[Slater]

  Please assist!! The other day, i updated to the latest rockbox version, 20172403 (i believe).  Replaced the .rockbox folder with the new version of .rockbox  Inserted card into slot1 of Xduoo and during bootup, screen gets stuck on "Commiitiing to database 1/9".  After checking for errors and fixed mp3s using MP3VAL and resetting several times and the farthest it gets to is "Commiitiing to database 4/9" before freezing.  After, reading another post do i have to delete NVRAM.BIN?  Is there anything I should try?

 
1. You don't HAVE to delete nvram.bin, but it certainly won't hurt (as it just gets rebuilt after a reboot).
 
2. Which version of the rockbox zip file did you put on the card? rockbox-full-900fd64-170324.zip or rockbox-update-900fd64-170324.zip?
 
3. When you say you "Replaced the .rockbox folder with the new version of .rockbox", does that mean you DELETED the existing .rockbox folder and unzipped the contents of the zip file to your card. Or did you merge the contents of the new rockbox zip file to the existing .rockbox folder?
 
4. Do you have 1 or 2 sd cards? If you have 2 sd cards, try temporarily removing the 2nd sd card (so you only have your main card in the SD1 slot.
 
5. When you say it freezes on "Committing to database 4/9", are you sure it actually froze? It can take 5-10 minutes to complete all of the Committing steps before finishing, often seeming like it is "frozen".
 
6. You said you reset it several times - how did you reset it? Power button or reset switch?
 
Let's start with those answers, before we move on to other troubleshooting things to try.

 

[Slater]

Yeah I used the Nintendo one. It's as you said, a fraction thinner than the original. Can't believe the difference it's made though. Can finally use it outdoors.
 

 
Cool, good to know that one works well.
 
I didn't use that exact brand (as the How2 said, I just had a random one leftover from a previous Nintendo DS repair). But those screens covers are getting hard to find due to the age of the DS. The brand I posted (ie the one you used) was pretty much the only one I could find at the present.

 

[Slater]

Thanks. Ordered some switches

Will let you know how the repair goes when they arrive

 
So when the new ones arrive, use one of the new switches as a guinea pig and see if its possible to just remove the plastic button from the metal housing. From the looks of the grey button design, it looks like it may be possible to gently squeeze the SIDES of the grey plastic button using tweezers. In other words, the grey plastic button may simply snap into the metal frame via legs that stick out to the side.
 
If that's the case, you might be able to extract the grey plastic buttons from the new switches, and snap them into the metal shell of the stock buttons. In other words, no soldering involved. You may have to remove the remainder of the stock grey plastic buttons bits with tweezers 1st (ie the part that didn't crack off & is still inside the metal shell).
 
If the above makes no sense whatsoever, let me know & I'll whip up a diagram.
 
Also, you probably already know, but I wanted to remind you anyways to be sure to disconnect the battery from the X3 board before doing any work.

 

[vazmari09]

   
1. You don't HAVE to delete nvram.bin, but it certainly won't hurt (as it just gets rebuilt after a reboot).
 
2. Which version of the rockbox zip file did you put on the card? rockbox-full-900fd64-170324.zip or rockbox-update-900fd64-170324.zip?
 
3. When you say you "Replaced the .rockbox folder with the new version of .rockbox", does that mean you DELETED the existing .rockbox folder and unzipped the contents of the zip file to your card. Or did you merge the contents of the new rockbox zip file to the existing .rockbox folder?
 
4. Do you have 1 or 2 sd cards? If you have 2 sd cards, try temporarily removing the 2nd sd card (so you only have your main card in the SD1 slot.
 
5. When you say it freezes on "Committing to database 4/9", are you sure it actually froze? It can take 5-10 minutes to complete all of the Committing steps before finishing, often seeming like it is "frozen".
 
6. You said you reset it several times - how did you reset it? Power button or reset switch?
 
Let's start with those answers, before we move on to other troubleshooting things to try.

