Rockbox Technical Forums

Rockbox General => Announcements => Topic started by: Llorean on February 25, 2009, 07:04:36 PM

Title: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Llorean on February 25, 2009, 07:04:36 PM
Just to let folks know, Rockbox's own USB mode is now expected to be working reliably on the above listed players (unless I've gotten the list wrong). Any build newer than this post should have it enabled by default (so "current build" rather than the release build in RBUtil) and there should be no more need for reboots into the original firmware to transfer files. Be aware that things such as having USB connected during bootup (depending on your player) may still trigger a load of the original firmware. New bootloaders are to be expected along with the release, hopefully, that should change USB-related behaviour in the bootloader to make more sense with the removal of the need to reboot.

This feature, assuming no unexpected problems crop up, will of course be in Rockbox 3.2 as well, coming next month.
Title: Re: USB for Sansa c200/e200, iRiver H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: rasher on February 25, 2009, 07:14:52 PM
Don't forget the m:robe 100! :)
It's right there!
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: gevaerts on February 25, 2009, 07:15:03 PM
Don't forget the m:robe 100! :)
He didn't!
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: cool_walking_ on February 25, 2009, 07:16:33 PM
Scandal! Revisionism at Rockbox!!  :'( >:(


Oh, wait. Nevermind. The staff would never, ever, under no circumstances, remove or edit another user's post.  I love goats.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: DerSarek on February 26, 2009, 01:14:09 AM

Just to let folks know, Rockbox's own USB mode is now expected to be working reliably on the above listed players


Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, and not to mention: thank you!

Excellent work!
No more hourlong "database updates".

Thank you.  :-)
(I'm very happy about this, can anybody tell?)

DerSarek
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: soap on February 26, 2009, 01:14:17 AM
Scandal! Revisionism at Rockbox!!  :'( >:(


Oh, wait. Nevermind. The staff would never, ever, under no circumstances, remove or edit another user's post.  I love goats.

 ;D
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: cool_walking_ on February 26, 2009, 01:32:05 AM
What the gosh-darned heck?  Someone's added a bunch of stuff to my reply!  Can't a guy declare his love for goats without being made a fool of?
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Stephan_Spitfire on February 26, 2009, 11:25:07 AM
That is so awesome, thank you guys!
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: lexx on February 26, 2009, 11:39:41 AM
so now i can upload and listen mp3`s on my ipod 5.5g 80gb at the same time or not yet?
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Chronon on February 26, 2009, 11:40:41 AM
No.  It's MSC mode only so the player will behave just like a USB drive while mounted.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: lexx on February 26, 2009, 11:49:41 AM
but function upload and listen mp3`s at the same time will be available in RockBox 3.2 version or this function is not possible?
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Llorean on February 26, 2009, 11:51:41 AM
It's really not possible with standard UMS. Two devices can't access the disk at the same time. Rockbox would need to have access to it for playback to work, and your computer would need to have access to it for file transfer to work.
Title: My Sansa c240 with r20122 build: USB works once...but never again.
Post by: Wiley on February 26, 2009, 06:41:36 PM
****  UPDATE  ****
Upon some further testing, I figured out that Rockbox must already be running when I plug in the USB.  Also, the microSDHC is no longer an issue.  I've got full USB functionality now! YIPPEE!

****************

So, I loaded up SanDisk Sansa c200 r20122 today, in hopes that USB would be supported.  My first attempt at establishing a connection...worked!  HOWEVER, subsequent tries fail.  Each and every time now, the SANSA connection takes over after a brief display of the Rockbox splash screen.  I have not tried a total uninstall/reinstall yet.

Additionally, from the first start-up and every attempt following, Rockbox does not complete a boot-up until I remove the microSDHC.

