is this the end? charging but no detection

[angelo_jacopucci]

hi everyone,

i need some advice on my rockboxed v1 clip. a few days ago the device stopped being recognised upon plugging in, for no apparent reason. nothing changed with regards to playback/usability, but upon connection the player would only charge - there would be no detection/installation whatsoever, no error messages, as if nothing was plugged in.

i suppose already tried out all the generic advice on all the fancy ways you can connect the player but nothing seems to work. also, the problem is general - i tried different pcs with different os.

i really hope someone can help me with this one. i fear i might have gotten myself a brick. are there any ways of 'forcing' usb detection? has anyone come across a problem like that before? thanks in advance

[CrowdAds]

[lestatar]

Hmmm...got any spare USB cables lying around? Just a thought...

[skip252]

The only way I know to try force recognition is to put the power slider in the lock position and then hold the center button as you connect to the PC. If that doesn't force a MSC connection I really can't think of anything else. Why not list what else you have tried? That way you won't get suggestions involving what you've already covered.

Having said that it's very unusual that there is no recognition by several PCs. Were all those attempts mad with the same cable? They can go bad. You also mentioned the player is Rockboxed. Have you booted to the OF and then tried to connect?

[angelo_jacopucci]

hey guys, thanks for the quick replies.

i should've mentioned that the cable is not an issue here - i tried several, large jack and s-video included but to no avail (joke).

what i've done so far:
* connecting with different cables
* connecting on different computers
* connecting with forced msc
* switching to OF (booting with pressed home key) and formatting the player - in hindsight, probably the most stupid thing to do, since i can't meddle with rockbox anymore (assuming that some solution might have been there)
* connecting with sansa updater running
* i've run out of google-provided advice

now the weird thing is that when it is connected on one of the computers it goes into normal playback mode, with active charging icon. on the other pc upon connection it displays OF's 'connecting'/'writing' screen. also, some random meddling with buttons on connection resulted in windows displaying 'found new hardware' prompt. frustrating, as it happened once only and i was unable to locate the clip anywhere in device manager. both pcs run xp, checked it with a windows 7 one as well.

also, it is highly unlikely that the problem might have resulted from some shock or other physical damage.

i suppose i should get over it and just get a brand new one, but... i really hope someone might just have a bright idea on how to make windows detect it.

[skip252]

The only two other things I can think of are time related. I had a relative I had given a V2 Clip that seemed throughly dead leave it on a walll charger for a few days. One day it just came back to life. We still don't know how or why it just did. That was last year and it still works now but with drastically reduced battery life. It self discharges when it's not used also. I suspect it's a loose battery wire but she won't let me open it as she uses it for her at the computer player.

The other is to toss it in a drawer and wait. While I haven't had it happen to me I've read of a few times when once it drained completely it would come back to life. It don't think it's the Rockbox issue of a player that turned on but unresponsive. The one Fuze I had that happen to when running unsupported code wouldn't charge or connect. Tt would cause the Windows message that a device had malfunctioned when I attempted to connect it. There was at least recognition that a device was connected. It also showed no other signs of life even when connected. The only way you could tell it wasn't completely dead was to listen for a crackle as you inserted the headphone plug.

You've tried every other way I know to get it to connect. If time, one way or the other, doesn't fix it I'm stumped.

[lestatar]

Yeah, I think skip252's suggestion is valid. Let that sucker die down normally then recharge and see what happens...

A bit stumped as well... Maybe other folks will chime in with more suggestions...

[hooligan]

Got this from xscd at Ubuntu forums:

Before trying the steps below, if your Sansa Clip has not been completely rendered useless yet, you may be able to use its own Settings--> Format command to reformat the Clip. That is easier and better, and then you can update the firmware manually (check the SanDisk forums or AnythingButiPod.com forums for firmware versions).

How to get a useless Sansa Clip working again

1. Reformat the Sansa Clip's flash memory and install a FAT32 filesystem. You can reformat it in Linux using Gparted, but the Clip still won't work because the Clip wants the exact settings that Windows uses when it formats a blank disk. However, reformatting the Clip in Gparted will serve the purpose of ensuring that it absolutely won't work nor be recognized by a Windows machine. So go ahead and do that once if you like. Then plug the Sansa Clip's USB2 connector into a machine running Windows or Vista. Then use Windows file manager (Windows Explorer) to try to open the drive letter of the Windows-detected USB device. Windows will give an error message saying the drive is unformatted, and offer to format it for you. Choose FAT32 filesystem and UN-check "Quick format." Then let Windows format the Sansa Clip's flash memory.

2.After the Clip is formatted in Windows, remove it ("safely remove hardware" icon in system tray, followed by disconnecting the USB cable). Then go to SanDisk.com and download the "Sansa Updater." This application is for updating the firmware of already working Sansa Clips, but believe it or not, it can also completely restore the firmware and directory-structure and files that the Clip needs to run. After downloading and running or installing the Sansa Updater, close the program. Then plug the Clip back into Windows. It should be recognized and the Sansa Updater program may automatically launch. If not, then find the Sansa Updater in the Start menu, launch it and follow its directions. It will search for your Sansa Clip, then download the latest firmware, then restore your used-to-be-useless Sansa Clip to a pristine, factory-approved, completely updated state that works great with Ubuntu Hardy Heron and even now supports OGG and FLAC!

Best wishes all. Hope this helps other Sansa Clip users.

[angelo_jacopucci]

hi guys, it's me again. thanks for all the replies.

the problem is now solved! i figured out it was a hardware issue after all and a rather simple one too: the usb socket got slightly loose, so i opened the thing, put a few layers of insulating tape in the inner casing to press the socket against the board and it works fine!

one way or another, thanks for your interest and input - hopefully someone with a similar issue stumbles upon this topic. take care.

[lestatar]

Very nice - glad you found problem and great you were able to fix...

enjoy!
-les