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Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +00001Q1. What is a FAQ?
2A1. A rare small animal of the species 'Textius Electronicus'. It is known for
3 its helpful attitude and vicious misspellings.
4
5Q2. Okay, fine, what is _this_ FAQ?
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +00006A2. This FAQ is for questions (that we have answers to) that have been asked
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +00007 repeatedly either in emails or on IRC.
8
9Q3. What is Rockbox? What is it's purpose?
10A3. 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
13Q4. I want to write code for my Archos, how do I proceed?
Robert Hak6e3eb842003-02-21 23:40:31 +000014A4. Our guide on first time (http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/firsttime.html)
15 Rockbox development should answer most of your questions.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000016
Robert Hak09499b52002-08-22 07:03:17 +000017Q5: What is CVS?
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000018A5: 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://rockbox.haxx.se/cvs.html
21
22Q6. What exactly is the CONTRIBUTING file?
23A6. 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
27Q7. 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?
29A7. 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
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000033Q8. I want to join the development team, but don't have a SourceForge account,
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000034 what should I do?
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000035A8. You don't need a SourceForge account to help developing Rockbox. Just
Linus Nielsen Feltzing10fafb32004-07-13 09:53:36 +000036 submit patches (http://rockbox.haxx.se/twiki/bin/view/Main/WorkingWithPatches)
Björn Stenberg10fc53c2002-08-23 20:49:12 +000037
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
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000042
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000043Q9. Do you have a mailing list?
Robert Hak5c72bac2003-03-19 20:23:11 +000044A9. Sure do! As a matter of fact, we have several of them for specific things.
Daniel Stenbergc4ac99c2003-10-27 07:15:56 +000045 Please check out: http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/, and please see FAQ entry
46 75.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000047
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000048Q10. Great you have a mailing list! Is there anyway for me to catch up on
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000049 past posts?
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000050A10. Check out the archives at: http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000051
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000052Q11. How can I meet the developers working on the project?
53A11. One way is by visiting us on IRC. Head on over to the server
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000054 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
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +000056 questions anyway, several of us log the channel and will get you answers
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000057 when we unidle.
58
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +000059Q12: Wow, you guys talk on IRC a lot? I wish I had been around for those
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000060 conversations to see what happened.
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000061A12: We are glad you mentioned that! http://rockbox.haxx.se/irc happens
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000062 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
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000065Q13. What is this "SourceForge" you keep mentioning?
66A13. http://www.sourceforge.net
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000067
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000068Q14. Can the changes or the software that Rockbox suggests or offers
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000069 possibly damage my Archos Player?
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000070A14. All firmware mods that are presented are still highly experimental.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000071 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
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +000075 protect your hard disk, but there are ways around that. (See below.)
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000076
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000077Q15. I want to see what the inside of my player looks like, but I would really
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000078 like to avoid voiding my warranty. Is there anything you can suggest?
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000079A15. We have a collection of photos of both the player and recorder. Look at
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000080 http://rockbox.haxx.se/internals/
81
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000082Q16. What exactly are you trying to achieve with this line of development?
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +000083 (A.K.A. what's your purpose for being here?)
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000084A16. Firstly, we wouldn't start something like this if we didn't simply enjoy
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000085 it profusely. This is great fun!
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +000086 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.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000088
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000089Q17. You mention supporting Ogg Vorbis and other file types on your list of
Björn Stenberg92408562002-09-07 12:13:40 +000090 ideas. What is the status on that?
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +000091A17. Pessimist's Answer: At the current time we believe this is not very
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +000092 likely. The Micronas chip (MAS3507) decoder in the Archos does not
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +000093 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
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +000095 software decoder as part of the Rockbox firmware. However, as much as we
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +000096 love our players, the computing power of the Archos (SH1 microcontroller)
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +000097 is not fully sufficient for this need.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +000098
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
Linus Nielsen Feltzingb9ec2ba2003-04-26 07:50:49 +0000104 MAS DSP code and Micronas is very secretive about it. If anyone can
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000105 help, please get in touch!
106
Björn Stenberg92408562002-09-07 12:13:40 +0000107 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
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000112Q18. What about supporting playing of WMA files?
Robert Hak5c72bac2003-03-19 20:23:11 +0000113A18. Dear Mr. Gates, you have two options. Re-read previous question, or go
114 buy your own project.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000115
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000116Q19: But you don't understand, I'm not talking about decoding here,
Robert Hak49c2fda2002-08-29 13:36:05 +0000117 since the data we want may already be in the decoded format (PCM).
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000118A19: Okay, last time. No. We have no problems whatsoever reading different
Robert Hak49c2fda2002-08-29 13:36:05 +0000119 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
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000125Q20. What is the most recent version of Rockbox?
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbaee14e2004-03-13 17:07:56 +0000126A20. We recently released version 2.2, so head on over to
Robert Hak7bf657a2002-08-28 09:45:09 +0000127 http://rockbox.haxx.se/download/ and pull it down.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000128 Make sure to read the release notes.