Ideas?
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: Chronon on February 26, 2009, 06:46:53 PM
Try inserting the cable while Rockbox is running.  The bootloader that's on your machine presently is coded to boot into the SanDisk firmware if it detects a USB insertion.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: Wiley on February 26, 2009, 11:15:53 PM
Try inserting the cable while Rockbox is running.  The bootloader that's on your machine presently is coded to boot into the SanDisk firmware if it detects a USB insertion.
Thanks!  I guess I got a notion that was the problem at the same time you were posting the reply.  All is good!  Cheers.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: Bagder on February 27, 2009, 04:09:17 AM
It's really not possible with standard UMS. Two devices can't access the disk at the same time. Rockbox would need to have access to it for playback to work, and your computer would need to have access to it for file transfer to work.

But it's "just software" so surely we could in theory create an internal mutex system so that Rockbox's audio playback parts can block out the USB stack while it accesses the disk and then let in in again while it plays from ram only.

I'm not saying it would be easy or even desirable, only that it should be possible.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Llorean on February 27, 2009, 07:38:37 AM
It may be technically possible, but the way it was explained to me is that the host operating system is the real issue. Since Windows (or whatever) assumes it's the only user of the filesystem, and we're exporting it as a block device, any changes we might make to the filesystem (updating .cfg, nvram, etc) could confuse the host operating system and we can't do anything about their side to make them realize the filesystem has multiple users.

I suppose a partial solution to this would be if the filesystem were read-only within Rockbox when this is occurring. I seem to recall other complications that arise there, but that were at least more addressable.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: cool_walking_ on February 27, 2009, 08:41:54 AM
complications that arise there

/me can't believe he remembers this, when he doesn't remember what he had for dinner 3...2 .. maybe it was 4 hours ago?

http://www.rockbox.org/irc/log-20080421#09:08:59
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: arwa on February 28, 2009, 07:00:55 AM
Great news! Thank you very much. This was a very important feature that was missing on my e200. I am happily looking forwared for 3.2.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Mega on February 28, 2009, 01:30:37 PM
On ipod mini 1G, the battery doesn't charge on rockbox usb mode.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: theJesus on February 28, 2009, 03:22:46 PM
Does this mean it will be possible to charge the sansa (e200) via usb while playing music?

Also, in regards to the issue about the pc and rockbox accessing the disk "at the same time", could that be helped by a driver on the pc?  So that way the pc will know that it's "sharing" the device.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: InnocentBystander on February 28, 2009, 03:23:55 PM
Awesome!  I've been a Rockbox user for months, but I just registered a new account specifically to say THANK YOU! for this.

You guys rock.

I've got an Ipod 5.5g, so I'll be testing on that.  So far it seems to be working just fine.  Files copy back and forth, and the transition from USB mode back into the menu when I eject it is silky smooth.  

So, looks great so far.

One question, though:  what does this do to the database updating?  Does it now automagically update the database?  Does "update automatically" still function?  Do I need to reboot to get it to update?  (Ok, that's three questions, but they're related.)

Thanks again!
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Llorean on February 28, 2009, 03:43:07 PM
Database updating never had anything to do with USB. The options for it are still exactly what they were before.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: saratoga on February 28, 2009, 03:46:43 PM
Does this mean it will be possible to charge the sansa (e200) via usb while playing music?

Its been possible to do that for a while.  Charging is separate from USB and was enabled earlier. 

Also, in regards to the issue about the pc and rockbox accessing the disk "at the same time", could that be helped by a driver on the pc?  So that way the pc will know that it's "sharing" the device.

You can use other protocols like MTP that allow sharing the disk, so in theory if someone wrote an MTP driver for rockbox you could do both at the same time.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: DrRemulak on February 28, 2009, 04:47:46 PM
Thank you many times for this new update.  Working great already!

Are there plans to allow a user to get out of USB mode without unplugging the USB cable from the PC?

In the past, it was possible to use Rockbox, hold down the circular button on the E200, plug in the USB cable and Rockbox would continue to function fine, even charging the battery.