1. thanks ill try that
2. i downloaded both, im 99.9% certain i used rockbox-full-900fd64-170324.zip
3. i did both, first i merged, saw that it froze on "Committing to database". then i replaced the old .rockbox with the new .rockbox
4. i have one 128gb card in slot 1
5. yes it stops at "Committing to database 4/9" or "Committing to database 2/9" completely.  i let it update overnight and it was still stuck       at "Committing to database"
6. i reset by pressing the reset switch

 

[Slater]

  1. thanks ill try that
2. i downloaded both, im 99.9% certain i used rockbox-full-900fd64-170324.zip
3. i did both, first i merged, saw that it froze on "Committing to database". then i replaced the old .rockbox with the new .rockbox
4. i have one 128gb card in slot 1
5. yes it stops at "Committing to database 4/9" or "Committing to database 2/9" completely.  i let it update overnight and it was still stuck       at "Committing to database"
6. i reset by pressing the reset switch

OK on all. Re: #5, yeah overnight is way too long. I'd say it went out to lala land if it went any longer than 15 minutes.
 
So the other things you can try are:
 
1. Make sure the value of the "Max files in dir browser" setting (General Settings - System - Limits) is set high enough. I would set it 1,000 higher than your max songs (to allow room for growth).
 
2. Reinitialize the database (Settings - General Settings - Database - Initialize Now). It will run for a while in the background (unfortunately won't tell you when it's done though, but with 7k files I'd give it maybe 30 mins). Then reboot the X3, and it will do this 9-stage database updating thing (takes a few minutes). While it's doing the 9-stage updating thing, don't try and listen to music or tinker with any settings or it may lock up. Just wait until it finishes all of the steps (ie 9/9). The Rockbox Wiki says this about the Initialize Database function: "Initialize Now removes all database files (removing runtimedb data also) and then builds the database from scratch."
 
3. The Rockbox Wiki lists the following additional steps you can do to try and troubleshoot database errors/freezing:
 

Check the file system for errors

Use your PC to check that the FAT32 file system on your device contains no errors.
 

Check for files that crash the parser

The database can log files as it parses them. Go to system > debug > metadata log. Then rebuild the database. As each file is parsed, it will be logged to /metadata.log. If the database parser fails, the last file logged is probably responsible. Try removing it and rebuilding the database. 
 
4. The last thing I would do is to disable Disk Caching by going to Settings - General Settings - System - Disk - Directory Cache, and set it to No.
 
Let us know if that helps.

 

[GlennTidbury]

So when the new ones arrive, use one of the new switches as a guinea pig and see if its possible to just remove the plastic button from the metal housing. From the looks of the grey button design, it looks like it may be possible to gently squeeze the SIDES of the grey plastic button using tweezers. In other words, the grey plastic button may simply snap into the metal frame via legs that stick out to the side.

If that's the case, you might be able to extract the grey plastic buttons from the new switches, and snap them into the metal shell of the stock buttons. In other words, no soldering involved. You may have to remove the remainder of the stock grey plastic buttons bits with tweezers 1st (ie the part that didn't crack off & is still inside the metal shell).

If the above makes no sense whatsoever, let me know & I'll whip up a diagram.

Also, you probably already know, but I wanted to remind you anyways to be sure to disconnect the battery from the X3 board before doing any work.

You read my mind. This is exactly what I was thinking when I looked a bit closer at the eBay listing.

If not my dad has some desoldering tools I can borrow and I'm ok with a soldering iron

 

[JackiesFridge]

So when the new ones arrive, use one of the new switches as a guinea pig and see if its possible to just remove the plastic button from the metal housing. From the looks of the grey button design, it looks like it may be possible to gently squeeze the SIDES of the grey plastic button using tweezers. In other words, the grey plastic button may simply snap into the metal frame via legs that stick out to the side.

Be careful. If these are the kind of switches I'm thinking of, there is a comically tiny, convex metal disc the plastic grey bit presses against to make the connection (and the little click when pressed). If you pull out the broken plastic part, you might lose or misalign that disc.

 

[GlennTidbury]

Be careful. If these are the kind of switches I'm thinking of, there is a comically tiny, convex metal disc the plastic grey bit presses against to make the connection (and the little click when pressed). If you pull out the broken plastic part, you might lose or misalign that disc.

Thanks for the heads up. I've ordered 10 switches and only need 2. So I'll try fitting the plastic bit first. No harm. I'll still have 8 other switches if I break 1 and if it doesn't work, I can't damage the switches on my pcb anymore than they already are. If I can't just fit the plastic part then they'll be desoldered and replaced anyway.

 

[Poleepkwa]

1. thanks ill try that
2. i downloaded both, im 99.9% certain i used rockbox-full-900fd64-170324.zip
3. i did both, first i merged, saw that it froze on "Committing to database". then i replaced the old .rockbox with the new .rockbox
4. i have one 128gb card in slot 1
5. yes it stops at "Committing to database 4/9" or "Committing to database 2/9" completely.  i let it update overnight and it was still stuck       at "Committing to database"
6. i reset by pressing the reset switch

What worked for me was to put the SD card in the second slot and not the first. Weird.

