Rockbox Technical Forums
Support and General Use => Hardware => Topic started by: mco on August 09, 2006, 08:35:42 PM
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It seems as though I take two steps forward and then three steps back with my newly attained knowledge regarding Rockbox. I happened to read the manual yesterday at work and was excited to get all the equipment and get started Friday. Today however, as I was leaving work, I decided to check the forums out and ran into a piece of news I'd like someone to confirm as fact.
I was planning to integrate the 60gb ipod video into my home theater and car stereo. I had planned on buying the "DLO Homedock Deluxe" and the "Kensington Digital FM Transmitter / Auto Charger" for the car, both of which I'm sure most of you are aware of; I then read that because the ipod uses the Apple software to send signal through the dock connector that neither accessory would work when using Rockbox to play music?! Can anyone confirm that this is true across the board for all accessories using the dock connections?
MCO
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As I've said in many posts, it depends on whether it simply uses the line out pins in the dock connection, or whether there's other communication going on.
The simple rule is: If the iPod can control the accessory, or if the accessory can control the iPod, it won't work. If the accessory just accepts an audio signal and/or power from the iPod, it may/will work.
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True for all accessories that use more than the line-out on the dock connector, I know the DLO Homedock uses more, I can't speak to the Kensington one.
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The Kensington transmitter will most likely work. The Home dock will probably play audio and charge, but you will not be able to change song from the remote or do anything else from the remote. I know this has been the case with all the accessories I've used.
FF
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i have that exact same kensington transmitter and it works perfectly.
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O.K. I see. I had figured that would be the case (an accessory that looks for and operates with a certain operating system won't work when Rockbox is being used) but wanted confirmation. I'll have to look for a home dock that would work. Does anyone that connects their Ipod using Rockbox to their home stereo have a suggestion? I was hoping to see video on the tv screen and browse through music but there's got to be another convienient way to do it. I'll pick up the car charger and try that Friday if I get everything then.
MCO
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although i really like rockbox .. i really miss a working remote ..
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On a device where the volume is controlled by the unit itself, as in not like the universal dock and remote or the HiFi, the volume will work from the remote. However, no current units will change the track from the remote.
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i am using some altec lansing speakers and they work as well as the remote'havent so does the fm transmitter (if you can call it working)
it works just as bad with rockbox as it did with itunes lol
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the kensington transmitter i have gives me crystal clear sound, even when i'm broadcasting over a station that is being used.
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i tried the Logitech mm50 Sound for iPod
remote only will change the volume.. like other said .. the logitech volume is controled by the unit itself.
(https://www.dynabyte.nl/image.php?i=17479&w=175)
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i have that exact same kensington transmitter and it works perfectly.
I also use the kensington tx but it isn't working at all. I it plug in the transmitter nothing happened. Any hints for that?
Thanks
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you know, line in pins exist on the dock connector, therefore, i theorize if someone could figure out them, recording will be possible.
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I also use the kensington tx but it isn't working at all. I it plug in the transmitter nothing happened. Any hints for that?
Thanks
nothing happens? are you sure your car radio and the transmitter are set to the same station? if they are set to the same station and nothing happens at all, then you must have a defective unit.
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I also use the kensington tx but it isn't working at all. I it plug in the transmitter nothing happened. Any hints for that?
Thanks
nothing happens? are you sure your car radio and the transmitter are set to the same station? if they are set to the same station and nothing happens at all, then you must have a defective unit.
If the unit works with Apple's firmware it is not defective...
Kensington is pretty bad about selling multiple hardware revisions under the same model number.
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you know, line in pins exist on the dock connector, therefore, i theorize if someone could figure out them, recording will be possible.
If I'm not mistaken, linuxstb has done some preliminary work on this exact thing.
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I'm using Rockbox on an iPod Video, connected to an Apple HiFi. As others have said, playback, volume control via remote, switching between iPod output and the other input channel HiFi has, and charging have no problems.
But play, forward, back etc. don't work, again as others have said.
My question: Is that it can never work (for whatever hardware reasons) or is it because Rockbox doesn't have the functionality yet? If the latter, what is the likelihood that anything will be written anytime soon?
