diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'docs/FAQ')
| -rw-r--r-- | docs/FAQ | 770 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 770 deletions
diff --git a/docs/FAQ b/docs/FAQ deleted file mode 100644 index 1a7f4f569f..0000000000 --- a/docs/FAQ +++ /dev/null @@ -1,770 +0,0 @@ -Q1. What is a FAQ? -A1. A rare small animal of the species 'Textius Electronicus'. It is known for - its helpful attitude and vicious misspellings. - -Q2. Okay, fine, what is _this_ FAQ? -A2. This FAQ is for questions (that we have answers to) that have been asked - repeatedly either in emails or on IRC. - -Q3. What is Rockbox? What is it's purpose? -A3. The purpose of this project is to write an Open Source replacement - firmware for the Archos Jukebox 6000, Studio 20 and Recorder MP3 players. - -Q4. I want to write code for my Archos, how do I proceed? -A4. Our guide on first time (http://www.rockbox.org/docs/firsttime.html) - Rockbox development should answer most of your questions. - -Q5: What is CVS? -A5: Concurrent Versions System (http://www.cvshome.org). We have a small - help page about how to use this to get, update and commit files on the web - at http://www.rockbox.org/cvs.html - -Q6. What exactly is the CONTRIBUTING file? -A6. Just like the name implies, it lists conventions that the project follows, - and in turn asks you to follow, for the formating of source code in - general. - -Q7. Okay, so I read CONTRIBUTING and although I don't agree with all your - conventions, I am going to be sensible and follow them anyway. Now what? -A7. Start by reading up on the information about the jukeboxes on our web page. - Then go into CVS and look at the code we've written. Then take what you - need and start writing. - -Q8. I want to join the development team, but don't have a SourceForge account, - what should I do? -A8. You don't need a SourceForge account to help developing Rockbox. Just - submit patches (http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/WorkingWithPatches) - - If your patches are consistently well-written and thus accepted, you may - ultimately be offered CVS commit access. If that should happen, you will - need to get a Sourceforge account: - http://sourceforge.net/account/register.php - -Q9. Do you have a mailing list? -A9. Sure do! As a matter of fact, we have several of them for specific things. - Please check out: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/, and please see FAQ entry - 75. - -Q10. Great you have a mailing list! Is there anyway for me to catch up on - past posts? -A10. Check out the archives at: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/ - -Q11. How can I meet the developers working on the project? -A11. One way is by visiting us on IRC. Head on over to the server - irc.openprojects.net, and then join "#rockbox". There is usually at - least one person there. If you don't see any activity, feel free to post - questions anyway, several of us log the channel and will get you answers - when we unidle. - -Q12: Wow, you guys talk on IRC a lot? I wish I had been around for those - conversations to see what happened. -A12: We are glad you mentioned that! http://www.rockbox.org/irc happens - to have a list of various logs we have recorded of events in the channel. - Feel free to read up, and ask questions on what you find. - -Q13. What is this "SourceForge" you keep mentioning? -A13. http://www.sourceforge.net - -Q14. Can the changes or the software that Rockbox suggests or offers - possibly damage my Archos Player? -A14. All firmware mods that are presented are still highly experimental. - Try them at your own risk. We offer no guarantee that this software, or - the hardware modifications we show, will not damage your player or void - your warranty. That said, we have not been able to damage any of our - units by modifying only the firmware. You can accidentally password - protect your hard disk, but there are ways around that. (See below.) - -Q15. I want to see what the inside of my player looks like, but I would really - like to avoid voiding my warranty. Is there anything you can suggest? -A15. We have a collection of photos of both the player and recorder. Look at - http://www.rockbox.org/internals/ - -Q16. What exactly are you trying to achieve with this line of development? - (A.K.A. what's your purpose for being here?) -A16. Firstly, we wouldn't start something like this if we didn't simply enjoy - it profusely. This is great fun! - Secondly, we feel the original firmware is lacking some features and - contains a number of annoying bugs that we don't want to live with. - -Q17. You mention supporting Ogg