Rockbox, my master, I am not worthy!

[rbhawaii]

Midori - Sorry, my knowledge and experience on this is limited to the 5.0 and 5.5 versions of the ipod video only.  I think this build should work with any ssd or flash card/drive or even any hard drive.  As long as apple's original ipod os can see it with itunes and restore it (format it), then this patch will make it work in rockbox.

When I looked at beyond wind's site at the top where it says "Rockbox for iPOD mSATA SSD MOD"   it seems he has a separate patch/build for the 6.0 and 7.0 versions of the ipod.  Only problem is that his patch/build is not the original 3.13 but I dont think there is a original 3.13 build for the 6g & 7g ipods.  So, unless you need the ipod to have an aluminum face and a built in radio... i would just stick with the 5.5g ipods for rockbox.

in any case , he gives a very detailed step by step of how to get the 6g and 7g working here...

http://beyondwind.duckdns.org/?page_id=147

try it out and let us know so other members can benefit from your efforts   

[midori]

Thank you so much for the link!

This bootloader seems to have made a major difference. So far this build has worked on my control (My older replaced ipod classic which has a dying battery). The last bootloader and ubi file failed to install for both my SSD ipod and this original one.

Now that I got emCORE to install correctly, I also successfully installed the latest dev version of Rockbox for the Ipod 6gen (found here: http://www.rockbox.org/dl.cgi?bin=ipod6g ) using this same bootloader.

Now the real question remains; can I get this to work on the new one with the SSD. I'll be testing this later tonight when I get home from work, I'll post or edit this post with my results here.

Once again, thank you for the link~!

[[Saint]]

You absolutely should not be using emCORE. Please, don't. And please discontinue recommending anyone else do so.

And you definitely shouldn't be using someone's third party patched builds with no source supplied. That's an interesting lesson in trust.

Basically, emCORE was never intended to be used by the masses, ever. You can think of it as a development tool that just so happens to also be able to boot Rockbox on the iPod Classic 6G variants. Also, consider it deprecated. There is no further development on this project going forward.

If you would like to try out the current state of dedicated bootloader development for the iPod6g, please consider using the Rockbox dual-boot bootloader for iPod6g(*), which unlike emCORE, will actually benefit end users going forward and is intended for wide scale end user deployment.

I have compiled the binaries myself, and both Windows and Linux variants are available in the same archive. This bootloader can be thought of as the spiritual successor of emCORE. Currently all functions are working as expected. Dual-boot, Disk Mode, Diagnostic Mode, and of course, booting Rockbox itself. Installation is supported by the Rockbox Utility graphical installation tool (also included).


[Saint]


(*) Sources supplied via the Rockbox gerrit instance

[midori]

If you would like to try out the current state of dedicated bootloader development for the iPod6g, please consider using the Rockbox dual-boot bootloader for iPod6g(*), which unlike emCORE, will actually benefit end users going forward and is intended for wide scale end user deployment.

Yea that installation is way too difficult to understand.
I'm not sure how this is supposed to be easier than EMcore. Your instructions require a Command Line install, and I basically have no idea what it's talking about.

I would love to try out the dual bootloader you provided, but unfortunately if it's not as simple as dropping a ubi file onto the DFU, then I'm afraid I just can't follow.
Also running the mk6gboot did not successfully "mount" the DFU mode ipod. Instead I used an older bootstrapper I have that works, but there is no ubi file to drop in there and I have no idea where I would be entering these command line sentences as there isn't really any clear instructions on where to type them or anything.

You absolutely should not be using emCORE. Please, don't. And please discontinue recommending anyone else do so.

EMcore is just much easier and simpler to understand.

I will try that new patched version though for SSDs now that I've reformatted it anyway with a fresh EMcore install.

[[Saint]]

Yea that installation is way too difficult to understand.
I'm not sure how this is supposed to be easier than EMcore. Your instructions require a Command Line install, and I basically have no idea what it's talking about.

I would love to try out the dual bootloader you provided, but unfortunately if it's not as simple as dropping a ubi file onto the DFU, then I'm afraid I just can't follow.

There's so many things wrong with this.