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Rockbox doesn't have the functionality yet.
As for likelihood, there's a lot of other, much more important, things for the core programmers to be working on, like optimization and implementing hardware that's actually inside the device properly. The accessory protocol is probably fairly low on the list, but that doesn't mean that one of them won't get bored and work on that (or get an accessory of some sort, and decide they want to make it work). There's also no guarantee that someone from outside, like you, won't come along and decide they want it badly enough that they're willing to make the effort to learn what is necessary to do it.
So, there's no real way to predict the likelihood of it happening soon, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
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Thanks for the response, Llorean. I guess I'll just hope I get lucky, that some programmer will just do it for whatever reason!
Anyway, I'll be hanging on to Rockbox on my iPod - just can't handle the way iTunes requires you to manage your music collection!
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Hey guys,
I'm a rockbox newbie and have rockbox running on my ipod photo 60g since a week and i'm pretty impressed by this great alternative. So, big thumbs up on that one.
Everything was perfect (i don't bother some crashes), till I discovered that my ipod (wire-)remote wasn't working with rockbox and for me that is pretty essential. I like to have my ipod in the pocket and not take it out everytime i wan't to pause, change volume or do stuff like that. Â ;)
This is really sad and I have to go back to the original apple firmware or is their something in the pipeline for the near future, worth waiting for? :)
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Your question is answered in Llorean's post, two posts above yours.
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ok, thx Febs ... thought maybe after some 2 months there would be something new around and some progress was made in that direction!?
but ok, got the answer  ;)
Last and final question, is there any other mod or alternativ around to apple's firmware that supports accessories (like the remote)?
Thx in advance and excuse my stupid questions :)
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hi @ all
at first im sorry form my english (not my native language)
the next thing i want to mantion is I bought a connector the jack plug of the ipod to a tripple cinch plug, as i read on the apple page this shuld work for seeing videos from the ipod on a tv but every thing stays black.
could somebudy tell me why ?
and if it's posible can somebudy describe me how to solve this problem ?
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Rockbox doesn't support the TV out from the dock.
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so the connector is use less ?
EDIT1:(in some case it was a silly question cause i think the 3 rings on the connector were for earth, left and right signal right?)
EDIT2:when i look at the jack there are 4 rings
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Rockbox doesn't support the TV out from the dock.
The lead I think he is talking about plugs into the headphone socket, it has four rings as his 2nd edit states.
The reason it dosen't work is that rockbox can not access the video chip in the ipod at present.
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The lead I think he is talking about plugs into the headphone socket, it has four rings as his 2nd edit states.
You're correct - I misread his post somehow - but it doesn't make a lot of difference, as there is no TV out from Rockbox no matter what you plug in to the iPod, or where :)
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To the Rockbox devs.
Companies that make accessories for iPod's are able to implement the serial protocols so it can't be that big a secret. Surely if you were to approach either Apple or one of the accessory manufacturers you could obtain the documentation for implementing said protocols and getting the dock working fully.
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Companies that make accessories for iPod's are able to implement the serial protocols so it can't be that big a secret. Surely if you were to approach either Apple or one of the accessory manufacturers you could obtain the documentation for implementing said protocols and getting the dock working fully.
1- What is to stop Apple from requiring the signing of a NonDisclosure Agreement from all accessory manufacturers? Rockbox could not abide by one, being open-source software...
2- Much of the Apple Accessory Protocol is already known. http://www.ipodlinux.org/Apple_Accessory_Protocol
A- Someone (maybe you?) would need to actually write the code.
B- Target-specific work, as opposed to project-wide work, is less popular.
C- Other issues I don't know?
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The NDA would be a pain yeah (Stupid companies). But I am just surprised that no real work has gone into this area. I guess most devs find it something boring to work on or lack the knowledge to implement it. I dunno. Just seems odd that's all :)
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The problem with work of this nature is that only a subset of active Rockbox developers are even ABLE to work on it - i.e. the ones who own ipods. Not all of them do you know :)
And amongst those - you'd have to find someone who cares enough about this feature to implement it. The issue here is that it'll be something which is ONLY useful to iPod owners - not to Rockbox users in general.