[tds101]

 
Quote:

Its not as bad as it looks ...

 
I have Rockbox installed on a few different players ATM, so THIS way is a PITA. The installer is the way to go, as tons more ppl will switch over to RB that way. Especially on the classic,...

 

[Dukedudez]

It would awesome if someone made a good looking theme for it.  One of the reasons I uninstalled Rockbox was for the lack of nice themes.

 

[spikeh]

Hey everyone! Big update: there's been a flurry of unconfirmed patches for the iPod 6G since the 2012-01-02 release. I had a look at Rockbox's source for the first time today, and checked the patches to make sure they weren't doing anything outrageous. While I have no experience in such low-level embedded design, they all seemed to be OK so I went ahead and built it to try it out. According to the author (Cástor Muñoz) of the fixes, combining CPU downvolt/downclock and LCD sleep yields over 20 hours of battery life decoding FLAC, which seems very promising indeed.
 
Please see all the patches here:
http://www.rockbox.org/tracker/index/proj1?type=4&order=dateopened&sort=desc
 
The one that people will be MOST interested in is the L-R channel fix:
http://www.rockbox.org/tracker/task/12519?project=1&type=4&order=dateopened&sort=desc
 
You will need a suitable development environment to checkout the source code, apply the patches and build it. There are guides on the Rockbox website on setting a development environment up. Thankfully the automatic shell scripts take care of the nitty gritty details. If you aren't comfortable with doing something like that, here is a link to my rockbox.zip:
 
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9830513/rockbox.zip
 
Instructions are the same as the .zip you download from emCORE's website. Unzip to the root directory of your iPod, safely remove and it should prompt you for a reboot. While I can confirm that this works on my iPod, YMMV and I'm not responsible for what happens to your iPod.

 

[cooperpwc]

spikeh, is dual boot enabled yet? I need the OF for when I use my CLAS.

 

[fleasbaby]

Just to confirm, Spikeh's build works on my iPod Classic, 160GB, 2007 model (the fatty as opposed to the newer, thinner version). I also used the proper test track for the channels this time (*blush*) and the channels are also fixed. No need to set anything when you first boot up, its all set already.
 
Spikeh, numerous and naughty are the things I would do for you right now. I had trawled about trying to find a build with the channels fixed and had finally realized I needed to man up and try and make a build of my own. I had everything downloaded and had all the instructions bookmarked. You have both harmed my career as a Rockbox builder and probably saved my iPod from being bricked .
 
I thank you from the bottom of my heart sir.

 

[ljr]

Thank you spikeh! Your build works on my 80GB iPod Classic.
 
 
Quote:

spikeh, is dual boot enabled yet? I need the OF for when I use my CLAS.

 
No dual boot yet.

 

[cooperpwc]

Thanks for the reply.

 

[spikeh]

Hello! You are all most welcome but I do not deserve the thanks - it's the freemyipod team, Rockbox team, and Cástor Muñoz that deserves the appreciation for their work.
 
I noticed something strange about certain tracks on the commute to work today, so out of curiosity I looked at the bug tracker: lo and behold, Cástor Muñoz also noticed something was off and found out it's due to high frequencies being progressively attenuated. He's posted a v2 of his L-R channel swap patch just today, which I will apply and build when I get home this evening. Hot off the developer!
 
I forgot to mention in my first post, my iPod is a Classic 6G 160GB "thick", and in addition to the L-R channel swap patch my previous rockbox.zip included the CPU downvolt/underclock and LCD sleep patches. I will also include hardware click in the new rockbox.zip that I build tonight.
 
It would be great if more people could test it out and provide feedback, to which I'll forward to Cástor Muñoz and the Rockbox team. It's a shame I don't have an oscilloscope here with me (I should really invest in a pico oscilloscope) so I can't test the frequency response - if anyone else has one or has audiophile ears then please do! Listen to lots of tracks and see if you can hear anything that seems out of place. Hopefully, these patches will make it into the main svn repository and take us one step closer to a more stable iPod Classic Rockbox.

 

[dippyboy_87]

spikeh,
 
I tried your built on my latest thin 160gb classic. I observed a strange problem that the progress bar in the 'while playing' screen isn't updating or moving until i press something again and again.

 

[spikeh]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9830513/rockbox.zip
MD5: 8762d2fa04600d22c0d360ab232dcb5a
 
Patched:

1. L-R channel
2. CPU frequency downscaling
3. LCD sleep
4. Polling while on Hold (required for CPU frequency downscaling to not crash while on Hold)
5. Piezo (for hardware click)
6. Battery volumn update (850 mAh for the 6G 160GB "thick") - This doesn't do anything but I felt like patching it in.

 
Just tested it on my iPod Classic 6G 160GB "thick", and I can confirm it does not destroy the iPod although as always YMMV and I'm not responsible for what happens to your iPod! There's less noise when nothing's playing and I'll judge the sound quality qualitatively tomorrow. The piezo click works nicely as well.
 
@dippyboy_87: Sorry, I'm afraid I'm only patching and building Rockbox and not developing it, so I can't technically diagnose or fix the problem. However I suggest you delete your .rockbox folder and start with a fresh one because it could be themes or previous settings. In theory none of these patches should affect the "while playing" screen though I can't know for sure. Does a standard build from emCORE's website work?

 

[fleasbaby]

I noticed the same problem as Dippyboy yesterday. I guessed it might be something to do with the tinkering that was done with the LCD settings...not sure though. Will download the latest you just posted Spikeh and see if it goes away...
 
Again, the patched L-R build is muuuuch appreciated.

 

[fleasbaby]

Confirmed...did a full delete and re-install...still happening. Going to muck about trying other themes, etc today and see if that changes things.

 

[SenorLoco]

Nice find!  Haven't had a change to test it, but will soon.  Have your tried the Charger Detection patch?

 

[fleasbaby]

Quote:

Confirmed...did a full delete and re-install...still happening. Going to muck about trying other themes, etc today and see if that changes things.

Tried the Rockbox failsafe them...still getting the issue. I did have the standard build with Emcore before and this wasn't an issue...This doesn't happen with yours Spikeh? I am also running this on a Classic 6G 160GB "thick". Hopefully Castor Munoz knows what it is...

 

[fleasbaby]

Quote:

Tried the Rockbox failsafe them...still getting the issue. I did have the standard build with Emcore before and this wasn't an issue...This doesn't happen with yours Spikeh? I am also running this on a Classic 6G 160GB "thick". Hopefully Castor Munoz knows what it is...

I have been looking at Flyspray and the LCD patch, and Castor says it works with LCD type 1, he hasn't tested 2, but thinks it should work. For 2 and 3 he's looking for testers...I checked mine and its LCD type 3. Spikeh and Dippyboy, what type is yours? You can see it by going "Menu->System->Debug->View HW Info".