Ipod classic - rockbox - its happening.

I'll confirm later tonight (it's at home and I'm at work) but I did an update at the same time as the restore, and I believe it found no new versions - so I'm assuming it's on the latest version. 

Get same result as Knate, using ipod with 2.0.5 firmware (final one released)
 
Ha!  Interesting...so far it seems to be working with my other (2.0.4 firmware) ipod.
 
Yup!  It seems it works with 2.0.4 but not 2.0.5 (the latter is the one with the option to turn off the EU volume limit)

thinwalls said:

  Get same result as Knate, using ipod with 2.0.5 firmware (final one released).

Click to expand...

 
Hi, on the development page at the following link below:
http://gerrit.rockbox.org/r/#/c/1221/1/rbutil/mk6gboot/README
the master developer is advising that for Patch 1 the supported firmwares are:
1.1.2
2.0.4
 
My iPod Classic 7.5 Gen 160Gb thin version had the firmware version 2.0.4 and it is working perfectly with dual booting.
 
I had another iPod Classic 120Gb, and when I tried it on it the result is as what knate is advising. It was on a 2.0.1 firmware.
 
I asked on the developers' irc chat and was told the following:
"support for Classic 120Gb was added from gerrit patch set 2, it requires original firmware 2.0.1 installed, in addition you must install a RB version compiled from the gerrit patch code (not the latest git RB version). if a beep sounds it means that the dualboot-installer is executed, but the ipod should always reboot automatically if the installation was ok or failed, it seems more appropriate to switch to #rockbox channel to continue talking about the RB bootloader problems, so other people trying to install the bootloader can see it."
 
I think that for the other firmwares we need to wait a bit for the developers to manage to overcome the issues that they are encountering so as to provide the new builds.
 
Under Patch Set 3 the firmwares supported are listed as follows:
http://gerrit.rockbox.org/r/#/c/1221/3/rbutil/mk6gboot/README
 
Supported FW
------------
1.1.2 (1G)
2.0.1 (2G)
2.0.4 (3G)
 
I think the dfu files uploaded on the freemyipod website cover only till Patch 1 for now.

thinwalls said:

 
Ha!  Interesting...so far it seems to be working with my other (2.0.4 firmware) ipod.
 
Yup!  It seems it works with 2.0.4 but not 2.0.5 (the latter is the one with the option to turn off the EU volume limit)

Click to expand...

 
@ThinWalls
How are you finding the dualbooting with Rockbox and Apple OS? Do you find it stable at your end?

markatlis said:

   
@ThinWalls
How are you finding the dualbooting with Rockbox and Apple OS? Do you find it stable at your end?

Click to expand...

 
Dunno yet, only just set it up!  Still syncing it.
 
Is there any way to tell what firmware an ipod is (i.e. 2.0.4 or 2.0.5) when its already been rockboxed?
 
Basically I don't want to try and re-do my main ipod if it isn't going to work because of being 2.0.5. rather than 2.0.4  But I can't tell as its already rockboxed and I can't see how to find what the OF version is.

knate said:

 
I'll confirm later tonight (it's at home and I'm at work) but I did an update at the same time as the restore, and I believe it found no new versions - so I'm assuming it's on the latest version. 

Click to expand...

 
Hi knate, did you check on which iPod OS version number your iPod classic has?

markatlis said:

   
Hi knate, did you check on which iPod OS version number your iPod classic has?

Click to expand...

 
I did! Thanks for following up. I thought I responded last night, maybe my post on mobile didn't go through. 
 
I am running 2.05, which aligns with what @ThinWalls experienced. I looked around and tried to determine if I was able to regress to 2.04 to test, but iTunes wouldn't allow me to apply the 2.04 firmware manually. 
 
It appears to be the sixth generation second revision (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Classic#Revisions) and does have the genius mix option. 
 