Vorbis and other file types on your list of - ideas. What is the status on that? -A17. Pessimist's Answer: At the current time we believe this is not very - likely. The Micronas chip (MAS3507) decoder in the Archos does not - natively support decoding and there is very little program space in the - player to implement it ourselves. The alternative would be to write a - software decoder as part of the Rockbox firmware. However, as much as we - love our players, the computing power of the Archos (SH1 microcontroller) - is not fully sufficient for this need. - - Optimist's Answer: We can play any format if only we can write code for - the DSP to decode it. The MAS 3507 (and 3587) are generic DSPs that - simply have MP3 codecs in ROM. We can download new codecs in them and - we will be the first to celebrate if we can get OGG or FLAC or anything - into these DSPs. Unfortunately, we have no docs or tools for writing new - MAS DSP code and Micronas is very secretive about it. If anyone can - help, please get in touch! - - The recent release of Tremor (integer Ogg decoder) indicates it uses - around 100 KB for lookup tables. That's not unreasonable for a decoder, - but we only have 4 KB for both code *and* data. So the grim reality is - that Ogg will never be supported by the Archos Players and Recorders. - -Q18. What about supporting playing of WMA files? -A18. Dear Mr. Gates, you have two options. Re-read previous question, or go - buy your own project. - -Q19: But you don't understand, I'm not talking about decoding here, - since the data we want may already be in the decoded format (PCM). -A19: Okay, last time. No. We have no problems whatsoever reading different - file formats, call it PCM, WAV, GRI, PQR or whatever. The problem is - that the CODEC only accepts MP3 data and nothing else. We could write a - new CODEC if we knew how to do it, but there is no documentation on the - DSP. Please note that we have no access to the DAC, so we can't send the - data directly to the DAC. - -Q20. What is the most recent version of Rockbox? -A20. We recently released version 2.3, so head on over to - http://www.rockbox.org/download/ and pull it down. - Make sure to read the release notes. - (http://www.rockbox.org/download/rockbox-2.3-notes.txt). - -Q21. What do you plan to add to coming versions? -A21. We don't plan versions in detail. We just write code, and when it feels - right we release a new version. - -Q22. I tried one of your firmware files and now I can't access my hard disk! - When I turn on my jukebox, it says: - Part. Error - Pls Chck HD -A22. Your hard disk has been password protected. We're not 100% sure why it - happens, but you can unlock it yourself. Look at: - http://www.rockbox.org/lock.html - - Note: This is a very rare problem. Most people who think they have a - locked disk actually just experience hardware and/or driver problems. - -Q23: This FAQ doesn't answer the question I have. What should I do? -A23: You have a couple options here. You could forget the question, find an - easier question, or accept '42' as the answer no matter what. We don't - really recommend any of these (though I do opt for '42' often myself). - What we do recommend is stopping by IRC, visiting the web site - (http://www.rockbox.org) to see if the question was answered else where - (like our nodo http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo FAQ) - and just not included here, or ultimately dropping an email to the - mailing list (rockbox@cool.haxx.se) or the FAQ maintainer listed on the - project home page. - -Q24: Are there other ways to contact the developers? -A24: Yes. - -Q25: Are you going to tell us what they are? -A25: No. Post to the mailing list and we will get back to you. - -Q26: But I _really_ want to talk with you in person. -A26: I'm sorry. My girlfriend/boyfriend/pet says I'm not allowed to, and the - doctors here won't let me have pens or pencils. They say its some rule - about us not having sharp objects. I'm sorry. Now please stop calling - me here. - -Q27: Will you ever port Quake II to the Archos? -A27: If you ask that again, I'm sending your address and phone number to the - guy that mailed us with question #24. - -Q28: Umm, was that sarcasm? -A28: That's it, I'm mailing him now. - -Q29: Is this legal? I mean, I'd just hate to see something like that - challenged under the DMCA in all its ridiculousness. Any thoughts or - ideas? -A29: We believe we are in the green on this. We are not violating anyone's - copyright and we are not circumventing any copy protection scheme. - This has been a big point for the project since its inception. Some - people wanted