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbaee14e2004-03-13 17:07:56 +0000129 (http://rockbox.haxx.se/download/rockbox-2.2-notes.txt).
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000130
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000131Q21. What do you plan to add to coming versions?
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000132A21. We don't plan versions in detail. We just write code, and when it feels
133 right we release a new version.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000134
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000135Q22. I tried one of your firmware files and now I can't access my hard disk!
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000136 When I turn on my jukebox, it says:
137 Part. Error
138 Pls Chck HD
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000139A22. Your hard disk has been password protected. We're not 100% sure why it
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000140 happens, but you can unlock it yourself. Look at:
141 http://rockbox.haxx.se/lock.html
142
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000143 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
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000146Q23: This FAQ doesn't answer the question I have. What should I do?
147A23: You have a couple options here. You could forget the question, find an
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000148 easier question, or accept '42' as the answer no matter what. We don't
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000149 really recommend any of these (though I do opt for '42' often myself).
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000150 What we do recommend is stopping by IRC, visiting the web site
151 (http://rockbox.haxx.se) to see if the question was answered else where
Linus Nielsen Feltzing10fafb32004-07-13 09:53:36 +0000152 (like our nodo http://rockbox.haxx.se/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.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000156
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000157Q24: Are there other ways to contact the developers?
158A24: Yes.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000159
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000160Q25: Are you going to tell us what they are?
161A25: No. Post to the mailing list and we will get back to you.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000162
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000163Q26: But I _really_ want to talk with you in person.
164A26: I'm sorry. My girlfriend/boyfriend/pet says I'm not allowed to, and the
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000165 doctors here won't let me have pens or pencils. They say its some rule
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000166 about us not having sharp objects. I'm sorry. Now please stop calling
167 me here.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000168
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000169Q27: Will you ever port Quake II to the Archos?
170A27: If you ask that again, I'm sending your address and phone number to the
171 guy that mailed us with question #24.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000172
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000173Q28: Umm, was that sarcasm?
174A28: That's it, I'm mailing him now.
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000175
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000176Q29: Is this legal? I mean, I'd just hate to see something like that
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000177 challenged under the DMCA in all its ridiculousness. Any thoughts or
178 ideas?
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000179A29: We believe we are in the green on this. We are not violating anyone's
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000180 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
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000186Q30: On the web site [and various information postings] you state
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000187 "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".
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000193A30: Don't confuse the terms. Reverse engineering means examining a product
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000194 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
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000203Q31: This FAQ is great, but do you have anything with a bit more detail?
204A31: Check out our website and it's documentation. Rockbox also has a user
205 manual you can read. http://rockbox.haxx.se/manual/manual.pdf
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000206
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000207Q32: I've heard talk of a 'Rolo'. What is that? (Or 'All you ever wanted
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000208 to know about Rockbox boot loaders')
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000209A32: Rolo is our bootloader. Rolo became available with our 1.4 release.
Robert Haka0f9f622002-10-12 04:23:05 +0000210 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
Linus Nielsen Feltzing434b7d92003-04-12 00:56:04 +0000212 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.
Robert Hak9756cb02002-09-03 19:41:49 +0000216
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.)
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000220
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000221Q33: Can I use the Archos as an USB hard disk to store data from my PDA/
Björn Stenbergf2b8aec2002-10-22 20:23:16 +0000222 digital camera/phone etc.
Linus Nielsen Feltzing10fafb32004-07-13 09:53:36 +0000223A33: No. See http://rockbox.haxx.se/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo#4_Interfacing_with_other_USB_dev
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000224
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000225Q34: When I use Rockbox my jukebox's red "error" light turns on a lot, but this
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000226 doesn't happen on the factory firmware. Why?
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000227A34: Rockbox uses the red LED as harddisk activity light, not as an error
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000228 light. Relax and enjoy the music.
229
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000230Q35: I have a question about the batteries...
231A35: STOP! We have put together a completely different FAQ for battery
Robert Hak35c04802002-08-21 11:07:28 +0000232 related questions.
233 Check out: http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/battery-faq.html
Robert Hak019203b2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000234
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000235Q36. I have a question about patches...
Linus Nielsen Feltzing10fafb32004-07-13 09:53:36 +0000236A36. Check out http://rockbox.haxx.se/twiki/bin/view/Main/WorkingWithPatches
237 as it should answer any patch related questions you may have.
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000238
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000239Q37: What is the WPS?
240A37: That is the 'While Playing Screen'. Basically this is what is shown on
Robert Hakfac78522002-08-22 03:00:12 +0000241 your player's display while we are playing your song.
242
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000243Q38: What good is the WPS? How usable/flexible is it?
244A38: 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://rockbox.haxx.se/manual/wps.html for information.
Robert Hakfac78522002-08-22 03:00:12 +0000249
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000250Q40: So how do I load/make a .wps file?
Linus Nielsen Feltzing10fafb32004-07-13 09:53:36 +0000251A40: You check out http://rockbox.haxx.se/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 ;)
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000254
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000255Q41: Does Rockbox support other languages? How do I load/use different
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000256 languages?