The instructions do not require a commandline environment. A modified Rockbox Utility is included for both Linux and Windows operating systems that is entirely capable of managing the installation, but even if it didn't, I find the statement to be disingenuous at best because your "emCORE is easier" argument falls over entirely due to the emCORE installation being a solely commandline driven installation.

The only part of the emCORE installation that isn't driven by the commandline is after you have actually uploaded the UBI image to the device and press a button combination to tell emCORE that you're really, really, really sure you want to erase the entire disk and proceed.

So saying that the Rockbox ipod6g bootloader is any more difficult to use, because it has a commandline driven installation (which is itself entirely optional), when emCORE installation for all intents and purposes suffers the exact same problems cited, but with no option to defer to a GUI installation, frankly, baffles me.

Basically, to make a long story short, there's absolutely no reason for you to be touching the manual installation instructions at all. The full suite of tools for commandline and guided GUI installation is included for both Linux and Windows simply for convenience and user preference. Just start RockboxUtility, select your iPod model, and it will guide you through the installation.

The only things you will need to do with the GUI installer is manually is select the device type, initiate DFU mode since this can not be automated (this, as you know, is true for emCORE as well), and click a button indicating your intent to start the process. RockboxUtility will even guide you through the process of initiating DFU mode start to finish because a lot of users seem to mess this up.

So, with all this new and corrected information you might find it worthwhile to revisit the installation.


[Saint]

[midori]

So, with all this new and corrected information you might find it worthwhile to revisit the installation.

[Saint]

Okay, I've found the root of my confusion. I've tried the Rockbox GUI on the site here from scratch numerous times but never got it to recognize my device (in fact, more often than not it crashed while attempting to do so.)
Because of this the only method I ever got to work was EMCore, possibly because the instructions were a bit more thorough on that site. I wrongfully assumed that I needed to use a bootstrapper to 'prepare' the device to be read by the gui, which also lead to me following the README for that before the README for the gui.

On this other attempt, not only did this version of the gui not crash, it was able to successfully find the device after I placed it in DFU mode.
It did take me a bit to find the correct 'device' from the list in the gui. Should be worth noting that the only way to find the 6th generation ipod option is to check the box in the corner to show the build, which is otherwise hidden by default.

After the fresh install the build is working much better than previously as I have yet to have a panic error after trying to provoke a few (with emcore and an incorrect ipod video version of rockbox, there were a few things that would have caused this.)

The new boot is very quick and jumps right into rockbox which I do enjoy. Also no themes crash on this version either.

Does this 6thgen version already have the ssd "fix" implemented in it?
I assume it does as I have not noticed the battery draining at all when left off or on hold for some period of time but I wasn't sure.

Thanks for clearing up the installation a bit better.

[[Saint]]

...   the only method I ever got to work was EMCore ...

It is probably worthwhile to, and I feel as though I should, note that the current release of Rockbox Utility (and the git head implementation if you were to compile yourself) is not actually capable of installing a bootloader for the iPod 6G.

The current release and git head versions of Rockbox Utility can only update an existing Rockbox installation on this device, which as you might know is literally doing nothing more than extracting an archive to a destination.

The version of Rockbox Utility compiled and supplied by myself that is capable of bootloader installation on the iPod 6G has a number of patches (linked earlier in the thread) that are still pending review and submission. You are not only doing yourself a favour, but you are also doing myself, the lead developer of this project, and all those in the future a favour as well by being one of the first wave of early adopters.

Should be worth noting that the only way to find the 6th generation ipod option is to check the box in the corner to show the build, which is otherwise hidden by default.

Yes, unfortunately this is a weird little dance of necessity for the interim.

The iPod 6G is classified as "unusable" in our release system. As you know, this does not literally mean that it can not be used. Stable, unstable, and unusable all mean something fairly different to what one might expect them to in the normal, everyday usage of the words. Stable doesn't imply a guarantee of stability, nor does unstable imply instability, or unusable imply that it is literally unusable.

In our definitions unusable refers to the fact that a build exists for it, but there are some serious issues that limit it to advanced users or developers.