Now it seems that, if the USB cable is connected, Rockbox functionality is disabled.  Likewise, if I hold down the circular button and plug in the USB cable, the Rockbox continues to play but I can't get into USB mode without disconnecting and reconnecting the cable.

It would be nice to allow the user to toggle back and forth between Rockbox mode and USB mode... but based on the conversations above ... perhaps that is not possible.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: saratoga on February 28, 2009, 05:00:31 PM
In the past, it was possible to use Rockbox, hold down the circular button on the E200, plug in the USB cable and Rockbox would continue to function fine, even charging the battery.

Now it seems that, if the USB cable is connected, Rockbox functionality is disabled. 

Just  a heads up, but this part is explained in the first post of this thread. 
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: rasher on February 28, 2009, 06:29:01 PM
Are there plans to allow a user to get out of USB mode without unplugging the USB cable from the PC?
This is possible since r20139 earlier today. Simply eject the device using your OS's feature for this.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: yapper on February 28, 2009, 06:42:15 PM
This doesn't seem to work with the c250 - it disconnects after an eject, but the USB icon remains on screen. (I'm using the new bootloader - not sure if that is relevant or not)
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: DrRemulak on February 28, 2009, 06:52:40 PM
This doesn't seem to work with the c250 - it disconnects after an eject, but the USB icon remains on screen. (I'm using the new bootloader - not sure if that is relevant or not)

Same behavior I see with my e280 and I'm also using the new bootloader and my version of RB is r20143-090228
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: yapper on February 28, 2009, 07:01:34 PM
c240 with r20146 and regular bootloader also does the same (disconnects, but display still shows USB logo)
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: gevaerts on February 28, 2009, 07:50:45 PM
"eject", not "safely remove".

I'd like it to work with "safely remove" as well, but I need to find out more at what exactly Windows does then
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: yapper on February 28, 2009, 08:02:27 PM
Thanks for the clarification - I've tested under Windows and it works.

NOTE:
With an SD card inserted, both drives need to be ejected before the USB icon is removed.

EDIT: Rasher did say Eject - my error!
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: cb88 on February 28, 2009, 10:01:20 PM
I've tested under Windows and Linux and BeOS and Haiku

My e250 is working with usb on Windows and Linux.

BeOS with the Haiku usb stack can detect it but fails to mount with an error 0x0000000085 iirc I can't seem to reproduce it since now it won't even detect it just locks up (The BeOS USB stack that is) probably a problem on the Haiku end
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: InnocentBystander on February 28, 2009, 11:59:59 PM
OK, after further testing, there seems to be something strange going on with my 5.5g iPod.  I'm using today's build, where 'eject' drops you straight back to the OS.  It seems like whenever I do so, even if I've barely changed anything at all, my drive churns and churns for a long time.   Like an hour or more.   And seriously depletes the battery.  And a couple times, when I've rebooted the player, it's restarted wanting to commit the database.

I think it may be attempting to entirely rebuild the database whenever I eject it.  Either way, there's no reason for the drive to churn for more than a couple minutes unless I do some kind of major file copy.

Also, it doesn't seem to be charging very well, if at all, when in the Rockbox OS.  Charging when in USB mode seems about right.

Any ideas?

Edit:  Scratch all that.  I regressed it back to basic 3.1 and I'm still having the same issue.  I think my database got hosed somehow.  I'll play around with it more tomorrow...
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: benlandman on March 02, 2009, 12:25:35 AM
A question regarding USB and the e280. Will it work reliably on a Mac? I'd test this myself, but the e280 and Mac (Powerbook, I think, running OS 10.26, I think) are in Chicago, at my sister's, and I am in North Carolina. I bought the Sansa for her as a gift, but she's been unable to get the Sansa firmware to work reliably with the Mac, and of course (although Rockboxed) it's needed to be in the Sansa firmware for file transfers.

So will equipping her Sansa with USB-enabled Rockbox help her Mac to play nicely with the player at last?