Reading your post earlier in the thread with the patch notes the beep tones seem to match up with what I was running into (bold for emphasis):
 

 When the .dfu is loaded it emits a 2000Hz/100ms 'alive' tone. When RB loader
is successfully installed then 1000Hz/100ms+2000Hz/150ms beep sounds and the
device reboots. If something went bad then 330Hz/500ms tone is emited and
the device reboots. When an intermitent 330Hz tone sounds forever, it means
that the NOR got corrupted and the device must be restored using iTunes
(should not happen).

Click to expand...

 
At this point I'm wondering what my options are. It's not clear to me whether or not the 2.04 firmware is compatible with my specific device, or when the bootloader may work with both versions or if I'm just stuck. 
 
I'd like to dualboot my ipod because I do use the integration with my car so I've been reluctant to switch to rockbox and EMCORE and use AUX only for input to the stereo. 

Exciting news from master developer - Cástor Muñoz!
 
On the Rockbox IRC channel he advised as follows today when asked about his plans for publishing new builds of the DFU files for the new patches:
 
" i am finishing a new patch set 4 that includes a mk6gboot.exe to make the install process more simple, no need to install additional drivers or python on Windows, in addition it hides the boot menu, CENTER+RIGHT button just switch default FW (RB or Apple) silently
 
i hope to publish the new patch on gerrit in a couple of days, but for a complete bootloader (including RockboxUtility.exe to install it from Windows) it could take a few weeks, sadly i am going to be a bit busy next days."
 
 
We will have to wait for him to complete the development work. Should be worth it  
 
For anyone interested, his development page on the iPod Classic dualboot loader is the following:
http://gerrit.rockbox.org/r/#/c/1221/
 
 
Edit: He also advised as follows:
"my contribution is focused on iPod Classic support for Rockbox, but it is very small compared with the RB team work (rockbox is amazing, including the RockboxUtility), in addition it could not be possible without TheSeven and freemyipod team work, almost all bootloader code is based on emCORE".

knate said:

Thanks for the ideas. Copied the .rockbox folder over (being careful to being the one with the period and not the parent) and still the device boots into the apple UI.

The directions are super clear and everything goes as expected until step 17. This never happens. Following the python command execute, the screen says:
"Connected to S5L8702 Bootrom DFU mode, USB version 1"
Followed by:
"Upload: .................... done"

At this point the iPod beeps twice and restarts into the stock interface. I never get the complaint that rockbox is installed. (Step 17)

I proceed to set the ipod to disk mode, copy the .rockbox folder to the root of the iPod drive and reboot. Each time the device is restarted, it boots the apple logo into the stock UI.

My suspicion is that I'm doing something wrong with the boot loader step via winpython as that's when the instructions no longer mirror my experience.

Click to expand...

 
I'm running into this issue, too, with my 160 GB iPod Classic.  Like knate, this is the 6th Generation second revision and I can confirm that I am running 2.0.4 PC (according to Settings > About).  Does it matter that I uninstalled iTunes as soon as I restored my iPod to factory?  Or is this something else?

jbstormburstadv said:

   
I'm running into this issue, too, with my 160 GB iPod Classic.  Like knate, this is the 6th Generation second revision and I can confirm that I am running 2.0.4 PC (according to Settings > About).  Does it matter that I uninstalled iTunes as soon as I restored my iPod to factory?  Or is this something else?

Click to expand...

 
Could be, because of the DFU drivers when you connect it in DFU mode in step 7.
 
What happens when doing all the steps and leaving iTunes installed too through the procedure? It is important that iTunes is not running whilst you carry out the steps.

markatlis said:

   
@ThinWalls
How are you finding the dualbooting with Rockbox and Apple OS? Do you find it stable at your end?

Click to expand...

 
I've tried 3 ipods!  The 2.0.5 one simply doesn't install - not surprising if it has to be customised for each firmware (I understand the 2.0.5. ipods had slightly different hardware to previous ones and the firmware can't be 'downgraded').
 
