iPod 3G - No USB access?

[freddy33]

Is USB access/function (via the dock connector) missing on the latest Rockbox v3.13?

I just installed Rockbox on my iPod 3G (the circa 2003 unit with the four button controls between the click wheel and screen) and was about to drool over all the wonderful new settings/features Rockbox offers that were lacking in the OEM Apple software when I realized that the battery charge indicator is now static (and the battery's only ~53% charged). Unfortunately, because I upgraded the original 15GB hard drive to an 80GB drive, Firewire connectivity is no longer functional and I'm limited to charging and transferring music files via USB.

Is there a trick (not mentioned in the manual) to getting the USB to work with Rockbox v3.13 on my iPod 3G?

And, just in case it can't be made to work, how do I uninstall Rockbox since my PC (via USB) no longer sees my iPod??
Thank you.

[saratoga]

Theres no USB or Firewire driver on the 3G, so unless you want to write one theres no trick to speak of.  Theres uninstall directions in the manual if you want them. 

[freddy33]

Thanks for the quick reply, saratoga.

Sorry, but if there's no firewire or USB driver in Rockbox for the 3G, then how do you transfer songs to/from the iPod?

For some reason, my iPod's now charging. I reset it and it came up with the OEM Apple screen, followed by the OEM Apple menu screen and the charging indicator is now showing the unit is charging. So the docking connector IS working for charging. But when it's on the Rockbox menu screen, the battery indicator in the top left corner never changes (i.e., it doesn't give any indication that the unit's charging).

I really want to get Rockbox to work on my iPod if it's at all possible. In fact, the main reason for the hard drive upgrade was so I can play FLACs (I just bought a bunch from HDtracks because Rockbox supports them on the 3G).

And I actually did read the uninstall instructions, but because my PC no longer "sees" (or will connect with) my iPod, there's no way to uninstall via the Rockbox utility (or iTunes).

[saratoga]

http://download.rockbox.org/daily/manual/rockbox-ipod3g/rockbox-buildch2.html#x4-210002.5

2.5  Uninstalling Rockbox

Note: The Rockbox bootloader allows you to choose between Rockbox and the original firmware. (See section 3.1.3 for more information.)

2.5.1  Automatic Uninstallation

You can uninstall Rockbox automatically by using Rockbox Utility. If you installed Rockbox manually you can still use Rockbox Utility for uninstallation but will not be able to do this selectively.

2.5.2  Manual Uninstallation

To uninstall Rockbox and go back to using just the original Ipod software, connect the player to your computer and follow the instructions to install the bootloader but, when prompted by ipodpatcher, enter u for uninstall instead of i for install.

Maybe you were looking at the wrong manual?

[freddy33]

Thanks again, saratoga and I don't mean to seem more thick than I probably already do, but how do I transfer files to/from the iPod without either firewire or USB support?

The manual link you provided says "With the player connected to the computer as an MSC/UMS device (like a USB Drive), music files can be put on the player via any standard file transfer method that you would use to copy files between drives (e.g. Drag-and-Drop)." That's exactly what I was hoping for, but my PC doesn't see my iPod via the USB cable since I installed Rockbox.

Also, while I can now boot back into the OEM Apple menu, my PC no longer sees my iPod via the USB->Docking connector. It stopped working after I install Rockbox. So, worst case, how do I uninstall Rockbox without being able to access the Rockbox utility and/or my PC?

[saratoga]

Also, while I can now boot back into the OEM Apple menu, my PC no longer sees my iPod via the USB->Docking connector. It stopped working after I install Rockbox. So, worst case, how do I uninstall Rockbox?

You'd have to ask Apple about that.  Once you're in their firmware we can't do much of anything. 

[freddy33]

Thank again. I swapped hard drives and restored my original iTunes setup to the new drive, so the iPod's now working (except for Firewire, due to the large hard drive) again. So, now I can down/upload files/songs via the USB cable.

I'd like to start from scratch and re-install Rockbox so I can play FLACs (which was the whole point of this exercise), but I'm still unclear as to how to transfer files to the Rockbox'd iPod if neither USB nor Firewire connections are supported? How do other people transfer songs (FLACs) to their Rockbox'd 3Gs?

[saratoga]

The Apple firmware.

[freddy33]

Sorry to be so thick, but are you saying that people boot into the Apple side to transfer songs to the iPod and then reboot back into Rockbox?

[freddy33]

Update:

After uploading a bunch of music, including a handful of ALACs (iTunes won't allow me to upload FLACs to the iPod....but I'll try again later with MediaMonkey), I reloaded Rockbox and made sure I was able to access/play the music (yes, including the ALACs!). Then, I rebooted into the Apple side and was able to load more music. I'm still not sure if the iPod charges when in Rockbox, because the battery indicator, instead of animating charging, it just switches to a static, fully charged battery icon and stays that way. No indication of charging. So, at this point, that (the charging issue) is the only open issue.

Thanks again for your help!