[infinitesymphony]

Hey portable guys!

I'm looking for a MP3 player to use for on-hold music in a PBX telephone system. I already have a solution worked out to connect an 1/8" jack into the phone line, and I have an AC-USB adapter, so I can continuously power the player over USB.

The problem I'm running into is that the MP3 players I've tried so far (an offbrand Chinese player and a cheap Philips) turn off after a few hours of use. Are there any players that will play 24/7 without user input?

 

[ericj]

Stupid question: have you tried hooking up the charger?

Certainly anything with rockbox on it can be set to repeat forever and given a playlist of everything on it to shuffle and will just keep going and going for as long as it's got power, other than that i don't know.

 

[Nagasaki_Kid]

MP3 portable cd player + ac adaptor
or a chinese dvd player + rca to 3.5mm adaptor

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nagasaki_Kid /img/forum/go_quote.gif MP3 portable cd player + ac adaptor or a chinese dvd player + rca to 3.5mm adaptor

How long do you think the transport on a cheap disc player will keep going in 24/7 operation inside a dusty wiring closet that probably isn't air conditioned?

I give it less than a year.

Better to have something flash based.

 

[Nagasaki_Kid]

Good point I wasn't thinking loong term enough
There always chinese those sd card divx players
I think they play mp3

 

[Punnisher]

At work there is an ipod nano 1g hooked into a small docking station. The docking station has a 5v input and audio line-out. It's been playing for years.

Though just about any player that can be used with an ac adapter could play indefinitely. You just have to set it on random/repeat and select a playlist.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif Stupid question: have you tried hooking up the charger?

As far as I can remember (I haven't seen them in a while), both of the players charge via USB; they don't have standalone chargers or adapters, which was the reason for buying the AC-USB adapter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punnisher /img/forum/go_quote.gif At work there is an ipod nano 1g hooked into a small docking station. The docking station has a 5v input and audio line-out. It's been playing for years. Though just about any player that can be used with an ac adapter could play indefinitely. You just have to set it on random/repeat and select a playlist.

Unfortunately, this is for a workplace on a budget... I tried to convince them to buy an iPod Shuffle in the first place because I figured it would be a perfect fit: raw playback, no screen necessary, but it was too expensive. I think we're looking at players <$50.

Any player that can use an AC adapter... How common are they?

Maybe I could convince them to buy a refurbished iPod Shuffle. Does anyone know if Shuffles will play non-stop until death?

 

[Nausicaa]

Quote:

Does anyone know if Shuffles will play non-stop until death?

They all do anyways. 1G Shuffle, or Sansa clip.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nausicaa /img/forum/go_quote.gif They all do anyways. 1G Shuffle, or Sansa clip.

Yep, I vote a refurb clip, either hooked into A/C via A/C USB adapter or into a computer using the trick of taping up the data pins for simultaneous playback and charging.

 

[Punnisher]

That's a pretty tight budget. My cowon d2 can use its adapter and will not shut off. Perhaps an ipod with a bad battery?

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punnisher /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's a pretty tight budget. My cowon d2 can use its adapter and will not shut off. Perhaps an ipod with a bad battery?

I don't know how well recommending something broken would go over.

I've recommended a SanDisk Sansa Clip since it's cheap, has a GUI, doesn't require an iTunes install, and is available locally. We'll see what happens.

 

[Punnisher]

That could work. Maybe try a usb power adapter. I haven't tried running it on usb power only.

 

[ka-boom]

I once left my cowon iaudio 7 turned on in my car while the valet parked it on vacation once and it ran for more than 2 full days. I guess that's what I get for having a 60 hour battery life.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Okay, just to confirm (because we'll be investing in five or six of these), the SanDisk Sansa Clip can be set to repeat forever without shutting off?

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif Okay, just to confirm (because we'll be investing in five or six of these), the SanDisk Sansa Clip can be set to repeat forever without shutting off?

Yes, the clip can be set to play tracks on repeat without shutting off, but in order to do so while charging it from a PC you will have to put tape over two of the pins in the usb cable (to prevent it from going into transfer mode). If you plan to run it from an a/c adapter, I don't see any issues.