and quality? | ||
699 | A78: Linus Nielsen Feltzing replied to a similar question on April 17th 2004, | ||
700 | and this is a cut'n paste of his reply that can be read on the following | ||
701 | URL: | ||
702 | http://www.rockbox.org/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2004-04/0814.shtml | ||
703 | |||
704 | SAMPLE RATE | ||
705 | |||
706 | Controls the amount of samples per second, basically which frequencies | ||
707 | that can accurately be reproduced during playback. Lower frequencies | ||
708 | produce smaller files, for two reasons: 1) The amount of data to be | ||
709 | compressed is smaller and 2) the data is easier to compress, since higher | ||
710 | frequencies are not present. | ||
711 | |||
712 | BIT RATE | ||
713 | |||
714 | Controls how many bits per second that is required for accurate live | ||
715 | transmission of the compressed audio. When you compress the data harder | ||
716 | (meaning worse sound quality), the bitrate gets lower. | ||
717 | |||
718 | STEREO VS MONO | ||
719 | |||
720 | A mono file doesn't necessarily have to be smaller than a stereo file. | ||
721 | It all depends on the encoder. The MAS does produce smaller files with | ||
722 | mono. | ||
723 | |||
724 | MAS QUALITY | ||
725 | |||
726 | The MAS uses VBR for compression (yes always), which means that the | ||
727 | bitrate varies from frame to frame, depending on how compressable the | ||
728 | data was at that point in time. This allows for a more even quality, and | ||
729 | also smaller files if the data is easily compressed. The MAS can generate | ||
730 | frames with bit rates ranging from 32kbit/s to 192kbit/s (MPEG1) or | ||
731 | 8kbit/s to 160kbit/s (MPEG2). | ||
732 | |||
733 | The MAS quality setting is just a way of selecting an average bit rate | ||
734 | according to the following table (quality 0 is on the far left): | ||
735 | |||
736 | FREQUENCY BITRATE IN KBIT/S | ||
737 | ------------------------------------------------------ | ||
738 | 44100Hz stereo: 75, 80, 90, 100, 120, 140, 160, 170 | ||
739 | 22050Hz stereo: 39, 41, 45, 50, 60, 80, 110, 130 | ||
740 | 44100Hz mono: 65, 68, 73, 80, 90, 105, 125, 140 | ||
741 | 22050Hz mono: 35, 38, 40, 45, 50, 60, 75, 90 | ||
742 | |||
743 | (This table can be found on page 38 in the MAS3587 data sheet.) | ||
744 | |||
745 | MPEG VERSIONS | ||
746 | |||
747 | The different MPEG versions use different sample rates: | ||
748 | 44100, 48000, 32000: MPEG version 1 | ||
749 | 22050, 24000, 16000: MPEG version 2 | ||
750 | 11025, 12000, 8000: MPEG version 2.5 (not an official standard) | ||
751 | |||
752 | Q79: How can I make rockbox play tracks in CD order? | ||
753 | A79: You have two options. | ||
754 | |||
755 | 1: You can rename all tracks to have the track number in front of them | ||
756 | (01 - track1.mp3, 02 - track2.mp3, ...). Just make sure to zero-prefix | ||
757 | the number properly so that 10 will play after 09. | ||
758 | |||
759 | 2: Make a playlist for each album and play that instead of the .mp3 | ||
760 | files. | ||
761 | |||
762 | No, you can't make Rockbox use the track number id3 info for this. | ||
763 | |||
764 | Q80: Why does Rockbox say that I only have 18Gb free space on my 20Gb disk? | ||
765 | A80: Because the disk manufacturers have a different definition of Giga than | ||
766 | the rest of the computer world does. | ||
767 | |||
768 | Read more about it here: | ||
769 | |||
770 | http://personal-computer-tutor.com/abc3/v30/vic30.htm | ||