[iPod Nano 2gen - A1199] "Undefined instruction" on current

[moobaa]

Hi all. I've been using Rockbox for years on my 1gen Nano, but - having noticed it was now listed as "stable" - figured I'd buy a 2gen Nano.

However, I can't get get the current (3.9) version of Rockbox to work on this 4GB 2gen Nano (Model No. A1199); most of the time it will pop the following error directly after the Rockbox "splash screen":

Code: [Select]

Undefined instruction at 00000000

Occasionally, the address will be different (I've seen a few 80808080 addresses), and maybe once every twenty reboots it'll boot into the Rockbox menu, but then fail to respond to any inputs (or to being plugged into my PC - i.e., it's locked up). In addition, maybe once every thirty reboots I'll see a remap error (with varying values of x & y):

Code: [Select]

FTL: Scheduling bank x block y for remap!

After trawling these forums & bug tracker for information, I discovered that others have had similar problems; from what I can tell, I seems to be with 4GB Nano 2gens (mine is a model A1199). However, after reading another thread (or was it a bug? I can't find the page now) and noticing that one of the devs issued a patched rockbox.ipod file for another user, I thought I'd give that one a bash... and lo, it booted! ...but crashed soon thereafter.

Still, it made me think that maybe Rockbox was actually capable of functioning correctly on this hardware... so I did a little experimenting by installing previous versions. Current (3.9) fails as described above, as does 3.8.1 and 3.8.

3.7.1, on the other hand, boots every time! Menu navigation works fine; unfortunately, attempting to actually play something causes Rockbox to hang.

3.7 boots, and plays (and allows ffwd/rwnd) for a short amount of time, before either hanging or tossing an "Undefined instruction at 01xxxxxx" error.

In short: on this particular model of Nano, none of the "stable" Rockboxes work at all. Is this something other people are seeing? Is there anything I can do to aid in the debugging process, or is there not enough interest to warrant it?

Please let me know if I can provide any additional info  :}

[[Saint]]

I have no idea what is happening here...

My Nano2G (2/4/8GB) all function correctly with the current release and svn head.
However, I do not use the Rockbox bootloader (I do not believe this to be the issue in your case however as you see variable results with different builds but (even if you have re-installed the bootloader for each install) the bootloader has not changed in Rockbox for this device in a very long time).

It might pay for you to look into emCORE from the freemyipod project. At the least I would drop into their IRC channel at #freemyipod-support and mention the issues you are having there. The lead developer of that project is also the main developer of the Nano2G Rockbox port and the lead developer of the iPod Classic Rockbox ports.

In short, emCORE for the Nano2G is mostly an advanced tool for developers, but it also has device recovery options that far exceed the capabilities of the Rockbox bootloader should something go wrong, it can expose a console to assist in degugging and diagnostics, and has the ability to automatically clean up the FTL after "Very Bad Things(TM)" happening (for example an unclean shutdown, which early in the Nano2G port had the ability to force you into completely restoring the device (it is a lot more stable now, though))

Don't rush straight into emCORE thinking it will magically fix what is wrong here (I'm tempted to say that the hardware is bad, but unsure), but do at the very least drop in and talk to TheSeven at #freemyipod-support (sometimes his nick is [7]) regarding the issues you're having. I believe that if anyone is in a position to help you, it is this man.


[St.]

[moobaa]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply, [St.]

You're quite correct - I only installed the bootloader once, then just dumped the .rockbox directory from each release into the root of the iPod. I was sure to check the version number on boot, too 

Your comment towards the end - "I'm tempted to say that the hardware is bad" - is something that's also crossed my mind; I should be getting another 4GB 2gen Nano tomorrow that I'll also try out ASAP... I'll post my results here. If there's no success there, I'll start investigating emCORE.

Thanks again!
Post Merge: July 31, 2011, 09:55:39 PMAn update: I just got a second 4GB 2gen Nano (pink this time... my first one was blue), and Rockbox installed and worked first time (I'm listening to it now).

So - all signs point to my first 2gen Nano having titchy hardware.

I'll chase up emCORE to see if I can diagnose the issue with my first 2gen.

Thanks for the help!