[Thezac]

That what I guessed. However, why does the x3 crash when I want to look at "system information" on the original firmware? Can't explain this by a faulty battery.... The system information page worked fine before the rockbox flash....

Well, when I look at "System information" on the original frirmware, on my device, it holds 2 seconds, then displays
"X3"
"V 1.1"
"Storage:"
"16.02G / 29.515G"
"0.00G / 0.00G"
Seems to me that firmware has gathered information about the SD cards before displaying it. Bigger card(s), more time to gather the information ? Enough time to discourage and diagnose a freeze ? Anyhow, as you say, it doesn't seems related to battery. If you do diagnose a freeze, can you check with some other SD card(s) ?
 
As said by Riolist, RockBox runs on many devices, and so far I have seen nobody else with your fantastic battery drain. You may have encontered a very rare bug on RockBox, but chances are you have a hardware misfunction. I would suspect the battery, at first.
 
Changing the battery is not difficult at all : two screw, and some attention to not press the device on the table while opening/closing (thanks vicnsi) . But being total illiterate in hardware, I would not know which battery to chose. Of course there is the dimensions question. But is there on some battery some special circuitry to prevent overcharge, or overdrain, that may be in match with the circuitry onboard ? I even dont' have a clue if my questionning is useful, or if I am just showing myself plain dumb.
 
Three weeks ago, on the main thread about Xduoo X3, someone made a post on how he exchanged his battery. Maybe some good advices there :
http://www.head-fi.org/t/782912/xduoo-x3-dsd-24bit-192khz-cs4398-chip-lossless-music-player/3975#post_12929950
 
Thezac.

 

[Thezac]

   
Hey all, Truly incredible news. WOW! My dead XDUOO X3 is well and truly back to life now (at least for now) & fully functional too - all buttons back to normal. Can't believe I am even saying (OK, writing) this! I'm absolutely gobsmacked & astonished this was even possible. I am almost lost for words. OMG!
[...]
A very big lesson I have learned today, more than I ever have before: Never, ever give up! Where there's a will there's a way.

Congratulations.
 
I see you've been very careful at it, hence the succes.
 
The misaligned buttons could have been the proof that the device was opened, then the warranty maybe would have been voided. I hadn't thought of that first when recommending you to try disconnecting the battery to restore your device. My fault.
 
Misaligning the buttons, a debutant's mistake ? Maybe. But a non working device for following an advice is a non working device. You didn't discourage, and went back to the operation table with your patient and your tools, resolving the issue. And now give advices in opening and closing the X3. Helping other readers.
 
Well played.

 

[Riolist2]

 
Well, when I look at "System information" on the original frirmware, on my device, it holds 2 seconds, then displays
"X3"
"V 1.1"
"Storage:"
"16.02G / 29.515G"
"0.00G / 0.00G"
Seems to me that firmware has gathered information about the SD cards before displaying it. Bigger card(s), more time to gather the information ? Enough time to discourage and diagnose a freeze ? Anyhow, as you say, it doesn't seems related to battery. If you do diagnose a freeze, can you check with some other SD card(s) ?
 
As said by Riolist, RockBox runs on many devices, and so far I have seen nobody else with your fantastic battery drain. You may have encontered a very rare bug on RockBox, but chances are you have a hardware misfunction. I would suspect the battery, at first.
 
Changing the battery is not difficult at all : two screw, and some attention to not press the device on the table while opening/closing (thanks vicnsi) . But being total illiterate in hardware, I would not know which battery to chose. Of course there is the dimensions question. But is there on some battery some special circuitry to prevent overcharge, or overdrain, that may be in match with the circuitry onboard ? I even dont' have a clue if my questionning is useful, or if I am just showing myself plain dumb.
 
Three weeks ago, on the main thread about Xduoo X3, someone made a post on how he exchanged his battery. Maybe some good advices there :
http://www.head-fi.org/t/782912/xduoo-x3-dsd-24bit-192khz-cs4398-chip-lossless-music-player/3975#post_12929950
 
Thezac.