257A41: See: http://rockbox.haxx.se/lang
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000258
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000259Q42: Does Rockbox support other fonts/character sets?
260A42: Recorders do, Players don't.
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000261
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000262Q43: How do I use the loadable fonts?
263A43: If you own a Recorder see: http://rockbox.haxx.se/fonts/ Players
264 cannot make use of loadable fonts.
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000265
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000266Q44: Why can't I use loadable fonts on the Player?
267A44: This is because the Player font is character cell based (as opposed to
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000268 the Recorder's bitmap based display). This
Robert Hak0dbcb432002-08-26 23:58:05 +0000269 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
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000274Q45: Why don't you have as many games available for the Players?
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000275A45: The display on the Players is character cell and not bitmap based.
Björn Stenberg10d61652003-12-12 10:01:05 +0000276 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.
Robert Hak5d3a0d32002-08-27 13:50:00 +0000278
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000279Q46: I keep shutting off my player in my pocket. Can the OFF (Recorder) or
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000280 STOP (Player) key be locked?
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000281A46: No. Unfortunately, the ON/OFF mechanisms are handled entirely in
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000282 hardware. The firmware can read the keys, but can't prevent them from
283 shutting off the player.
284
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000285Q47: Can I record with Rockbox?
286A47: You sure can. Take a look at our manual.
287 http://rockbox.haxx.se/manual/manual.pdf
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000288
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000289Q48: Now that I can record, can I use custom codecs (like LAME)?
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000290A48: The MP3 encoder is in the MAS3587F chip, and nothing we can change.
Robert Hak5d3a0d32002-08-27 13:50:00 +0000291
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000292Q49: What are the max/min bitrates for recording on the Recorder's encoder?
293A49: The builtin encoder is variable bit rate only with a max of 192kbit/s,
Robert Hak5d3a0d32002-08-27 13:50:00 +0000294 and a min of 32kbit/s.
295
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000296Q50: Would it be possible to record from line in on the player?
297A50: No.
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000298
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000299Q51: I have a question about the id3v1 and id3v2 tags...
Björn Stenberg10d61652003-12-12 10:01:05 +0000300A51: Rockbox supports both id3v1 and id3v2. If you have problems,
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000301 report it to the developers and please provide an example.
Robert Hak7f7851a2002-08-27 14:14:18 +0000302
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000303Q52: Where exactly did the name 'Rockbox' come from?
304A52: Well you can follow the full line of emails at
Robert Hakd4d71d12002-08-27 16:40:32 +0000305 http://rockbox.haxx.se/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
Linus Nielsen Feltzing1b9a0442003-02-21 03:11:52 +0000309 Funny thing about democracies. This isn't one ;) Our beloved project
Björn Stenberg92408562002-09-07 12:13:40 +0000310 leader vetoed the winning name and chose Rockbox instead.
Robert Hakd4d71d12002-08-27 16:40:32 +0000311 http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2002-01/0134.shtml
312
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +0000313 There you have it. Recommended by users, decision by dictator.
Robert Hak49c2fda2002-08-29 13:36:05 +0000314
Robert Hak6bb1af02003-02-20 21:49:02 +0000315Q53: Why is there a limit of 400 files in a directory?
Björn Stenberg10d61652003-12-12 10:01:05 +0000316A53: This is a configurable value, 400 files is just the default.
Robert Hak9756cb02002-09-03 19:41:49 +0000317
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000318Q54: Why is there a 10,000 song limit on playlists?
Björn Stenberg10d61652003-12-12 10:01:05 +0000319A54: This is a configurable value, 10,000 songs is just the default.
Robert Hak9756cb02002-09-03 19:41:49 +0000320
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000321Q55: How can I make playlists on my PC?
322A55: There are many programs that can create .m3u playlists. WinAmp is one.
Björn Stenberg1d8ac3e2002-09-07 09:58:00 +0000323 Another simple method, that requires no extra software, is to use dir:
324
Björn Stenberg361546d2002-09-07 18:07:29 +0000325 dir /b /s X:\ > X:\allfiles.m3u
326 dir /b /s X:\Pop > X:\pop.m3u
327
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000328 ...where X: is your Archos drive.
Björn Stenberg1d8ac3e2002-09-07 09:58:00 +0000329
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.
Robert Hakc5740ad2002-09-04 08:24:11 +0000337
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000338Q56: How does the shuffle work?
339A56: It sees the playlist as a deck of cards, shuffling the entries using a
Linus Nielsen Feltzing4854a2c2002-09-18 09:25:55 +0000340 pseudo-random generator called the Mersenne Twister. After shuffling,
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000341 the list is never changed again until you re-shuffle the list, by
Linus Nielsen Feltzing4854a2c2002-09-18 09:25:55 +0000342 stopping the playback and restarting. If the repeat mode is enabled,
343 the list will simply start over from the first file again, without
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000344 re-shuffling.
Linus Nielsen Feltzing4854a2c2002-09-18 09:25:55 +0000345 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.