Many thanks....
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Llorean on March 02, 2009, 09:25:46 AM
It depends entirely on why it's unreliable currently. UMS mode in the original firmware shouldn't be unreliable on a mac unless there's something about the hardware that's a problem or unless it's just the usual MacOS disliking FAT32 issue. Rockbox can fix neither of these. If it is some obscure OF issue on the other hand, Rockbox might well resolve it. Since you haven't really described the problem, nobody can make a remotely accurate guess.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: surfer on March 02, 2009, 12:39:12 PM
Thanks a lot for this feature!
I have WinXP and iPod Video 80GB.

In the original ipod USB mode the transfer speed is about 9-10 MB/s.
In rockbox USB mode my files transfer about 1/3 slower with 6-7 MB/s.

I do not see the battery icon in the rockbox usb mode and do not know if it charges and when it is fully charged. Does it charge in USB or not?
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: cb88 on March 03, 2009, 07:13:48 PM
strangely enough, I just rebuilt my Haiku OS install and it is working with my sansa e250 now. not sure what the deal was there. I might have to try packageing the updated USB stack for BeOS since it still seems broken
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: stevegrant on March 04, 2009, 01:49:14 PM
This is great news!  ;D I was wondering though - does the USB connection allow my Sansa e250 to access micro SD cards larger than 2Gb? I would try it myself, but I haven't got anthing bigger but I was thinking about getting a 4Gb one.

Anyone tried it? Does it work? I remember that the OF on e250 doesn't, but I'm not sure if that's hardware or software related.

Thanks everyone for your hard work making something so cool!
Steve
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: DrRemulak on March 04, 2009, 02:49:02 PM
Quote
does the USB connection allow my Sansa e250 to access micro SD cards larger than 2Gb?

I have an e280 with an 8 gig micro card in it.  I'm able to access the micro card fine through Rockbox.  No need for original firmware now.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: MazingerZ on March 04, 2009, 04:18:42 PM
OK, it seems to work on my Ipod Video, but I have my concerns...

I never use rockbox to charge my battery. I have a higher level of confidence using the OF for this task. Now, how good is the battery charging algorithm in RB? Last thing I want is for my Ipod to be a guinea pig of some sort while the charging algorithm is being perfected. Has it been perfected????

Also, I find it very convenient for RB to resume playback automatically on boot up. If this feature can be implemented for the USB function, that would be great. In other words, the moment that the USB cable is pulled out, RB should know and automatically perform a task (which the user can specify) such as resume playback.

Thanks

George
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Chronon on March 04, 2009, 04:33:09 PM
Charging is a separate matter from the recent USB stack commit.  Charging should already work in the iPods as far as I know.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: dreamlayers on March 04, 2009, 04:55:48 PM
I never use rockbox to charge my battery. I have a higher level of confidence using the OF for this task. Now, how good is the battery charging algorithm in RB? Last thing I want is for my Ipod to be a guinea pig of some sort while the charging algorithm is being perfected. Has it been perfected????

On 5G and 5.5G (Video) iPods, charging is controlled by the LTC4066 chip.  The charging part of that chip doesn't need to be configured by software.  Charging from FireWire works perfectly.  If the iPod doesn't charge from USB, that is due to the USB power section of that chip.

That's a good point regarding other iPods however.  Has it been confirmed that charging is hardware controlled on those?   The 1G Nano has an  LTC4066 and the 1G Mini has an LTC4055.  Those are probably used for charging, but it would be good to confirm.  What about 2G Mini and 4G/Colour/Photo iPods?
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: elfion on March 05, 2009, 01:21:15 AM
Charging is a separate matter from the recent USB stack commit.  Charging should already work in the iPods as far as I know.
yeah, i run rockbox on sansa c250 and charging always worked. but now the question is how do you charge your player (say, sansa c250) without putting it into the stack mode?