The 160gb 2.0.4 one seems to work perfectly.  The 240gb 2.0.4 one is proving very unreliable, needing to be rebooted repeatedly before it will start up.  This one worked fine with emcore/rockbox before.

I just created some simple screen-brightness presets for Rockbox that you can download and use, which can make your Rockboxed life a little easier. No need to navigate through all those complex settings menus anymore to change the screen brightness.
 
Just click this link (for my topic-thread post about it here on Head-Fi), and give these new presets a try!   

discoprojoe said:

  I just created some simple screen-brightness presets for Rockbox that you can download and use, which can make your Rockboxed life a little easier. No need to navigate through all those complex settings menus anymore to change the screen brightness.
 
Just click this link (for my topic-thread post about it here on Head-Fi), and give these new presets a try! 

 

Click to expand...

 
Hi, I had found a different solution to the brightness settings by using the shortcuts.txt functionality through the Rockbox settings. By pressing and holding the 'Menu' button, the shortcuts menu comes up everywhere. Then I inserted the following code in the shortcuts.txt file in the .rockbox folder:

[shortcut]
type: setting
data: brightness
name: Brightness
 
 
When I press it, it gives me as well the 'Brightness' sub-menu and all the values are there ready to be selected. You also do not have that 1 second delay when the .cfg file is loaded. 
 
DiscoProJoe - I really like your EQ presents btw. Excellent job!

thinwalls said:

   
I've tried 3 ipods!  The 2.0.5 one simply doesn't install - not surprising if it has to be customised for each firmware (I understand the 2.0.5. ipods had slightly different hardware to previous ones and the firmware can't be 'downgraded').
 
The 160gb 2.0.4 one seems to work perfectly.  The 240gb 2.0.4 one is proving very unreliable, needing to be rebooted repeatedly before it will start up.  This one worked fine with emcore/rockbox before.

Click to expand...

 
Hi ThinWalls, what media do you have for the 240Gb? Is it a Toshiba hdd, an SD card (e.g. PNY Extreme Performance 256Gb) or an MSata, or others?

markatlis said:

   
Hi, I had found a different solution to the brightness settings by using the shortcuts.txt functionality through the Rockbox settings. By pressing and holding the 'Menu' button, the shortcuts menu comes up everywhere. Then I inserted the following code in the shortcuts.txt file in the .rockbox folder:

[shortcut]
type: setting
data: brightness
name: Brightness
 
 
When I press it, it gives me as well the 'Brightness' sub-menu and all the values are there ready to be selected. You also do not have that 1 second delay when the .cfg file is loaded. 
 
DiscoProJoe - I really like your EQ presents btw. Excellent job!

Click to expand...

 
Thanks for the kudos, Mark!  If you have the chance to hear these EQ presets through a pair of V-Moda M-100 headphones and a Cayin C5 portable amp with its bass boost switch turned on (tethered to your Rockboxed iPod Classic), you'll be absolutely blown away with the "Optimized" and "OptimizedLite" categories in the "Cayin C5" set of these EQ presets. With headphones, I never use any EQ categories besides "Optimized" and "OptimizedLite." I probably use the "Optimized" ones about 2/3rds of the time, and the "OptimizedLite" ones about 1/3rd. (On a small handful of songs while using "OptimizedLite," I have to switch off the bass boost switch on the amp in order to further reduce the midbass to make those sound good.)
 
Anyway, I personally prefer the simplicity of my "smaller" list of screen brightness presets, but perhaps I could use the shortcut file to view the graphical EQ curve. (When showing off my rig to friends and peers, I like to show them the extreme EQ curves.) What text should I enter into the shortcut file to view the graphical EQ directly? Or maybe, instead, I'd prefer the shortcut just to take me one menu out from there -- just to the equalizer settings menu. This way, it's a lot easier to view the current settings than to navigate through all those settings menus.