Rockbox: Clip+

[saratoga]

I made a new virtualbox image with updated ubuntu and all the ARM compiler, so if anyone wants to try building rockbox in it:

http://duke.edu/~mgg6/rockbox/rockbox_virtualbox.7z

475MB. Let me know if it causes any problems.

edit: user/password is ubuntu/reverse

[CrowdAds]

[lacx]

Originally Posted by sideral

And I am also working on a feature that will highlight the last-played track in each database view, much like the original firmware. If you're able to do your own Rockbox build and would like to test this feature, head over to FS#12054.

Awesome!! Still reading up on how to do my own Rockbox build but yeah I would definitely like this.

[jmwreck]

I can not wait for my sansa clip + to arrive,

I have read about the clip + and Rockbox'ng it, the instructions are pretty straightforward, Is it really that simple to install the firmware?

Thanks

[skip252]

Installing Rockbox can be relatively simple. It depends mostly on the user installing it and if they've done the appropriate reading and understood what they've read. No one can say how simple or difficult the installation of Rockbox will be for you. I've seen a number of people not be able to use the automated installer and that's almost as simple as it gets.

I'd strongly recommend reading the manual at least through the The Main Menu along with the along with the AMS Port Page. Once you've done that then you should be able to determine for yourself if it's simple.

[Danneq]

Originally Posted by jmwreck

I can not wait for my sansa clip + to arrive,

I have read about the clip + and Rockbox'ng it, the instructions are pretty straightforward, Is it really that simple to install the firmware?

Thanks

I didn't want to fiddle around too much when I installed Rockbox on my Clip+ so I picked the automated installer, and it was a piece of pie. Of course I followed all instructions before hand, such as downloading the official firmware update that is needed for the Rockbox install. It is best to read up on the subject before you Rockbox you DAP so that you do not brick it by accident.

I have installed Rockbox on my iRiver H120 and Toshiba Gigabeat before, so I did have some experience. Anyhow, the automated installer is easy to use once you know how to use it.

[jmwreck]

Originally Posted by skip252

Installing Rockbox can be relatively simple. It depends mostly on the user installing it and if they've done the appropriate reading and understood what they've read. No one can say how simple or difficult the installation of Rockbox will be for you. I've seen a number of people not be able to use the automated installer and that's almost as simple as it gets.

I'd strongly recommend reading the manual at least through the The Main Menu along with the along with the AMS Port Page. Once you've done that then you should be able to determine for yourself if it's simple.

I didn't want to fiddle around too much when I installed Rockbox on my Clip+ so I picked the automated installer, and it was a piece of pie. Of course I followed all instructions before hand, such as downloading the official firmware update that is needed for the Rockbox install. It is best to read up on the subject before you Rockbox you DAP so that you do not brick it by accident.

I have installed Rockbox on my iRiver H120 and Toshiba Gigabeat before, so I did have some experience. Anyhow, the automated installer is easy to use once you know how to use it.

thanks for the comments, i want to try it as i have experienced flashing different firmwares / roms to my phone, I guess the procedures are quite the same

edit: I have done automated installation but it wont succeed. i've read somewhere that its because of the bootloader and in fact it is, then I've tried doing the manual installation and it was perfect.

another question: do you guys have any idea on which headphones are the best for the clip+ & e5 combo? maybe less than $100. i know this is off topic, but i'll ask anyway

[marc2003]

there's been an update on the tracker for usb support. none of the previous versions worked for me but now i have a build working just fine. i've uploaded it here for anyone else wants to try. it's based on the latest SVN and works great with my 16gb sandisk card as well.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22801321/roc...110914-usb.zip

disclaimer: use at your own risk yada yada...

[skip252]

The usual for me. Works sometimes, doesn't other times. Works better on the Linux machine than Windows. After a few connections I start getting the warnings to check the disk for problems on connection. When I checked this time the corruption was so bad the Windows error checking wouldn't finish. I booted into the OF, nuked it from there and it's OK now.

I hadn't redone the files on there in a while so no harm, no foul. Think I'll stick with filling it enough so the OF database refresh can't occur.