Robert Hakcd3efa62002-10-01 08:58:56 +0000348
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000349Q57: How can I find out about all the neat features that Rockbox has?
350A57: This information is in our manual (It sometimes gets a bit out of
Robert Hakd7529d82002-10-14 10:56:47 +0000351 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://rockbox.haxx.se/manual/rec-general.html
354
Daniel Stenberg4cd4d422002-12-09 08:11:35 +0000355 Also, check out the features-list at:
356 http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/features.html
357
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000358Q58: How can I see what bugs are currently open/being worked on?
359A58: Check out http://rockbox.haxx.se/bugs.shtml for a listing of bugs
Robert Hakcd3efa62002-10-01 08:58:56 +0000360 that have been reported.
361
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000362Q59: How can I report about bugs in Rockbox?
363A59: If we were better programmers we would take that as an insult. But we
Robert Hakcd3efa62002-10-01 08:58:56 +0000364 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://rockbox.haxx.se/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.)
Linus Nielsen Feltzing180485c2002-10-01 09:37:34 +0000372
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000373Q60: What's with all the different versions of Rockbox?
Robert Hake6477682002-10-17 09:48:47 +0000374
Björn Stenberg10d61652003-12-12 10:01:05 +0000375A60: 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.
Robert Hake6477682002-10-17 09:48:47 +0000379
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbaee14e2004-03-13 17:07:56 +0000380 The Release version (currently 2.2) is a frozen known-good state. This
Björn Stenberg10d61652003-12-12 10:01:05 +0000381 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.
Robert Hake6477682002-10-17 09:48:47 +0000384
Björn Stenberg10d61652003-12-12 10:01:05 +0000385 The Daily Builds (http://rockbox.haxx.se/daily.shtml) are automated
386 daily builds of the CVS (development) code. As such they contain all the
387 new features (and bugs) that have been introduced after the last official
388 release, up to this morning.
389
390 The Bleeding Edge builds (http://rockbox.haxx.se/daily.shtml#bleeding_edge)
391 are built from the CVS code every 20 minutes. The purpose of these builds
392 is to verify the code builds properly on all platforms (and simulators)
393 and also to allow testers to try out new features and bug fixes without
394 having to build the code themselves.
Robert Hake1d51532002-10-17 10:16:58 +0000395
Björn Stenberg10d61652003-12-12 10:01:05 +0000396 Please Note: Bleeding Edge builds are expected to be buggy at times. We
397 ask that you _do not_ submit bug reports for Bleeding Edge builds, but
398 would love to hear any reports you may have about Release or Daily build
399 versions. (see "How can I report about bugs in Rockbox?")
Robert Hake1d51532002-10-17 10:16:58 +0000400
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000401Q61: I am in Windows and can't create a .rockbox directory to store my
Robert Hakab0641a2002-10-18 15:59:24 +0000402 files. When are you going to fix this?
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000403A61: We won't. The limitations of your operating system is not reason
Robert Hakab0641a2002-10-18 15:59:24 +0000404 enough for us to change how we handle things. And you _can_ create
405 this directory. Open a command line and type:
406 mkdir j:\.rockbox
Robert Hakb1ee36e2002-10-19 04:51:44 +0000407 You will need to correct the location for the drive letter that Windows
408 assigns to your drive.
Robert Hake1d51532002-10-17 10:16:58 +0000409
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000410Q62: I own a Mac. I can't seem to create the .rockbox file. Can you
Robert Hakb1ee36e2002-10-19 04:51:44 +0000411 fix this?
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000412A62: Truth is, we don't need to fix anything. If you are using OSX then you
Robert Hakb1ee36e2002-10-19 04:51:44 +0000413 can just open a console, change directories to the device and just:
414 mkdir .rockbox
415
416 If you are in another version then you should be able to do command-N in
417 the Finder, then name the folder.
Björn Stenbergf2b8aec2002-10-22 20:23:16 +0000418
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000419Q63: Will Rockbox work on any of Archos' other units?
Björn Stenberg10d61652003-12-12 10:01:05 +0000420A63: Other than the 4 currently supported models: no, probably not. If Archos
421 releases another rockbox-able player (such as the V2) then rockbox will
422 find its way onto it, but their new devices as the Gmini, MM, and AV
423 units are completely different hardware and probably won't be supported
424 by rockbox unless someone enthusiastically reverse engineers them and
425 submits patches to make it happen.
426
427 See also: http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/nodo.html#7
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +0000428
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000429Q64: I copied the rockbox MOD/AJZ file to the root, removed the jukebox
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +0000430 safely and rebooted. But Rockbox still didn't load. What is wrong?
431 I am running Windows.
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000432A64: The old MOD/AJZ was not entirely deleted from the disk. It is still
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +0000433 there, and the boot loader finds that one instead of the new file. Here's
434 what you can do:
435
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000436 - Download and install Directory Snoop (version 4.03 in November 2002)
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000437 from http://www.briggsoft.com/dsnoop.htm.