also, i don't know if it's off topic, but as long as it was already mentioned, is there anyone here who's using >2gb microSD cards on sansa c250 with rockbox ? they say the early c250-s are compatible with rockbox and incompatible with >2gb. mine is one of the first ones sold in toronto, i really don't want to waste money, someone, please let me know if 4Gb & 8Gb SDs work with the current build?
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: yapper on March 05, 2009, 01:29:40 AM
also, i don't know if it's off topic, but as long as it was already mentioned, is there anyone here who's using >2gb microSD cards on sansa c250 with rockbox ? they say the early c250-s are compatible with rockbox and incompatible with >2gb. mine is one of the first ones sold in toronto, i really don't want to waste money, someone, please let me know if 4Gb & 8Gb SDs work with the current build?
Yes, I'm using an 8GB SDHC.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: perrikwp on March 05, 2009, 01:32:14 AM
yeah, i run rockbox on sansa c250 and charging always worked. but now the question is how do you charge your player (say, sansa c250) without putting it into the stack mode?

The info you seek is mentioned in the manual:

http://download.rockbox.org/manual/rockbox-sansac200/rockbox-buildch3.html#x5-380003.3
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Mr.Speedy on March 05, 2009, 07:32:31 AM
THANKS! i'll never more have need to boot to that crap orig. FW on sansa, waiting for useless DB update, and also i don't have to take my MicroSDHC reader with me everywhere.

One BIG THANKS guys, you've made a lot of good and important work, i'm very thankful for you,

ROCKBOX ROCKS! :)
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: rmaniac on March 05, 2009, 04:06:58 PM
Could there been any issues with LBA48 or 4096 sector size with the USB code? I have been running 3.1 on my iPod 5.5G with a 240GB drive. I have it all patched and working. I decided to try out the usb stack. So I recompiled the daily build from today with my usual patches and changes for the large drive. I plugged it in and it saw it on my powerbook.. but the finder could never really see the files.. then I plugged it into a linux box.. which saw the files and showed the right amount of space available and filled but my whole Ogg dir was empty! There was some 180GB or so of Oggs in there.. I am now re-rsyncing those files and using the rb usb stack to do so.. there are some pauses on occasion but most files seem to transfer between 3 and 9MB/s. Could this random FAT death be a coincidence or might it have to do with the USB stack? Is there anything I can do to better test this?

I just did some more testing.. When I look under disk utility while using the RB USB Stack it reports this:
128GB Toshiba MK2431GAH Media
Capacity :   127.9 GB (137,307,346,944 Bytes)
Available :   213.0 GB (228,728,569,856 Bytes)

On the Apple firmware it says:
223.6GB Apple iPod Media
Capacity :   223.4 GB (239,925,803,008 Bytes)
Available :   213.0 GB (228,728,012,800 Bytes)

The boot firmware and rockbox itself seem to be respecting my LBA48 define but the USB stack is not. This is something that should be looked into I expect. I will file a bug report.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: tsupersonic on March 05, 2009, 05:15:47 PM
Hi, I have an 4th gen iPod Color (Photo) 20GB. I loaded the newest current build, and I have a couple of bugs to report.

First, it doesn't charge over USB (or AC adapter for that matter) when its on the rockbox firmware. If it's on the stock ipod firmware, it charges over USB (& AC Adapter).

Second, System -> Rockbox info is showing the battery is charging all the time, even if it's not plugged into the outlet or to my laptop.

I also don't understand the purpose of this USB mode. I was able to transfer files to my iPod before this firmware when it was on rockbox USB mode... Of course, I don't use iTunes, I use sharepod, but nonetheless, it transfers music onto the iPod.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Llorean on March 05, 2009, 05:18:05 PM
There was no Rockbox USB mode before. You were rebooting into the Apple disk mode.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: hsjpatman on March 05, 2009, 05:43:34 PM
There is a god.
Thanks ROCKbox, you rock.

edit: I just donated, via paypal, the $5 I would have spent on a card reader.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & V
Post by: dreamlayers on March 05, 2009, 05:45:12 PM
I just did some more testing.. When I look under disk utility while using the RB USB Stack it reports this:
128GB Toshiba MK2431GAH Media
Capacity :   127.9 GB (137,307,346,944 Bytes)
Available :   213.0 GB (228,728,569,856 Bytes)