us to distribute patched versions of the original firmware, - but seeing as that _would_ have violated Archos' copyright, we didn't - follow that course of action. - -Q30: On the web site [and various information postings] you state - "Every tiny bit was reverse engineered, disassembled and then - re-written from scratch". - If it was rewritten from scratch then why was it first reverse-engineered - and disassembled? Instead this sounds more like someone disassembled it - then used the understanding that they gained to create a new version, - which is not quite the same as "from scratch". -A30: Don't confuse the terms. Reverse engineering means examining a product - to find out how it works. Disassembling the firmware is merely one tool - used in that examination. Oscilloscopes and logic analyzers are other - tools we have used. We have written every single byte of the Rockbox - firmware. But we could not have written the software without first - researching how the hardware was put together, i.e. reverse engineer it. - All of this is completely legal. If you define "from scratch" as writing - software without first researching the surrounding interfaces, then no - software has ever been written from scratch. - -Q31: This FAQ is great, but do you have anything with a bit more detail? -A31: Check out our website and it's documentation. Rockbox also has a user - manual you can read. http://www.rockbox.org/manual/manual.pdf - -Q32: I've heard talk of a 'Rolo'. What is that? (Or 'All you ever wanted - to know about Rockbox boot loaders') -A32: Rolo is our bootloader. Rolo became available with our 1.4 release. - To make use of Rolo, you must have a file with the same extension as - your Rockbox firmware (.ajz on Recorder, .mod on Player) but a different - name. You can then browse to it, and you 'run' the other firmware - you wish to switch to by pressing play. Remember to set the Show Files - option to "Supported" or "All" to be able to see the firmware files in - the browser. - - *Poof* You will reboot to that firmware. (Note that in order to return - to Rockbox you may need to reboot manually if the new firmware you loaded - does not have a bootloader itself.) - -Q33: Can I use the Archos as an USB hard disk to store data from my PDA/ - digital camera/phone etc. -A33: No. See http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo#4_Interfacing_with_other_USB_dev - -Q34: When I use Rockbox my jukebox's red "error" light turns on a lot, but this - doesn't happen on the factory firmware. Why? -A34: Rockbox uses the red LED as harddisk activity light, not as an error - light. Relax and enjoy the music. - -Q35: I have a question about the batteries... -A35: STOP! We have put together a completely different FAQ for battery - related questions. - Check out: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/BatteryFAQ - -Q36. I have a question about patches... -A36. Check out http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/WorkingWithPatches - as it should answer any patch related questions you may have. - -Q37: What is the WPS? -A37: That is the 'While Playing Screen'. Basically this is what is shown on - your player's display while we are playing your song. - -Q38: What good is the WPS? How usable/flexible is it? -A38: It is very good if you want information about the current item playing ;) - By using a WPS configuration file you can manage exactly how/what you - want displayed on your Archos Player. (Even better yet, if you want - a feature that's not there, we are _always_ open to suggestions!) - Please see http://www.rockbox.org/manual/wps.html for information. - -Q40: So how do I load/make a .wps file? -A40: You check out http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/CustomWPS - to learn the format/features of a .wps file, and read the manual to - learn how to load it ;) - -Q41: Does Rockbox support other languages? How do I load/use different - languages? -A41: See: http://www.rockbox.org/lang - -Q42: Does Rockbox support other fonts/character sets? -A42: Recorders do, Players don't. - -Q43: How do I use the loadable fonts? -A43: If you own a Recorder see: http://www.rockbox.org/fonts/ Players - cannot make use of loadable fonts. - -Q44: Why can't I use loadable fonts on the Player? -A44: This is because the Player font is character cell based (as opposed to - the Recorder's bitmap based display). This - means that we are able to choose what characters to display, but not how - to display them. We do have the ability to change/create up to 4 chars - on one model and 8 on another, however we are currently using several of - these 'letters' to