 

[bachankas]

Greetings,

I have a problem with battery since the latest Rockbox update (20170324). It goes down really fast from about 70-80% level. Today I had about 35 percent, few songs later the DAP turned off due to discharged battery.
In the previous revisions everything was ok.

Did anyone meet similar problems lately?

 

[Slater]

  Greetings,

I have a problem with battery since the latest Rockbox update (20170324). It goes down really fast from about 70-80% level. Today I had about 35 percent, few songs later the DAP turned off due to discharged battery.
In the previous revisions everything was ok.

Did anyone meet similar problems lately?

How old is your X3? The early models have 1500mah battery. Newest models have 2000mah battery.
 
The current Rockbox updates assume you have 2000mah battery, so if you have an earlier model (like me), the battery indicator appears to drain 'faster'. The solution is to set the battery capacity setting to the correct 1500mah. But this is only required if you know for sure that you have the 1500mah battery - if you have the 2000mah battery and set it to 1500mah willy-nilly, now you're going to have the opposite problem.

 

[bachankas]

The change of battery discharge happened after latest RB update.
How can I check battery capacity?

I'll try to adjust RB settings.

 

[vazmari09]

  OK on all. Re: #5, yeah overnight is way too long. I'd say it went out to lala land if it went any longer than 15 minutes.
 
So the other things you can try are:
 
1. Make sure the value of the "Max files in dir browser" setting (General Settings - System - Limits) is set high enough. I would set it 1,000 higher than your max songs (to allow room for growth).
 
2. Reinitialize the database (Settings - General Settings - Database - Initialize Now). It will run for a while in the background (unfortunately won't tell you when it's done though, but with 7k files I'd give it maybe 30 mins). Then reboot the X3, and it will do this 9-stage database updating thing (takes a few minutes). While it's doing the 9-stage updating thing, don't try and listen to music or tinker with any settings or it may lock up. Just wait until it finishes all of the steps (ie 9/9). The Rockbox Wiki says this about the Initialize Database function: "Initialize Now removes all database files (removing runtimedb data also) and then builds the database from scratch."
 
3. The Rockbox Wiki lists the following additional steps you can do to try and troubleshoot database errors/freezing:
 

Check the file system for errors

Use your PC to check that the FAT32 file system on your device contains no errors.
 

Check for files that crash the parser

The database can log files as it parses them. Go to system > debug > metadata log. Then rebuild the database. As each file is parsed, it will be logged to /metadata.log. If the database parser fails, the last file logged is probably responsible. Try removing it and rebuilding the database. 
 
4. The last thing I would do is to disable Disk Caching by going to Settings - General Settings - System - Disk - Directory Cache, and set it to No.
 
Let us know if that helps.

For most of these points i imagine i have to access the rockbox settings once its done loading.  How can i do that if it freezes at start up? is there a way to stop it from updating at startup and go straight to rockbox?

 

[GlennTidbury]

How old is your X3? The early models have 1500mah battery. Newest models have 2000mah battery.

The current Rockbox updates assume you have 2000mah battery, so if you have an earlier model (like me), the battery indicator appears to drain 'faster'. The solution is to set the battery capacity setting to the correct 1500mah. But this is only required if you know for sure that you have the 1500mah battery - if you have the 2000mah battery and set it to 1500mah willy-nilly, now you're going to have the opposite problem.

Just to clarify though, either option shouldn't affect the actual operation of the unit. I.e. If you have a 1500 battery, setting it to 2000 won't magically make it last any longer and if you have the 2000 battery setting it to 1500 shouldn't make it ACTUALLY drain faster. ...isn't the setting just to get the display for battery life more accurate?

 

[W0153R]

...lthough they are getting harder to find as the DS is quite old now, many other things would work equally as well - 1/16" polycarbonate sheet, an outer screen cover from some Blackberry phone models (like the Curve for example), etc....

I also replaced the screen and I have a few additions to your 'howto':
- The original screen is 1mm thick, 1/16" is more than 1,5mm.
- If you use the razorblade-method do not try to wiggle the screen up, inserting the razor (or anything else really thin) should build up enough pressure to make the screen come up. I wiggled my blade and damaged the aluminum.