On the Apple firmware it says:
223.6GB Apple iPod Media
Capacity :   223.4 GB (239,925,803,008 Bytes)
Available :   213.0 GB (228,728,012,800 Bytes)
Problem should be fixed in r20208 (http://svn.rockbox.org/viewvc.cgi?view=rev;revision=20208).
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: 252-rer on March 06, 2009, 12:25:10 AM
When the new usb transfer was enabled it seems to have killed ipod charging in rockbox mode completely. I have a 30gb 5g video and had used it for charging before. This seems to affect multiple versions of ipods as in this same thread i see 5.5g and 1g mini not charging.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: dreamlayers on March 06, 2009, 12:32:18 AM
When the new usb transfer was enabled it seems to have killed ipod charging in rockbox mode completely. I have a 30gb 5g video and had used it for charging before. This seems to affect multiple versions of ipods as in this same thread i see 5.5g and 1g mini not charging.
Have you changed the way you use your iPod?  I think iPods running Rockbox will only charge at 500 mA via USB if you turn on your iPod by connecting it to an Apple iPod USB charger or another compatible charger.  (Connecting later or using a USB port won't do this.)  Also, if any iPods charge at 100mA by default, that can keep up with normal use but it can't keep up with power used by the disk during USB transfers.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: froggyman on March 06, 2009, 11:14:35 PM
I have an iPod Video 30GB 5.5 Generation, without any hardware hacks, and i can not seem to get rockbox usb mode to work i am using RockBox version r19577-081224 and am pretty sure that this has the USB support in it being that i just ubdated to the current rockbox build a few days ago after hearing about this. I thought it would be great having this feature but i can seem to get it to work because when ever i connect it to my computer it just displays the little rockbox USB thing and boots into Apples disk mode.

Now, am i just an idiot and didnt enable some setting, is it some bug in the build i have or do i need to just reupdate rockbox.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Llorean on March 06, 2009, 11:17:42 PM
The version number 19577-081224 means your build is several months old. 081224 means "2008, December 24". Are you sure you updated properly, and chose to use the actual current build when given the choice?
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: froggyman on March 06, 2009, 11:57:22 PM
i got it to work now, i tried the installer again but it didnt work and just kept installing that december edtion (yes i made sure that current build was selected)

but after getting frustrated with the installer i just downloaded the latest build from the current build page, and did and did a manual installation and its working great now, awesome work devolpers (hopefully someday i will be able to contrubute to the rockbox source after i get a little better with programming, and what ever i am only 15 right now too)

awesome work now i only need the apple firmware on my player for watching videos at decent speeds...
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Visti on March 07, 2009, 06:29:19 PM
This is excellent. Exactly the update I was waiting and hoping for. Works flawlessly on my c240 in Linux.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: bluebrother on March 07, 2009, 07:01:29 PM
i got it to work now, i tried the installer again but it didnt work and just kept installing that december edtion (yes i made sure that current build was selected)
Can you put some details on this (and possibly attach the latest local configuration (in ~/.config/rockbox.org/RockboxUtility.ini)? I'm pretty sure this works.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: pebsen on March 10, 2009, 09:09:49 AM
Lovely! I am using the c240 sansa with a 4gb microsdhc, so I'm happy.

However, I noticed a small glitch that i want to report. If the fm-radio is turned on while inserting the usb cable the radio keeps playing while the device is mounted (while this is not the case when playing mp3). I don't know if this is related, but on one occasion the computer didn't recognize the usb-device while the radio was playing. I have tried this several times and the problem only occurred once.

I think the fm-radio should be turned off when the device is inserted.

Thanks a lot for your work!!