In the case of the iPod 6G, it is "unusable" in our terms because from an official point of view, we (Rockbox) offer no means to actually boot the binary we supply. Until fairly recently, the only way to boot the supplied binary was using emCORE (or iLoader before it, the spiritual successor to emCORE), which is a third party project that is not supported by Rockbox whatsoever. Now, even though there is a bootloader intended for submission in the near future, it still isn't a part of the Rockbox mainline source and no release has been made so it still falls into the "unusable" category.

Even though the modified Rockbox Utility is capable of performing a bootloader installation on this device, it is still getting the information about supported targets from Rockbox proper. When more people have tested this bootloader and the lead developer is confident that both the bootloader itself and the Rockbox Utility integration is fit for inclusion into mainline Rockbox then the target will be promoted to stable and users would no longer need to specifically elect to display unsupported installation targets in Rockbox Utility.

After the fresh install the build is working much better than previously as I have yet to have a panic error after trying to provoke a few (with emcore and an incorrect ipod video version of rockbox, there were a few things that would have caused this.)

I believe you may be confused here, could you clarify please?

There is absolutely no way that a build for the iPod Video 5/5.5G would boot on the iPod 6G at all. You would get a message from emCORE stating something to the effect (I cannot remember the exact wording offhand and I'm not in a position to check Freemyipod's sources presently) of there being a missing or incorrect rockbox.ipod binary and stating that you should plug USB and fix it.

The new boot is very quick and jumps right into rockbox which I do enjoy.

It is worth noting in the case of anyone else who still uses emCORE for the interim who may stumble upon this thread that emCORE is entirely capable of booting directly into Rockbox as well. This does not matter to you now of course, but this action was goverened from the emCORE settings menu under the 'fastboot' option.

Also no themes crash on this version either.

While this is a good thing, and I am perfectly willing to take the credit for it, this is not related to changing the bootloader in any way, shape, or form. As soon as you see the Rockbox splash screen at boot, the bootloader has already finished doing its job and has handed off control of the device to Rockbox.

The updated build of Rockbox you installed from the modified Rockbox Utility that I distribute is in itself unmodified and is built by the same build farm as all our other builds, and generated from the same sources.

It is likely that your user settings were conflicting in some fashion and that the process of formatting the device and reinstalling, and therefore returning to the default state of installation, is what has caused your issue(s) to disappear.

Does this 6thgen version already have the ssd "fix" implemented in it?

Not the one that you're probably thinking of from Beyondwind, no. As mentioned above the build of Rockbox you installed is completely unmodified. Now that you actually have the bootloader installed there is no real reason to continue using the modified Rockbox Utility I supplied, the release of Rockbox Utility that you can find linked in the sidebar is entirely functionally identical in regard to the installation of Rockbox itself (all it is actually doing is extracting an archive to the root of the device storage, you could do this yourself manually if you like and forget Rockbox Utility even exists).

You could use the official Rockbox Utility, my modified version with prof_wolfff's patches for bootloader installation support, or extract the ipod6g archive directly to the root of the device storage and each method would result in an identical outcome and install a verifiably byte-identical binary.

I assume it does as I have not noticed the battery draining at all when left off or on hold for some period of time but I wasn't sure.

Rockbox powers the hardware off completely when it shuts down, unlike the Apple firmware which will essentially "hibernate" (yes, entirely similar to your desktop, laptop, etc.) which allows for a much faster perceived boot time (when in reality it isn't booting at all). This is nothing new, Rockbox has always behaved this way on the iPods, and in this powered down state battery consumption should be very minimal indeed (though obviously it will be non-zero, because...physics/battery chemistry).

Regarding the device being on hold for extended periods, battery usage in this state will obviously depend on what the device is actually doing at the time. If the device is left on hold while not currently playing audio and in an otherwise idle state, due to various default settings battery usage will also be very minimal. The LCD and backlight would be powered down, the CPU would be on the minimum clock settings (we have boosted and unboosted CPU states), the HDD would be spun down and put to sleep, the clickwheel is powered down in the hold state, etc.
Battery usage in an idle state, especially on hold, should be very minimal. However nothing has changed in this regard for a very long time and as noted you are running an unmodified binary straight from our build farm to your device.

Any difference you may be seeing in battery consumption will either be observational bias, or a direct result of the installation forcing you to restore the device config to the default state.