438 It's shareware, the trial version can be used 25 times.
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +0000439
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000440 Directory Snoop can display true drive contents by bypassing the
441 operating system and reading the raw drive sectors directly.
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +0000442
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000443 - Plug the Jukebox in the PC as usual and power on
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +0000444
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000445 - Launch Directory snoop
446
447 - Click on the Jukebox drive letter in the [select drive] field in the
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000448 toolbar. The content of the jukebox hard drive appears in the main
449 window. Files which appear in red color don't seem to be present on the
450 hard drive, but they still here.
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000451
452 - Simply select the appropriate files (red color) and purge them
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000453 (Purge button). Of course, don't erase the new archos.mod file and the
454 .rockbox directory :)
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000455
456 - Safely remove (Windows unmount device function) the Jukebox.
457 Power it up and ...voila... Rockbox is there!
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbda36dc2002-12-06 22:18:54 +0000458
459 (Thanks to Olivier Rafidison for this info)
Uwe Freesee229ca42002-12-10 23:54:22 +0000460
Linus Nielsen Feltzinge31f0df2004-03-01 11:38:14 +0000461 Another alternative:
462
463 - Copy the firmware file to the jukebox again. Windows will rename it to "Copy of XXXXX"
464
465 - Delete the original firmware file and remove the "Copy of" part from the new file name
466
467 - Reboot
468
469 If it doesn't load the correct firmware, do the whle procedure again until the new file is recognized.
470
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000471Q65: What kind of mic can I connect to my AJBR?
472A65: There are several types of microphones.
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000473
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000474 Dynamic: The one that's available from Archos is a dynamic one.
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000475 Their output level is high enough so that they don't need an
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000476 amplifier (that's the reason why the Archos mic is of this type -
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000477 it's cheap).
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000478 - cheap
479 - no good sound quality of cheap dynamic mics (good enough for
480 speech)
481 - no amplifier needed
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000482
Uwe Freesee229ca42002-12-10 23:54:22 +0000483 Backplate Condenser: These are the professional mics. They need phantom
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000484 power (48V) for charging the condenser.
485 They also need an amplifier, because their output level is low.
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000486 - good sound quality
487 - need phantom power (48V)
488 - need amplifier
489 - expensive
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000490
491 Electret Condenser: These capsules are cheap and result in a good
492 recording quality. They don't need phantom power voltage. They need power
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000493 for the FET (field effect transistor) that's inside. If you have such a
494 mic with a battery in it, it is mostly because of the FET power, not
495 because of an amplification circuit inside the mic. These mics are in
496 all the consumer products like mobile phones, PC headsets and so on.
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000497 - cheap (2 EUR for a capsule)
498 - good sound quality
499 - need amplifier
500 - need power for the FET (1,5 - 15V)
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000501
502 Recommendation for do-it-yourselfers: Use electret condenser mic capsules,
503 solder an amplifier for them which both amplifies the output level
504 and feeds the power needed for the FET to the capsule.
505 The one on http://www.geocities.com/ferocious_1999/md/micpreamp2.html
506 was soldered and tested by Uwe Freese, and it works.
507 There are some others available from www.elv.de and other sellers.
508
509 Recommendation for others: Buy some mic + preamp combination which can be
510 plugged into a line in of any amplifier. Maybe such a commercially
511 available combination needs a power supply and doesn't work with
Linus Nielsen Feltzing10fafb32004-07-13 09:53:36 +0000512 batteries. Some are very expensive. You might have some luck at
513 http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/.
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000514
Daniel Stenberg40f42882003-03-05 23:23:28 +0000515 What does not work: Don't use an amplifier thing that is simply connected
516 between some mic cable. Maybe it sounds as if it could work, but I
517 doesn't. If the piece of (expensive) electronic doesn't have a power
518 source and your mic doesn't either, it does not work! A PC sound card or
519 md player usually has a power output (same pin where the sound goes
520 through, dc value) for feeding the FET of an electret condenser capsule
521 (see above) (and this power could also used to feed a mic amplifier), but
522 the Archos hasn't (it's a line in and no mic in!).
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000523
Uwe Freese5ff17c82002-12-13 00:05:12 +0000524 If you want to know more on microphone powering, read this:
525 http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/microphone_powering.html.
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000526 (As described, you also need amplification.)
Uwe Freese112df432002-12-14 23:36:50 +0000527
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000528Q66: I can't start rockbox when the charger is connected. What am I doing
Björn Stenbergeedd8842002-12-18 09:41:36 +0000529 wrong?
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000530A66: If your device is off and you connect the charger, the Archos charger code
Uwe Freese112df432002-12-14 23:36:50 +0000531 is started immediately. You can then start Rockbox with holding down the
532 ON key for several seconds. Hold the key down a really long time, until
533 you see the Rockbox logo!
Linus Nielsen Feltzing5347b4e2002-12-17 00:08:14 +0000534
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000535Q67: Why can't you implement a cross-fader? That would be so cool!