All two-wire Lithium-ion batteries have on-board circuitry to regulate charging and prevent overheating. Multiple connector batteries probably rely on mainboard circuitry for this function. Since the X3 has a two-wire battery, it's compatible with all two-wire Lithium-ion batteries. Simply measure the dimensions (length, width, thickness) and search on ebay. The capacity is 2000mAh. You can put a six digit number in front of the term "lithium ion" and the mAh rating you want to find the battery quickly. The six digit number represents the dimensions of the battery, such as "702580" (this is just an example, I don't know the actual dimensions of the X3 battery). All numbers are in mm. The first two numbers are the thickness, these are reversed to avoid starting the sequence with a zero, since most batteries are below 10mm in thickness, so in this case the battery would be 7mm thick. The next two two-digit sequences are the length and width, non-reversed, so we have a battery that is 7mm thick, and 25X80mm.

 

[Thezac]

 
All two-wire Lithium-ion batteries have on-board circuitry to regulate charging and prevent overheating. Multiple connector batteries probably rely on mainboard circuitry for this function. Since the X3 has a two-wire battery, it's compatible with all two-wire Lithium-ion batteries. Simply measure the dimensions (length, width, thickness) and search on ebay. The capacity is 2000mAh. You can put a six digit number in front of the term "lithium ion" and the mAh rating you want to find the battery quickly. The six digit number represents the dimensions of the battery, such as "702580" (this is just an example, I don't know the actual dimensions of the X3 battery). All numbers are in mm. The first two numbers are the thickness, these are reversed to avoid starting the sequence with a zero, since most batteries are below 10mm in thickness, so in this case the battery would be 7mm thick. The next two two-digit sequences are the length and width, non-reversed, so we have a battery that is 7mm thick, and 25X80mm.

Very nice piece of information for me. Thank you very much.
 
Original battery says "603476", which then means 6mm thick, and 34x76.
 
It also says 3.7V, and +2000. I assume it is 2000 mA, or 2A. Can we play freely on those digits ? I mean, if I find a bigger, in mA, battery that still has dimensions compatible with the room in the box, can I just go for it or is there something to take caution with ? And stick to the exact same voltage, which seems common to many batteries ?
 
Then, in RockBox, there can be in the configuration file a line that states the power of the battery, in miliampers. I assume it may be used to display correct information about the gauge.
 
Thanks.
Thezac.

 

[Riolist2]

 
Very nice piece of information for me. Thank you very much.
 
Original battery says "603476", which then means 6mm thick, and 34x76.
 
It also says 3.7V, and +2000. I assume it is 2000 mA, or 2A. Can we play freely on those digits ? I mean, if I find a bigger, in mA, battery that still has dimensions compatible with the room in the box, can I just go for it or is there something to take caution with ? And stick to the exact same voltage, which seems common to many batteries ?
 
Then, in RockBox, there can be in the configuration file a line that states the power of the battery, in miliampers. I assume it may be used to display correct information about the gauge.
 
Thanks.
Thezac.

Yes, that's correct, and you can freely "enhance" your X3 if you can find a higher capacity battery (which will probably naturally be somewhat bigger) that will fit. Just don't go too far overboard since the back of the player on which the battery is attached acts as a heatsink and you don't want to overwhelm it, but if you can find, say, a 2500mAh battery that fits, I'd say that would be fine, and yes, you should "tell" Rockbox about it so it can report the battery state accurately.
 
P.S. Xduoo themselves did a similar thing, with early versions of the X3 only having a 1500mAh battery, but realizing a bigger one would fit, put a 2000mAh battery in current models.

 

[Thezac]

  Yes, that's correct, and you can freely "enhance" your X3 if you can find a higher capacity battery (which will probably naturally be somewhat bigger) that will fit. Just don't go too far overboard since the back of the player on which the battery is attached acts as a heatsink and you don't want to overwhelm it, but if you can find, say, a 2500mAh battery that fits, I'd say that would be fine, and yes, you should "tell" Rockbox about it so it can report the battery state accurately.
 
P.S. Xduoo themselves did a similar thing, with early versions of the X3 only having a 1500mAh battery, but realizing a bigger one would fit, put a 2000mAh battery in current models.

 
Very nice !
 
Then it leads me to a few other questions, if I may.
 