Thanks for providing the build. Hope it continues working well for you.

[marc2003]

sorry it's not working for you but for me, it's great. i did try a quick succession of re-connections and it did fail once. but opening "devices and printers" on the windows 7 start menu showed an icon with a little exclamation mark. when i right click that and selected "troubleshoot", it simply scanned for drivers again and started working. no file corruption at all. but i have seen that before with previous attempts a few months back so i know what it's like.

edit: here's a lovely clean file system: 200MB saved by deleting the OF crap.

screenshot

[skip252]

That does look very nice. If my Clip+ was just a music player I might be able to do that. However it's a do-it-all junkpile of files and software I like to keep with me at all times. I used to keep a USB key to carry all that but I would leave that at times. I am NOT leaving the house without a DAP so I changed over to carrying my electronic files on that.

USB support on the AMS V2 will get here when it gets here. I figure that giving the various builds with the latest patch a shot won't hurt anything and eventually one of them will work... or not. The "fill it up" work around lets me keep a full player and no refreshes. I can happily live with that considering all I have absolutely no ability to write the driver needed.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by marc2003

edit: here's a lovely clean file system: 200MB saved by deleting the OF crap.

screenshot

There's only one thing that keeps coming back for me.....the DID.bin file. I don't know what it is, but it will reappear each time I delete it. It's only taking up 32KB of space though, so I can live with it, I guess.

[oldschool]

I am not sure if this is the place for this, but does anybody still regularly upload builds with patches incorporated (audiophile, Meier, gap skipping, etc.), like dfkt used to do?

[skip252]

There was a member that posted some a few months ago here. I'm going with the "if it aint broke don't fix it" approach myself.

I've tried several other of the current builds and didn't gain any performance improvements and ran into some playlist changes I was really unhappy with so I'm still on the last build dfkt posted.

[dfkt]

I'm still using build r29898M myself, because it's perfectly stable. There hasn't been a lot of relevant updates to the Clip+ lately.

There is a new hot lead for working USB support, which might be increasing the volume in Rockbox as well, to the same level as the stock firmware... but that still has a way to go.

[oldschool]

Cool, thanks. I was using G4Oblivion until recently when I decided to move to the latest Rockbox. Yesterday I experienced some track skipping bugs so I may go back to G4..

[keyb_gr]

Originally Posted by dfkt

There is a new hot lead for working USB support, which might be increasing the volume in Rockbox as well, to the same level as the stock firmware... but that still has a way to go.

This is what dfkt is referring to. The most obvious effect to me - apart from somewhat increased volume, which should be up by 3 dB and change - is power-down pop noise suppression finally working correctly. One less annoyance.

I'm currently on r30404 plus FS#11304 and the abovementioned patch. You can get it here if interested.

[Vapre]

Originally Posted by skip252

Those ## folders you see in Rockbox are created by the OF during every reboot in the OF. I've found it best to ignore them and create my own folder/file structure like I would any other drive. I wouldn't try to use the ## folders but any other place you're comfortable with your files should be fine.

How necessary are those folders? Specifically, ##PORT#. Can I it and still hope to get back into the OF if I need to?

[skip252]

You get those back every time you boot to the OF. If you want them or not. They're not important to Rockbox at all. It runs just fine without them.

[Timar]

Originally Posted by keyb_gr

I'm currently on r30404 plus FS#11304 and the abovementioned patch. You can get it here if interested.

Don't you need to compile the USB-enabled bootloader too to make this patch work?
(I've tried your build with the regular bootloader, and there's no USB support at all)

[keyb_gr]

Originally Posted by Timar

Don't you need to compile the USB-enabled bootloader too to make this patch work?
(I've tried your build with the regular bootloader, and there's no USB support at all)

Sorry, maybe I should have mentioned that I was interested in the effect on audio only. For the moment I'm still leaving USB to those feeling sufficiently lucky.

All you gain with this build is properly working power-off pop noise suppression and somewhat louder output, which already made the patch worthwhile for me.