Linus Nielsen Feltzing10fafb32004-07-13 09:53:36 +0000536A67: Please read our NODO faq. http://rockbox.haxx.se/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo#3_Crossfade_between_tracks_
Daniel Stenberg0cc2c1c2003-01-27 08:19:40 +0000537
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000538Q68: My screen is all black/white when I run Rockbox on my Recorder!
Linus Nielsen Feltzing10fafb32004-07-13 09:53:36 +0000539A68: This bug has been fixed in the later versions of Rockbox. Upgrade!
Robert Hak31993d82003-03-05 21:20:32 +0000540
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000541Q69: Where are the FM controls for the FM Recorder?
Björn Stenberg10d61652003-12-12 10:01:05 +0000542A69: In the menu: FM Radio
Robert Hakfddbee32003-04-26 16:29:36 +0000543
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000544Q70: I installed/renamed ajbrec.ajz (or archos.mod) but I am still booting
Robert Hakfddbee32003-04-26 16:29:36 +0000545 with another version of firmware.
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000546A70: When looking on the hard disk the Archos firmware only matches the first
Robert Hakfddbee32003-04-26 16:29:36 +0000547 ten characters of the file name. Because of this files like
548 ajbrec.ajz.bak or ajbrec.ajz-20030404 match and are loaded. To
549 prevent this from happening, give the it a file name that differs in
550 the first 10 characters, e.g., ajbrec.bak.ajz.
Daniel Stenberg1e8e3852003-05-01 14:01:35 +0000551
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000552Q71: Help! My recorder crashes when I copy files to it!
553A71: Yes, the recorder can crash when you copy several gigabytes of
Daniel Stenberg1e8e3852003-05-01 14:01:35 +0000554 files to it. The explanation is simple: Copying several gigabytes
555 of files through USB requires a long period of sustained disk
556 activity and drains more power than the batteries of the recorder
557 can store. A long copy will eventually drain the batteries to the
558 point where the recorder can no longer function and it halts.
559 This even happens when connected to the charger, since the power
560 drain is more than the charger can provide! If the recorder halts
561 while connecter to the charger, the batteries will recover and
562 after a short while it will reboot the Archos firmware in charger
563 mode. To make it worse, depending on the USB drivers of your
564 system it can cause your system to crash as well, or confuse it
565 to the point it needs a reboot.
566
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000567 There is no solution, just some tips:
Daniel Stenberg1e8e3852003-05-01 14:01:35 +0000568
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000569 - Connect to the charger when copying lots of files. This will
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000570 not prevent the problem, but it will take longer to happen.
571
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000572 - Make sure you have "Deep Discharge" disabled.
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000573
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000574 - Switch off the "Backlight On When Plugged" option.
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000575
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000576 - Use USB 2.0. Transfers will be much faster.
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000577
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000578 - Copy incrementally. With fully charged standard batteries it
Björn Stenbergd905a0e2003-12-05 09:19:20 +0000579 should be capable of sustained copying for 2 - 2.5 hours.
Daniel Stenbergccdf7c82003-06-04 20:36:47 +0000580
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000581Q72: What should I know about digital I/O connector on my jukebox?
582A72: The Recorder models have a connector for digital audio output using the
Daniel Stenbergccdf7c82003-06-04 20:36:47 +0000583 common S/PDIF standard (Sony/Phillips Digital Interface). This jack is
584 not present on the Studio/Player/FM Recorder models. By using the digital
585 output in combination with high class external equipment, you can get
Daniel Stenberg0d8667b2003-06-17 07:13:14 +0000586 much better sound quality out of your jukebox. This is because you can
587 use better DA-converters and better amplifiers, plus you eliminate the
588 analog audio connections between the jukebox and your equipment that can
589 introduce noise and distortion.
Daniel Stenbergccdf7c82003-06-04 20:36:47 +0000590
591 The Recorder and the FM Recorder models are able to record from digital
592 sources, too. The digital inputs don't have the 15kHz lowpass filter like
593 the analog inputs and you are sure to minimize the noise floor.
Daniel Stenberg0d8667b2003-06-17 07:13:14 +0000594
595 Although S/PDIF can be an electrical or an optical signal and there are
596 many devices that support both, the socket on the jukebox is for
597 electrical signals only! Some devices have sockets that look the same,
598 and can take either an optical or an electrical cable, but sadly this is
599 not true with the Jukebox.
Daniel Stenbergccdf7c82003-06-04 20:36:47 +0000600
601 If you want to connect your amp with digital input (RCA type) to the
602 output of your Recorder you need an adapter cable (3.5mm stereo jack to
603 dual RCA jack). Plug the 3.5mm stero jack into the digital I/O socket of
604 your jukebox and the red RCA jack (right channel) into the digital input
605 socket of your amp and that's it. You don't have to enable the digital
Daniel Stenberg0d8667b2003-06-17 07:13:14 +0000606 output, since it's always on. The sound settings on the digital output
607 are always flat, your volume, bass, treble, bass boost, loudness settings
608 won't have any effect here, that's why fade in/out won't work,
609 either. The sampling frequency of the digital output is the same as the
610 sampling frequency of the mp3. It's therefore possible that your external
611 equipment won't be able to synchronize to the output of your jukebox if
612 you have mp3's with sampling frequencies other than 32, 44.1 or 48kHz
613 (The pitch shift function also modifies the sampling frequency!).