/ Petter





Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: dumbears on March 10, 2009, 10:25:32 AM
Is there anyway to sync with iTunes for iPod with the current build?
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: AlexP on March 10, 2009, 03:03:50 PM
Yes, reboot to the Apple firmware and do it there as normal.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: shayguitarra on March 13, 2009, 10:21:49 AM
Running 5th Gen 80GB iPod Video on pc with Kubuntu 8.10

I've tried a number of the current builds over the past few days and I've seen similar problems to mine on this thread. But just to explain it specifically:

When I plug in my iPod I see the usb connect screen which then fades to blank so I can't see the status of my charging battery. It mounts as normal and I can drag and drop/copy etc with no problem.

But, if I even touch my controls/press select or whatever to check my battery status, it seems to unmount/eject and remount itself.

When I eject normally it goes back to the menu screen, but one of two things happens: It either wants to initialise the database or else the disk seems to update itself forever, basically until it kills the battery.

I've reverted back to the stable 3.1 which gives me the 'do not disconnect and ok to disconnect messages on the iPod screen and a clearer battery charge indicator.

Now I understand from reading this thread that this functionality is something that has been eagerly awaited (I'm not an expert on usb functionality so I don't fully understand why) but I have never had a problem on any of the previous versions. I'm a little worried that due to this when the stable 3.2 comes out I'll be forced to remain with 3.1, simply due to this usb problem.

It could be a problem specific to my pc, but if not and you think it's fixable and need more information please let me know.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: dreamlayers on March 13, 2009, 12:39:32 PM
Running 5th Gen 80GB iPod Video on pc with Kubuntu 8.10

I've tried a number of the current builds over the past few days and I've seen similar problems to mine on this thread. But just to explain it specifically:

When I plug in my iPod I see the usb connect screen which then fades to blank so I can't see the status of my charging battery. It mounts as normal and I can drag and drop/copy etc with no problem.
The backlight shuts off according to the "Backlight (While Plugged In)" setting and then the screen shuts off according to the "Sleep (After Backlight Off)" setting.  This is normal.  These settings are found in Settings -> General Settings -> Display -> LCD Settings.

But, if I even touch my controls/press select or whatever to check my battery status, it seems to unmount/eject and remount itself.
If you press MENU, your iPod should unmount and not remount.  If you press any other button or touch the wheel in any way, that should turn on the backlight and LCD, but it should not cause the iPod to unmount.

If anything other than MENU causes unmounting, see if disabling LCD sleep helps.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: shayguitarra on March 13, 2009, 04:46:19 PM
Quote
The backlight shuts off according to the "Backlight (While Plugged In)" setting and then the screen shuts off according to the "Sleep (After Backlight Off)" setting.  This is normal.  These settings are found in Settings -> General Settings -> Display -> LCD Settings.

Yes that's the most obvious explanation and I should have thought of it. I've disabled the backlight off option when plugged in.

Quote
If anything other than MENU causes unmounting, see if disabling LCD sleep helps.

That's worked. I've tried mounting and unmounting a couple of times, pressing buttons and scrolling and it stayed mounted. After I ejected properly, the menu button brought me back to the main menu. This also seems to have solved the initialise database and updating problem too. So maybe there was a connection.

Marvellous. Thanks a lot.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: soap on March 13, 2009, 05:27:39 PM
Is there anyway to sync with iTunes for iPod with the current build?

Yes, reboot to the Apple firmware and do it there as normal.

OR
modify firmware/export/config-YOURIPODMODEL.h
and change the USB_VENDOR_ID and USB_PRODUCT_ID defines to the real ones for an iPod. 
IIUC
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: gevaerts on March 13, 2009, 05:33:52 PM
Is there anyway to sync with iTunes for iPod with the current build?

Yes, reboot to the Apple firmware and do it there as normal.