store icons for the player. - -Q45: Why don't you have as many games available for the Players? -A45: The display on the Players is character cell and not bitmap based. - This means there is much more limitations in the amount of graphics that - can be displayed, and thus what kind of games can be written. - -Q46: I keep shutting off my player in my pocket. Can the OFF (Recorder) or - STOP (Player) key be locked? -A46: No. Unfortunately, the ON/OFF mechanisms are handled entirely in - hardware. The firmware can read the keys, but can't prevent them from - shutting off the player. - -Q47: Can I record with Rockbox? -A47: You sure can. Take a look at our manual. - http://www.rockbox.org/manual/manual.pdf - -Q48: Now that I can record, can I use custom codecs (like LAME)? -A48: The MP3 encoder is in the MAS3587F chip, and nothing we can change. - -Q49: What are the max/min bitrates for recording on the Recorder's encoder? -A49: The builtin encoder is variable bit rate only with a max of 192kbit/s, - and a min of 32kbit/s. - -Q50: Would it be possible to record from line in on the player? -A50: No. - -Q51: I have a question about the id3v1 and id3v2 tags... -A51: Rockbox supports both id3v1 and id3v2. If you have problems, - report it to the developers and please provide an example. - -Q52: Where exactly did the name 'Rockbox' come from? -A52: Well you can follow the full line of emails at - http://www.rockbox.org/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2002-01/0062.shtml - However, the brief rundown is that it was recommended first by - Tome Cvitan, and put to a vote (which it lost). - - Funny thing about democracies. This isn't one ;) Our beloved project - leader vetoed the winning name and chose Rockbox instead. - http://www.rockbox.org/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2002-01/0134.shtml - - There you have it. Recommended by users, decision by dictator. - -Q53: Why is there a limit of 400 files in a directory? -A53: This is a configurable value, 400 files is just the default. - -Q54: Why is there a 10,000 song limit on playlists? -A54: This is a configurable value, 10,000 songs is just the default. - -Q55: How can I make playlists on my PC? -A55: There are many programs that can create .m3u playlists. WinAmp is one. - Another simple method, that requires no extra software, is to use dir: - - dir /b /s X:\ > X:\allfiles.m3u - dir /b /s X:\Pop > X:\pop.m3u - - ...where X: is your Archos drive. - - Linux users can use the 'find' command: - - cd /mnt/archos - find . -name "*.mp3" > all.m3u - - Remember that playlists are simple text files. You can edit them with any - normal text editor. - -Q56: How does the shuffle work? -A56: It sees the playlist as a deck of cards, shuffling the entries using a - pseudo-random generator called the Mersenne Twister. After shuffling, - the list is never changed again until you re-shuffle the list, by - stopping the playback and restarting. If the repeat mode is enabled, - the list will simply start over from the first file again, without - re-shuffling. - The random seed is stored in the persistent setting area, so that the - resume feature can shuffle the playlist in exactly the same way when - resuming. - -Q57: How can I find out about all the neat features that Rockbox has? -A57: This information is in our manual (It sometimes gets a bit out of - date, so please bear with us.) The information you are most likely - looking for is a bit down the tree, so the here is the url: - http://www.rockbox.org/manual/rec-general.html - - Also, check out the features-list at: - http://www.rockbox.org/docs/features.html - -Q58: How can I see what bugs are currently open/being worked on? -A58: Check out http://www.rockbox.org/bugs.shtml for a listing of bugs - that have been reported. - -Q59: How can I report about bugs in Rockbox? -A59: If we were better programmers we would take that as an insult. But we - aren't, so we won't. The first step in reporting a bug is to review - the rules we ask you to follow in your submission (listed at: - http://www.rockbox.org/bugs.shtml#rules). - - Please note that we ask reports of bugs in CVS/daily builds to be sent - to the mailing list, and bugs in released versions of Rockbox to be - submitted through SourceForge's bug tracker. (A link to the bug tracker - can be found under our bug submission rules.) - -Q60: What's with all the different versions of Rockbox? - -A60: We currently support four different hardware platforms: Players, Recorder - v1, Recorder v2 and FM Recorder. - For each platform, Rockbox is released in three versions: Release, Daily - Build and Bleeding Edge. These