Daniel Stenbergccdf7c82003-06-04 20:36:47 +0000614
615 For recording digital signals on the Recorder, use the white RCA jack
Daniel Stenberg2f27a782003-06-17 07:54:16 +0000616 (left channel) and plug it into the digital output of your CD player, MD
Daniel Stenbergccdf7c82003-06-04 20:36:47 +0000617 player or whatever. Don't forget to select digital input in the recording
Daniel Stenberg0d8667b2003-06-17 07:13:14 +0000618 settings!
Daniel Stenbergccdf7c82003-06-04 20:36:47 +0000619
Daniel Stenberg2f27a782003-06-17 07:54:16 +0000620 Note that some adapter cables exist with different color coding, so if it
621 doesn't work try to swap red and white. The tip of the 3.5mm jack is the
622 digital input, the ring is the ouput. For recording digital signals on
623 the FM Recorder, you need a special 4-pole 3.5mm plug (shaft = ground,
624 tip = left channel analog line in, first ring (next to tip) = right
625 channel analog line in, second ring = digital in).
Daniel Stenbergccdf7c82003-06-04 20:36:47 +0000626
627 If you want to connect devices with optical inputs/outputs, you need a
628 small converter box which converts your signal from electrical to optical
Daniel Stenberg0d8667b2003-06-17 07:13:14 +0000629 (for digital output from the Archos) or optical to electrical (for
630 digital recording in to the Archos).
Daniel Stenbergc4ac99c2003-10-27 07:15:56 +0000631
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000632Q73: How do I unsubscribe from the rockbox mailing list?
633A73: The same way you subscribed, but you send an 'unsubscribe' request to the
Daniel Stenbergc4ac99c2003-10-27 07:15:56 +0000634 mailing list server instead of the 'subscribe' one you sent before.
635
636 This is all mentioned on the same web page: http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/
637
638 Please please please pretty please with sugar on top, DO NOT attempt to
639 mail unsubscribe requests to the mailing list itself. That will only
640 annoy more than 400 readers and will have no effect on your subscription.
641
Daniel Stenbergc6acb582003-10-27 08:28:01 +0000642 In fact, you NEVER unsubscribe to ANY mailing lists by mailing unsubscribe
Daniel Stenbergc4ac99c2003-10-27 07:15:56 +0000643 to the list's address. You might as well take the opportunity to learn
644 this right away.
645
646 When you first subscribed to the mailing list, you were sent a welcome
647 mail from the server. It contained information about the mailing list and
648 instructions on how to unsubscribe. It is considered a good habit to keep
649 such welcome messages from mailing lists.
650
651 In addition to all this, every mail that is sent out to the rockbox
652 mailing list has a set of standard headers that offer info about the
653 mailing list: how to post, how to unsubscribe, where to find the mailing
654 list archives etc. Sensible mail clients can display these headers.
Linus Nielsen Feltzing7cd4bcd2003-11-28 09:14:12 +0000655
Robert Hak6b6995c2003-12-04 23:17:10 +0000656Q74: What is the Recorder V2?
657A74: The Recorder V2 is essentially an FM Recorder without the radio. It looks
Linus Nielsen Feltzing7cd4bcd2003-11-28 09:14:12 +0000658 and works like the FM Recorder except for the radio, and has LiIon
659 batteries. It is meant to replace the older Recorder model.
660 NOTE! The first V2 Recorders were in fact real FM Recorders with the
661 radio parts still mounted. If you are lucky, the FM radio might work in
662 your V2, try it!
Daniel Stenbergd911bbe2003-12-17 16:27:31 +0000663
664Q75: Why is there a Radio option in my Rockbox for V2?
665A75: Some of the first V2 units had an FM radio in there, so if you're one of
666 the few lucky ones, you can use the radio fine. If you aren't lucky, you
667 just won't get any sound when trying the radio screen.
Linus Nielsen Feltzingae8af7d2003-12-19 02:02:24 +0000668
669 UPDATE: The daily builds now auto-detect the FM radio hardware.
Björn Stenbergef609b92004-02-26 11:28:07 +0000670
671Q76: What does "dir buffer is full" mean?
672A76: It means you have more files in a single directory than you have
673 configured Rockbox to support. See Q53.
674
675 Solution: Increase the "max files in dir browser" setting.
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbaee14e2004-03-13 17:07:56 +0000676
677 The current official release (2.2) contains a bug that sets
678 the default buffer setting to 0, giving the dir buffer full error.