OR
modify firmware/export/config-YOURIPODMODEL.h
and change the USB_VENDOR_ID and USB_PRODUCT_ID defines to the real ones for an iPod. 
IIUC


uhm, no. The ids used are the ones for that particular ipod. Itunes doesn't like it for different reasons (ipods have proprietary SCSI extensions)
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: soap on March 13, 2009, 05:54:31 PM
Damn!   ;D
Ok, are the product / vendor ID all that is needed for for any of the alternative iPod managers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_iPod_managers)?
Would be good to know.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: randalf on March 15, 2009, 08:34:58 PM
A question regarding USB and the e280. Will it work reliably on a Mac? I'd test this myself, but the e280 and Mac (Powerbook, I think, running OS 10.26, I think) are in Chicago, at my sister's, and I am in North Carolina. I bought the Sansa for her as a gift, but she's been unable to get the Sansa firmware to work reliably with the Mac, and of course (although Rockboxed) it's needed to be in the Sansa firmware for file transfers.

So will equipping her Sansa with USB-enabled Rockbox help her Mac to play nicely with the player at last?

Many thanks....
Hi, i had the same Problem you described with a sansa e280 under MacOs.
I was able to acces the device on my Powerbook using Linux but not with OSX.
I solved this Issue by downgrading the original Firmware to Version 01.01.11A.
Perhaps the Rockbox-USB mode is solving the Problem as well.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: ThaCrip on March 18, 2009, 03:18:19 AM
"Note that the USB stack is not enabled for the 3.2 release. It's only enabled in current development builds."

that's not true right? ... because i thought it works 'well enough' to the point where it can be included in v3.2
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Llorean on March 18, 2009, 03:33:54 AM
No, it doesn't. There are still problems with it (charging in iPods, a problem we might have just solved on Sansas regarding resets, and the fact that iTunes will reject an iPod using it still which is one we still have to decide if we even want to resolve since we're not really an iPod software-wise anyway).

If you want the USB stack, current builds with it enabled will still be an option. But it's not good enough to go into a release, yet, due to these problems showing up.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: ThaCrip on March 18, 2009, 03:48:03 AM
ok thanks for the reply.

so in other words it (USB Support) will probably be in v3.3 which is due around June 23rd 2009?

i know you cant give any guarantee's but based on what your telling me it sounds like those issues seem somewhat minor (assuming you fixed the Sansa issue you mentioned) , especially if the development team aint even sure if it's going to fix the iTunes issues you spoke of.

so based on that, 'as of now' i would assume it's a safe bet that USB support will be in v3.3?

p.s. but since you have confirmed that USB is not going to be in the official v3.2 release ill probably just keep updating my builds from the 'current build' page from time to time until v3.3 is out.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: Llorean on March 18, 2009, 03:50:57 AM
It's impossible to say whether the solutions we have are the right ones yet. It may be that the things we think will work won't, in which case it won't be in 3.3 either. No way to predict.
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: stall3 on March 18, 2009, 01:56:45 PM
USB doesn't seem to work for me.  I have an E280 r20347-090317. Kingston 16gb microsdhc.

Rockbox works fine. Boots fine. Under files I have a <microSD1> folder which I can browse to through rockbox.

When I plug in the usb, I see the rockbox usb icon, the player mounts as G:\ on my pc. I can browse all the folders through XP SP2 explorer, but I don't see the microsd storage.

When I eject and then reinstert the micosdhc while connected via usb, my mouse turns into an hourglass for a split second as-if it's detecting the insert and eject everytime. So close, but nothing, denied.

oh, and just a side note, ROCKBOX RULES. Thank-you so much for developing it!

update: 03/19/2009 - I just tried the USB mode on a vista pc, with the same results.  It didn't work.

-S3
Title: Re: USB for c2XX, e2XX, M:Robe 100, H10, iPod 4G, Mini, Mini 2G, Nano, Color & Video
Post by: fireye on March 25, 2009, 03:50:45 PM
On the Sansa e2xx series of players, the MicroSD card mounts as a seperate removable drive in windows.  Both Rockbox and the default firmware do this.  So instead of looking just in G:\, look for another new removable drive as well! 

Hope this helps.