E250/E250R Charge while playing

[70PercentOff]

I like to listen to my music player as it charges; Not by accessing the player's music from my computer, but by just using the player as it charges because I don't want to lose the fade on the volume and the other features like the advanced EQ to my computer's sound card.. so what I've discovered is that while your sansa is booted in rockbox, slide in the right corner of the cable into the player, and just the right corner, until the charging image appears in the upper left, then slide in the rest of the cable. It will not display the 'connected' screen and instead charge while maintaining full usability ^^. Just thought I'd share this.

-70%Off.

[Llorean]

If you'd read our posting guidelines, you'd know that

1) Static information doesn't belong in the forums
and
2) Searched the forums, which have several posts that describe the button you can simply hold down while connecting USB to enter charge mode, and allow you to keep playing music instead of trying to connect.

[bloodbath]

2) Searched the forums, which have several posts that describe the button you can simply hold down while connecting USB to enter charge mode, and allow you to keep playing music instead of trying to connect.

Where might I find these posts?  I've looked but found only one mention of this.  However, it was for the Ipod.  Thanks in advance.

[Shadowstitch]

It's always faster and easier to just provide the correct answer for posterity and lock the thread than browbeat someone for not finding a solution they didn't know existed. Especially since google has indexed this thread for queries regarding charging the sansa while playing.

Hell, I searched for days and still haven't found the mythical "several posts" in question.

However, I did find this little nugget of info at Abiforums:
http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=639

"Hit the Voice Record button on the side and then plug in your player to the computer USB port. You will notice nothing really happens. Hit Stop Recording and then exit. You will be back in the main screen but yet the battery is showing that it is being recharged."

They do mention it seems to be an older trick, and it may not work on the newer firmwares -- if there's another (or more official) way to do this, either with the original Sansa FW or Rockbox, please enlighten us or kindly link us to the correct thread with the answer.

[jstookey]

On my Sansa e250 with Rockbox, if I hold the center button (select) when I connect the device to a usb port, I can continue using it while charging.

[Multiplex]

I have just added a Flyspray request to add this to the manual http://www.rockbox.org/tracker/task/8230

USB charging is available on a variety of platforms and they have diferent magic buttons (which will possibly cary out the button's usual action)
RECORDER           F1        
ONDIO              MENU      
IPOD 4G            MENU      
IRIVER H300        REC - another request is to change this to MODE      
GIGABEAT           MENU      
GIGABEAT S         MENU      
IRIVER H10         RIGHT      
SANSA E200/C200    SELECT    

Edit: added link to Flyspray

[Llorean]

Personally, I'd like to change all of those to "The same button that brings up the quick-menu" since, in nearly all screens that will also be the button least likely to disrupt whatever else you're doing (stop playback, etc). Anyone here at least see a problem with that?

[Multiplex]

Maybe a new thread with the title "USB Charging" would get you the right audience (many non Sansa users will ignore this one) - I was going to comment to the H300 USB charging one but didn't dare double post ;-)

[GodEater]

I was going to comment to the H300 USB charging one but didn't dare double post ;-)

That's what the "modify" button is for

Personally, I'd like to change all of those to "The same button that brings up the quick-menu" since, in nearly all screens that will also be the button least likely to disrupt whatever else you're doing (stop playback, etc). Anyone here at least see a problem with that?

Sounds like a plan to me Llorean!

[MarcGuay]

People realize that charging doesn't work on the Sansa e200 yet, right?  I'm always baffled by these threads.  I guess listening to music while being powered by the USB/AC is nice, but does even that work?  

[Llorean]

Charging has always worked. It's just been much slower than the original firmware. Slow enough that if you cause a significant enough drain (for example having the backlight on, while using a high-draw codec) it might not charge after all.

The basic part of charging is done more or less in hardware, but the software needs to tell the computer it can handle (or expects) high power mode, and that hasn't worked until possibly the recent USB commit.

[MarcGuay]

I always figured that because the power display immediately shot up to 100% on connect and then dropped back down to where it was on disconnect that it didn't function at all.

[Llorean]

No, the 100% is because we can't properly read the level. It should be replaced by a basic "Charging" animation, but I don't think that's enabled for the Sansa yet.

[bascule]

Personally, I'd like to change all of those to "The same button that brings up the quick-menu"

That gets my vote.

[TAC109]

Personally, I'd like to change all of those to "The same button that brings up the quick-menu"

That gets my vote.

Unfortunately, F1 on the Archos Recorder does not bring up the quick-menu. It enters the standard menu.