679 Solution:
680
681 1) Change the limit in the settings
Linus Nielsen Feltzing2efe8f92004-04-21 21:57:38 +0000682
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbaee14e2004-03-13 17:07:56 +0000683 2) Exit the menu back to the browser
Linus Nielsen Feltzing2efe8f92004-04-21 21:57:38 +0000684
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbaee14e2004-03-13 17:07:56 +0000685 3) Force a disk spinup. There are several ways: either select
Linus Nielsen Feltzing2efe8f92004-04-21 21:57:38 +0000686 another setting for the file filter, or insert the USB and extract
687 it again
688
Linus Nielsen Feltzingbaee14e2004-03-13 17:07:56 +0000689 4) Turn it off and on again
Daniel Stenbergb7c4daf2004-04-19 13:38:22 +0000690
691Q77: Why are you developing X when you should be doing Y?
692A77: You make the common mistake of confusing Rockbox development with that of
693 commercial projects. There is not much of an agenda for the development
694 of Rockbox. Anyone who wants to write new features can do that.
695
696 If there is a current "huge emphasis" on the X functionality, it is
697 because one or more developers, decided he/they wanted to write it. It's
698 not because "Rockbox project management" decided function X is a more
699 important feature than anything else.
700
701 That is the nature of Free Software: People write code that scratches
702 their own itches, or that simply is fun to write. Everybody working with
703 Rockbox is doing it for fun. A wide or narrow audience actually has only
704 little bearing on the choice of features to implement.
705
706 The moment someone with a bit of time to spare and the necessary
707 programming skills (or a will to learn them) feels function Y is a
708 sufficiently useful feature, it will be written.
709
710 (That could be you.)
Daniel Stenberga5838f52004-04-19 13:46:06 +0000711
712Q78: How do I control the recording frequency and quality?
713A78: Linus Nielsen Feltzing replied to a similar question on April 17th 2004,
714 and this is a cut'n paste of his reply that can be read on the following
715 URL:
716 http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2004-04/0814.shtml
717
718 SAMPLE RATE
719
Linus Nielsen Feltzing26326252004-04-20 11:04:09 +0000720 Controls the amount of samples per second, basically which frequencies
721 that can accurately be reproduced during playback. Lower frequencies
Daniel Stenberga5838f52004-04-19 13:46:06 +0000722 produce smaller files, for two reasons: 1) The amount of data to be
723 compressed is smaller and 2) the data is easier to compress, since higher
724 frequencies are not present.
725
726 BIT RATE
727
728 Controls how many bits per second that is required for accurate live
729 transmission of the compressed audio. When you compress the data harder
730 (meaning worse sound quality), the bitrate gets lower.
731
732 STEREO VS MONO
733
734 A mono file doesn't necessarily have to be smaller than a stereo file.
735 It all depends on the encoder. The MAS does produce smaller files with
736 mono.
737
738 MAS QUALITY
739
740 The MAS uses VBR for compression (yes always), which means that the
741 bitrate varies from frame to frame, depending on how compressable the
742 data was at that point in time. This allows for a more even quality, and
743 also smaller files if the data is easily compressed. The MAS can generate
744 frames with bit rates ranging from 32kbit/s to 192kbit/s (MPEG1) or
745 8kbit/s to 160kbit/s (MPEG2).
746
747 The MAS quality setting is just a way of selecting an average bit rate
748 according to the following table (quality 0 is on the far left):
749
Linus Nielsen Feltzing80f942e2004-04-21 22:30:32 +0000750 FREQUENCY BITRATE IN KBIT/S
751 ------------------------------------------------------
752 44100Hz stereo: 75, 80, 90, 100, 120, 140, 160, 170
753 22050Hz stereo: 39, 41, 45, 50, 60, 80, 110, 130
754 44100Hz mono: 65, 68, 73, 80, 90, 105, 125, 140
755 22050Hz mono: 35, 38, 40, 45, 50, 60, 75, 90
Daniel Stenberga5838f52004-04-19 13:46:06 +0000756
757 (This table can be found on page 38 in the MAS3587 data sheet.)
758
759 MPEG VERSIONS
760
761 The different MPEG versions use different sample rates:
Linus Nielsen Feltzing80f942e2004-04-21 22:30:32 +0000762 44100, 48000, 32000: MPEG version 1
763 22050, 24000, 16000: MPEG version 2
764 11025, 12000, 8000: MPEG version 2.5 (not an official standard)
Daniel Stenberg963f31a2004-06-09 06:33:59 +0000765
766Q79: How can I make rockbox play tracks in CD order?
767A79: You have two options.
768
769 1: You can rename all tracks to have the track number in front of them
770 (01 - track1.mp3, 02 - track2.mp3, ...). Just make sure to zero-prefix
771 the number properly so that 10 will play after 09.
772
773 2: Make a playlist for each album and play that instead of the .mp3
774 files.
775
776 No, you can't make Rockbox use the track number id3 info for this.
Linus Nielsen Feltzinge08c0d12004-09-23 13:55:45 +0000777
778Q80: Why does Rockbox say that I only have 18Gb free space on my 20Gb disk?
779A80: Because the disk manufacturers have a different definition of Giga than
780 the rest of the computer world does.
781
782 Read more about it here:
783
784 http://personal-computer-tutor.com/abc3/v30/vic30.htm