only differ in release frequency. - - The Release version (currently 2.3) is a frozen known-good state. This - means that we are confident that few, if any, significant bugs reside - within the code for that version. This is the version for the common - user, *except for Ondio*. Use a current daily build for Ondio. - There are 2 bugs in the 2.3 release that render it not recommended for - Ondio: (1) Saving configuration files or radio presets takes ages, and - wears the flash chip much more than necessary. (2) Rockbox 2.3 does not - yet support all Ondio hardware variants. This may lead to non-working - storage access both from rockbox and via USB. - - The Daily Builds (http://www.rockbox.org/daily.shtml) are automated - daily builds of the CVS (development) code. As such they contain all the - new features (and bugs) that have been introduced after the last official - release, up to this morning. - - The Bleeding Edge builds (http://www.rockbox.org/daily.shtml#bleeding_edge) - are built from the CVS code every 20 minutes. The purpose of these builds - is to verify the code builds properly on all platforms (and simulators) - and also to allow testers to try out new features and bug fixes without - having to build the code themselves. - - Please Note: Bleeding Edge builds are expected to be buggy at times. We - ask that you _do not_ submit bug reports for Bleeding Edge builds, but - would love to hear any reports you may have about Release or Daily build - versions. (see "How can I report about bugs in Rockbox?") - -Q61: I am in Windows and can't create a .rockbox directory to store my - files. When are you going to fix this? -A61: You don't need to. The directory should have been created when you - installed Rockbox. If it wasn't created, you haven't installed it - correctly. Re-read the installation instructions on the download page: - - http://www.rockbox.org/download/ - -Q62: I own a Mac. I can't seem to create the .rockbox file. Can you - fix this? -A62: See question 61. - -Q63: Will Rockbox work on any of Archos' other units? -A63: Other than the 6 currently supported models: no, probably not. If Archos - releases another rockbox-able player (such as the V2) then rockbox will - find its way onto it, but their new devices as the Gmini, MM, and AV - units are completely different hardware and probably won't be supported - by Rockbox unless someone enthusiastically reverse engineers them and - submits patches to make it happen. - - See also: http://www.rockbox.org/docs/nodo.html#7 - -Q64: I installed Rockbox, removed the jukebox safely and rebooted, but Rockbox - still didn't load. What is wrong? I am running Windows. -A64: The old MOD/AJZ was not entirely deleted from the disk. It is still - there, and the boot loader finds that one instead of the new file. Here's - what you can do: - - - Download and install Directory Snoop (version 4.03 in November 2002) - from http://www.briggsoft.com/dsnoop.htm. - It's shareware, the trial version can be used 25 times. - - Directory Snoop can display true drive contents by bypassing the - operating system and reading the raw drive sectors directly. - - - Plug the Jukebox in the PC as usual and power on - - - Launch Directory snoop - - - Click on the Jukebox drive letter in the [select drive] field in the - toolbar. The content of the jukebox hard drive appears in the main - window. Files which appear in red color don't seem to be present on the - hard drive, but they still here. - - - Simply select the appropriate files (red color) and purge them - (Purge button). Of course, don't erase the new archos.mod file and the - .rockbox directory :) - - - Safely remove (Windows unmount device function) the Jukebox. - Power it up and ...voila... Rockbox is there! - - (Thanks to Olivier Rafidison for this info) - - Another alternative: - - - Copy the firmware file to the jukebox again. Windows will rename it to "Copy of XXXXX" - - - Delete the original firmware file and remove the "Copy of" part from the new file name - - - Reboot - - If it doesn't load the correct firmware, do the whle procedure again until the new file is recognized. - -Q65: What kind of mic can I connect to my AJBR? -A65: There are several types of microphones. - - Dynamic: The one that's available from Archos is a dynamic one. - Their output level is high enough so that they don't need an - amplifier (that's the reason why the Archos mic is of this type - - it's cheap). - - cheap - - no good sound quality of cheap dynamic mics (good enough for - speech) - - no amplifier needed - - Backplate Condenser: These are the professional mics. They need phantom - power (48V) for