iriver h1x0 - RTC (real time clock) mod

[roolku]

I have added an RTC chip to my player and documented the process http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/RTCModH1x0 in case anyone is interested in doing the same.

[Genre9mp3]

I'm really impressed by this mod! I wasn't even aware that this could be possible!

Great job! Congratulations!

[Peter200lx]

SWEET! This is something that I've wanted for a while now. Just a quick question, would this make recording time stamp the files with the correct time? If so, this could be very valuable.



ps. Having rockscrobbler have the time would be fun as well!

[roolku]

Just a quick question, would this make recording time stamp the files with the correct time?

Yes it does. Not only does rockbox use date and time, but also the FAT time stamps are set.

ps. Having rockscrobbler have the time would be fun as well!

I don't use last fm and haven't checked it, but if it is implemented correctly (i.e. uses the RTC_CONFIG define) than it should add the time to the log file like it does for the other targets with an RTC.

[Peter200lx]

Just curious of the safety issues with this, would it hurt the device if I had the timer installed and was running with an unpatched version of Rockbox? Or would it just not have the clock functionality?

[Davide-NYC]

OH MY GOD!  

I only dreamed that this was possible.  Only in my dreams could this be done.  
I will attempt this as soon as it has totally matured. This is truly amazing to me.

Thank you so much.

[matnik]

The mod looks mature enough to me :-) Kudos to roolku.

I went on Maxim's web site and I got confused about what part number to select.  I wondered what was the difference between DS1339C-2/DS1339C-3/DS1339C-33 and then I figured that "-2"/"-3"/"-33" was standing for the voltage supply required by the chip ... As indicated by roolku's wiki, you need to get a 3.3V compatible chip and DS1339C-33 should fill the bill.

[roolku]

I am glad you all like my little addition to the h120 rockbox.

I have now added the missing wake-up alarm function (optional - one additional connection) and will see if my h120 will wake me up tomorrow.  

Wiki and patch tracker have been updated.

I will attempt this as soon as it has totally matured.

I'll keep testing and working on it, but I doubt the hardware bit will change. Both, my h120 and my h140, are now modded.

Just curious of the safety issues with this, would it hurt the device if I had the timer installed and was running with an unpatched version of Rockbox? Or would it just not have the clock functionality?

Without the optional wake-up alarm part, the hardware is completely dormant and has no impact. OF or unpatched rockbox run without problems (and without clock functionality).

With the alarm mod you will need to run a patched rockbox at least once after each power loss (i.e. battery dead).

[Peter200lx]

  Request for samples sent into the company! Hopefully by this time next week I can post how my attempt went. Thank you so much for doing the research into this very useful mod!

[JdGordon]

Congrats, that hack looks awesome.
Now you need to nag the swedes to have it commited and put on the cvs build page (the 8mb ram hack for the archos models is there so you have a chance

[bluebrother]

wouldn't it be nice to have Rockbox autodetect this? That way it could get in the standard builds ... on h100 I believe there is no problem with code size, so adding a few bytes shouldn't hurt anyone.

[roolku]

Congrats, that hack looks awesome.
Now you need to nag the swedes to have it commited and put on the cvs build page (the 8mb ram hack for the archos models is there so you have a chance

Yes, it would be good to have it in cvs, so I don't need to worry about the patch getting out of sync. I believe Linus is doing the mod (albeit with a different clock chip) so it is looking promising.

wouldn't it be nice to have Rockbox autodetect this? That way it could get in the standard builds ... on h100 I believe there is no problem with code size, so adding a few bytes shouldn't hurt anyone.

Yes, it could be done like with the radio chip detection, but there are a few issues, e.g.
 
- while one could detect the presence of the chip, the alarm mod can not be detected
- people might want to use different rtc chips requiring different drivers?
- some other compile-time options depend on RTC_CONFIG (i.e. filename generation for recording) which would need to be changed to run-time detection as well

If only a few people are using it I don't think it is worth the effort. Let's see how many people will do the mod.

[IpaqMan]

I just received a couple of the RTC chips and hope to do the mod later this week.  I plan to skip the alarm function.  I would like to see more information about the battery voltage issue with VCC on the chip.

BTW, this chip is very small.  This is the first surface mount chip project for me.  Fortunately, I have a very small soldering iron.  I will need to scavenge for some very small gauge wires.

[roolku]

I just received a couple of the RTC chips and hope to do the mod later this week.

Great. You must be in the US - it took nearly a month to arrive in the UK.

 I plan to skip the alarm function.

Fair enough if you don't need it. I just had to try it.

I would like to see more information about the battery voltage issue with VCC on the chip.

No problems with VCC - it's rated at 2.97 to 5.5V. However for some reason Vbackup max is: 3.7V and a fully charged battery will be just above 4V (say 4.1V). To be on the safe side you could use a resistor in series between the battery and the Vbackup, maybe

(4.1-3.7)V /400nA = 1MOhm or so.

But personally I don't think this is a problem. I have done my h140 and my h120 and both work perfectly.

BTW, this chip is very small.  This is the first surface mount chip project for me.  

It was my first SMD IC as well. It is easier than it looks. Just make sure you cover the wire tip nicely with solder, fix the position of the wire precisely above the pin and give it a dip with the iron to make the bonding.

Good luck.

[IpaqMan]

Thanks for the soldering tips and yes, I am in the USA.

I was wondering what value resistor would work.  I figured a small silicon diode in series would give me a 0.6 volt drop from the max of 4.3 for the battery.

For me, the RTC was the last missing feature.  Date-time stamped recordings are important.  

**EDIT**

I just read in the data sheet that a diode in series with the VCC backup should NOT be used or improper operation will result.    The data sheet also stated that the supply voltage MUST be held between 1.3 and 3.7 volts, so I will choose either the resistor or a small lithium button cell.