All in all, glad to have you on board and I hope to see you around this community in the near and distant future. I am glad to be of service to you.


[Saint]


PS: If you are interested at all in configuring the device with a mind towards minimizing battery consumption, please don't hesitate to ask. There are a number of settings that are intended to provide the best user experience possible through their defaults (mainly revolving around hardware accessories and the visible user interface and core functions like the theme engine and database for instance) that can be altered to provide an increased runtime.

[midori]

Hey Saint,

It's been a month or so, for the most part that Rockbox build has been treating me well. 
Unfortunately as of late, I think some issue may have occurred while using MediaMonkey to sync my music onto the player (it's not the most seamless process) and it may have messed with some files it shouldn't have.
Currently the ipod is draining battery all day long now regardless of being powered off or not (it will power on with little to no battery power if if not being used all day.) This is now occuring regardless how the ipod boots (either in Rockbox or when booting to the original apple software). Not sure if these means the hardware itself has somehow become ruined or something else file-wise.

I'm going to be doing a full reformat of the player later tonight in hopes to get my old battery life back which was probably about a month; and that was while running rockbox and using it everyday. I never really had it die on me until after that second sync and charge session, after that this whole new issue sprouted up.

Not sure if you may have some advice/info/experience on the subject but I thought I'd ask. I know last month I was curious as to whether or not rockbox "knew" the battery capacity or how wrong the battery life estimate was since my player has a 2000mah battery in it. Dunno if that has anything to do with the sudden rapid death of my battery even when not in use, but if I can get the player back to it's old lifespan, I'll be happy.

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated,
Thanks ^^

[ahmao]

thanks G4Oblivion for the patch.

ecereb, what is the battery drain, is it checked in or diff is available somewhere?

rbhawaii

G4Oblivion's ssd patched 3.13 version is fixed.  The battery drain is fixed.  The Zheino 256gb SSD works very well in the iPod Video 5.5G.  Thank you. 

My problem was fixed when I did a clean install of the patched ssd 3.13 version @ http://download1652.mediafire.com/oohoqqxluq5g/6y050wldbbfypah/ipodvideo-v3.13.zip. 

Thank you. 
SteveS

[Oehr]

thanks G4Oblivion for the patch.

ecereb, what is the battery drain, is it checked in or diff is available somewhere?

rbhawaii

G4Oblivion's ssd patched 3.13 version is fixed.  The battery drain is fixed.  The Zheino 256gb SSD works very well in the iPod Video 5.5G.  Thank you. 

My problem was fixed when I did a clean install of the patched ssd 3.13 version @ http://download1652.mediafire.com/oohoqqxluq5g/6y050wldbbfypah/ipodvideo-v3.13.zip. 

Thank you. 
SteveS

Awesome! This built finally fixed my "ssd"-ipod as well (using a zif to cf to SDcard adapter). I finally don't have to use that shitty ipod firmware to copy files over to my ipod. No more failing data connection.

[mkurup]

Hello all,
  just curious, is the special patched version still required or does version 3.14 work fine with SSD's? I just bought an ipod 5.5g (video) that has been upgraded with a 256 ssd (brand and model not specified)and would prefer to install 3.14.

If the patched version is required, has anyone created one with 3.14?

Thank all who do work on Rockbox, I do like it a lot better than the stock software!

mkurup

[cereal_killer]

I just bought an ipod 5.5g (video) that has been upgraded with a 256 ssd (brand and model not specified)and would prefer to install 3.14.

Check the Disk Info in "System" -> "Debug (Keep out!)". There you should find information of your SSD. I have a 5.5g iPod too and installed a ZIF SSD. Everything works fine with any build I tried. I think mSATA SSDs don't require the special build anymore, but this may depend on your hardware (adapter and SSD).

[mkurup]

Thank you for the reply cereal-killer! I will just try the 3.14 build tonight and report back my results including what SSD I have in case it will help others.

-mkurup

[mkurup]

Well,

no luck with 3.14. I got the ATA -11 error.
My drive comes up as dingge 240 ssd

The patched version of 3.13 worked just fine, and sounds great.
No problems so far. I am using the Detailed Text theme.

Thanks,
mkurup