charging the condenser. - They also need an amplifier, because their output level is low. - - good sound quality - - need phantom power (48V) - - need amplifier - - expensive - - Electret Condenser: These capsules are cheap and result in a good - recording quality. They don't need phantom power voltage. They need power - for the FET (field effect transistor) that's inside. If you have such a - mic with a battery in it, it is mostly because of the FET power, not - because of an amplification circuit inside the mic. These mics are in - all the consumer products like mobile phones, PC headsets and so on. - - cheap (2 EUR for a capsule) - - good sound quality - - need amplifier - - need power for the FET (1,5 - 15V) - - Recommendation for do-it-yourselfers: Use electret condenser mic capsules, - solder an amplifier for them which both amplifies the output level - and feeds the power needed for the FET to the capsule. - The one on http://www.geocities.com/ferocious_1999/md/micpreamp2.html - was soldered and tested by Uwe Freese, and it works. - There are some others available from www.elv.de and other sellers. - - Recommendation for others: Buy some mic + preamp combination which can be - plugged into a line in of any amplifier. Maybe such a commercially - available combination needs a power supply and doesn't work with - batteries. Some are very expensive. You might have some luck at - http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/. - - What does not work: Don't use an amplifier thing that is simply connected - between some mic cable. Maybe it sounds as if it could work, but I - doesn't. If the piece of (expensive) electronic doesn't have a power - source and your mic doesn't either, it does not work! A PC sound card or - md player usually has a power output (same pin where the sound goes - through, dc value) for feeding the FET of an electret condenser capsule - (see above) (and this power could also used to feed a mic amplifier), but - the Archos hasn't (it's a line in and no mic in!). - - If you want to know more on microphone powering, read this: - http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/microphone_powering.html. - (As described, you also need amplification.) - -Q66: I can't start rockbox when the charger is connected. What am I doing - wrong? -A66: If your device is off and you connect the charger, the Archos charger code - is started immediately. You can then start Rockbox with holding down the - ON key for several seconds. Hold the key down a really long time, until - you see the Rockbox logo! - -Q67: Why can't you implement a cross-fader? That would be so cool! -A67: Please read our NODO faq. http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo#3_Crossfade_between_tracks_ - -Q68: My screen is all black/white when I run Rockbox on my Recorder! -A68: This bug has been fixed in the later versions of Rockbox. Upgrade! - -Q69: Where are the FM controls for the FM Recorder? -A69: In the menu: FM Radio - -Q70: I installed/renamed ajbrec.ajz (or archos.mod) but I am still booting - with another version of firmware. -A70: When looking on the hard disk the Archos firmware only matches the first - ten characters of the file name. Because of this files like - ajbrec.ajz.bak or ajbrec.ajz-20030404 match and are loaded. To - prevent this from happening, give the it a file name that differs in - the first 10 characters, e.g., ajbrec.bak.ajz. - -Q71: Help! My recorder crashes when I copy files to it! -A71: Yes, the recorder can crash when you copy several gigabytes of - files to it. The explanation is simple: Copying several gigabytes - of files through USB requires a long period of sustained disk - activity and drains more power than the batteries of the recorder - can store. A long copy will eventually drain the batteries to the - point where the recorder can no longer function and it halts. - This even happens when connected to the charger, since the power - drain is more than the charger can provide! If the recorder halts - while connecter to the charger, the batteries will recover and - after a short while it will reboot the Archos firmware in charger - mode. To make it worse, depending on the USB drivers of your - system it can cause your system to crash as well, or confuse it - to the point it needs a reboot. - - There is no solution, just some tips: - - - Connect to the charger when copying lots of files. This will - not prevent the problem, but it will take longer to happen. - - - Make sure you have "Deep Discharge" disabled. - - - Switch off the "Backlight On When Plugged" option. - - - Use USB 2.0. Transfers will be much faster. - - - Copy incrementally. With fully charged standard batteries it - should be capable of sustained copying for 2 - 2.5 hours. - -Q72: What should I know about digital I/O connector on my jukebox? -A72: The Recorder models have a connector for digital audio output using the - common S/PDIF standard (Sony/Phillips Digital Interface). This jack is - not present on the Studio/Player/FM Recorder models. By using the digital - output in combination with high class external equipment, you can get - much better sound quality out of your jukebox. This is because you can - use better DA-converters and better amplifiers, plus you eliminate the - analog audio connections between the jukebox and your equipment that can - introduce noise and distortion. - - The Recorder and the FM Recorder models are able to record from digital - sources, too. The digital inputs don't have the 15kHz lowpass filter like - the analog inputs and you are sure to minimize the noise floor. - - Although S/PDIF can be an electrical or an optical signal and there are - many devices that support both, the socket on the jukebox is for - electrical signals only! Some devices have sockets that look the same, - and can take either an optical or an electrical cable, but sadly this is - not true with the Jukebox. - - If you want to connect your amp with digital input (RCA type) to the - output of your Recorder you need an adapter cable (3.5mm stereo jack to - dual RCA jack). Plug the 3.5mm stero jack into the digital I/O socket of - your jukebox and the red RCA jack (right channel) into the digital input - socket of your amp and that's it. You don't have to enable the digital - output, since it's always on. The sound settings on the digital output - are always flat, your volume, bass, treble, bass boost, loudness settings - won't have any effect here, that's why fade in/out won't work, - either. The sampling frequency of the digital output is the same as the - sampling frequency of the mp3. It's therefore possible that your external - equipment won't be able to synchronize to the output of your jukebox if - you have mp3's with sampling frequencies other than 32, 44.1 or 48kHz - (The pitch shift function also modifies the sampling frequency!). - - For recording digital signals on the Recorder, use the white RCA jack - (left channel) and plug it into the digital output of your CD player, MD - player or whatever. Don't forget to select digital input in the recording - settings! - - Note that some adapter cables exist with different color coding, so if it - doesn't work try to swap red and white. The tip of the 3.5mm jack is the - digital input, the ring is the ouput. For recording digital signals on - the FM Recorder, you need a special 4-pole 3.5mm plug (shaft = ground, - tip = left channel analog line in, first ring (next to tip) = right - channel analog line in, second ring = digital in). - - If you want to connect devices with optical inputs/outputs, you need a - small converter box which converts your signal from electrical to optical - (for digital output from the Archos) or optical to electrical (for - digital recording in to the Archos). - -Q73: How do I unsubscribe from the rockbox mailing list? -A73: The same way you subscribed, but you send an 'unsubscribe' request to the - mailing list server instead of the 'subscribe' one you sent before. - - This is all mentioned on the same web page: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/ - - Please please please pretty please with sugar on top, DO NOT attempt to - mail unsubscribe requests to the mailing list itself. That will only - annoy more than 400 readers and will have no effect on your subscription. - - In fact, you NEVER unsubscribe to ANY mailing lists by mailing unsubscribe - to the list's address. You might as well take the opportunity to learn - this right away. - - When you first subscribed to the mailing list, you were sent a welcome - mail from the server. It contained information about the mailing list and - instructions on how to unsubscribe. It is considered a good habit to keep - such welcome messages from mailing lists. - - In addition to all this, every mail that is sent out to the rockbox - mailing list has a set of standard headers that offer info about the - mailing list: how to post, how to unsubscribe, where to find the mailing - list archives etc. Sensible mail clients can display these headers. - -Q74: What is the Recorder V2? -A74: The Recorder V2 is essentially an FM Recorder without the radio. It looks - and works like the FM Recorder except for the radio, and has LiIon - batteries. It is meant to replace the older Recorder model. - NOTE! The first V2 Recorders were in fact real FM Recorders with the - radio parts still mounted. If you are lucky, the FM radio might work in - your V2, try it! - -Q75: Why is there a Radio option in my Rockbox for V2? -A75: Some of the first V2 units had an FM radio in there, so if you're one of - the few lucky ones, you can use the radio fine. - -Q76: What does "dir buffer is full" mean? -A76: It means you have more files in a single directory than you have - configured Rockbox to support. See Q53. - - Solution: Increase the "max files in dir browser" setting. - - The 2.2 release contained a bug that set the default buffer setting - to 0, giving the dir buffer full error. - - Solution: Upgrade to 2.3. - -Q77: Why are you developing X when you should be doing Y? -A77: You make the common mistake of confusing Rockbox development with that of - commercial projects. There is not much of an agenda for the development - of Rockbox. Anyone who wants to write new features can do that. - - If there is a current "huge emphasis" on the X functionality, it is - because one or more developers, decided he/they wanted to write it. It's - not because "Rockbox project management" decided function X is a more - important feature than anything else. - - That is the nature of Free Software: People write code that scratches - their own itches, or that simply is fun to write. Everybody working with - Rockbox is doing it for fun. A wide or narrow audience actually has only - little bearing on the choice of features to implement. - - The moment someone with a bit of time to spare and the necessary - programming skills (or a will to learn them) feels function Y is a - sufficiently useful feature, it will be written. - - (That could be you.) - -Q78: How do I control the recording frequency and quality? -A78: Linus Nielsen Feltzing replied to a similar question on April 17th 2004, - and this is a cut'n paste of his reply that can be read on the following - URL: - http://www.rockbox.org/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2004-04/0814.shtml - - SAMPLE RATE - - Controls the amount of samples per second, basically which frequencies - that can accurately be reproduced during playback. Lower frequencies - produce smaller files, for two reasons: 1) The amount of data to be - compressed is smaller and 2) the data is easier to compress, since higher - frequencies are not present. - - BIT RATE - - Controls how many bits per second that is required for accurate live - transmission of the compressed audio. When you compress the data harder - (meaning worse sound quality), the bitrate gets lower. - - STEREO VS MONO - - A mono file doesn't necessarily have to be smaller than a stereo file. - It all depends on the encoder. The MAS does produce smaller files with - mono. - - MAS QUALITY - - The MAS uses VBR for compression (yes always), which means that the - bitrate varies from frame to frame, depending on how compressable the - data was at that point in time. This allows for a more even quality, and - also smaller files if the data is easily compressed. The MAS can generate - frames with bit rates ranging from 32kbit/s to 192kbit/s (MPEG1) or - 8kbit/s to 160kbit/s (MPEG2). - - The MAS quality setting is just a way of selecting an average bit rate - according to the following table (quality 0 is on the far left): - - FREQUENCY BITRATE IN KBIT/S - ------------------------------------------------------ - 44100Hz stereo: 75, 80, 90, 100, 120, 140, 160, 170 - 22050Hz stereo: 39, 41, 45, 50, 60, 80, 110, 130 - 44100Hz mono: 65, 68, 73, 80, 90, 105, 125, 140 - 22050Hz mono: 35, 38, 40, 45, 50, 60, 75, 90 - - (This table can be found on page 38 in the MAS3587 data sheet.) - - MPEG VERSIONS - - The different MPEG versions use different sample rates: - 44100, 48000, 32000: MPEG version 1 - 22050, 24000, 16000: MPEG version 2 - 11025, 12000, 8000: MPEG version 2.5 (not an official standard) - -Q79: How can I make rockbox play tracks in CD order? -A79: You have two options. - - 1: You can rename all tracks to have the track number in front of them - (01 - track1.mp3, 02 - track2.mp3, ...). Just make sure to zero-prefix - the number properly so that 10 will play after 09. - - 2: Make a playlist for each album and play that instead of the .mp3 - files. - - No, you can't make Rockbox use the track number id3 info for this. - -Q80: Why does Rockbox say that I only have 18Gb free space on my 20Gb disk? -A80: Because the disk manufacturers have a different definition of Giga than - the rest of the computer world does. - - Read more about it here: - - http://personal-computer-tutor.com/abc3/v30/vic30.htm |