I remember having read somewhere the li-ion where given for 500 to 1000 cycles in good conditions, before starting to nocicely loose quality  And, as those battery don't have a memory effect, a cycle was consisting in a 100% discharge and a 100% charge, maybe not in the same operating cycle (i.e. over 3 days, starting at 100%; going down to 40%, rising to 90%, going down to 20%, rising it to 100% would account as 130% energy usage, or 1.3 cycle). Taking care of never going too close to 0%. Maybe I misunderstood, or I remember incorrectly. Please correct me.
 
But if I'm right, and if my specific battery is good for 500 cycles, that would lead me to a degraded battery in two years.
 
Can I stock a battery for a long time ? I mean would it be wise to check in about one year from now for the most convenient battery (big mA, same voltage, two wires, and the size to fit on the box without compromising heat dissipation), buy it, and forget it in a drawer for a couple of more monthes ?
 
Thanks.
Thezac

 

[Riolist2]

   
Very nice !
 
Then it leads me to a few other questions, if I may.
 
I remember having read somewhere the li-ion where given for 500 to 1000 cycles in good conditions, before starting to nocicely loose quality  And, as those battery don't have a memory effect, a cycle was consisting in a 100% discharge and a 100% charge, maybe not in the same operating cycle (i.e. over 3 days, starting at 100%; going down to 40%, rising to 90%, going down to 20%, rising it to 100% would account as 130% energy usage, or 1.3 cycle). Taking care of never going too close to 0%. Maybe I misunderstood, or I remember incorrectly. Please correct me.
 
But if I'm right, and if my specific battery is good for 500 cycles, that would lead me to a degraded battery in two years.
 
Can I stock a battery for a long time ? I mean would it be wise to check in about one year from now for the most convenient battery (big mA, same voltage, two wires, and the size to fit on the box without compromising heat dissipation), buy it, and forget it in a drawer for a couple of more monthes ?
 
Thanks.
Thezac

You're correct about the charge cycles, that is, the rating applies to full charge/discharge cycles, and partial discharge-to-full-charge counts as a partial cycle, and that full discharge should be avoided.
 
As to the rest, while if you buy a battery to store for when you will need it, the stored battery will certainly be better than the one it's replacing, but lithium batteries have a limited lifetime regardless if they're used or stored, they begin to deteriorate from the moment of manufacture. They can be stored, but to store a battery for two years until it's needed isn't a good idea. Lithium batteries aren't going anywhere, at least not without a compatible replacement, so it's better to forget about buying a battery to store, and just buy something new when you need it. Something will be available, whether lithium or a newer technology. BTW if you're going to store a lithium battery, its lifetime is maximized by storing it at 40% charge. This also applies to equipment containing a lithium battery, such as little used daps.
 
All this talk of limited life and long-term storage of lithium batteries is scary, but I have players that are ten years old and still have about half the battery life as when they were new, so not too bad.

 

[jaxz]

Hi. How Rockbox manage the line out? I plug the cable to my E12 amplifier but the sound its very quiet, much more than FiiO X5 ii or ODAC line outs. Besides, the line out is volume dependant? I plug de cable at max volume (0db) and the sound coming fron headphone out and line out its the same level.
 
Thanks!

 

[saratoga]

Hi. How Rockbox manage the line out? I plug the cable to my E12 amplifier but the sound its very quiet, much more than FiiO X5 ii or ODAC line outs. Besides, the line out is volume dependant? I plug de cable at max volume (0db) and the sound coming fron headphone out and line out its the same level.

Thanks!

I think someone previously reported that the rockbox audio driver doesn't detect line out connections and increase the volume to 0 dB yet, so you have to do it manually.

 

[jaxz]

I think someone previously reported that the rockbox audio driver doesn't detect line out connections and increase the volume to 0 dB yet, so you have to do it manually.

Thanks, but why the line out in volume dependandt in the first place? I don't get it.

 

[saratoga]

Thanks, but why the line out in volume dependandt in the first place? I don't get it.

The x3 doesn't have volume control in the headphone amp, so to reduce volume the DAC must digitally attenuate. When you plug into line out it has to be reset. At least I vaguely remember that skimming the data sheet.

 

[Thezac]

  You're correct about the charge cycles, that is, the rating applies to full charge/discharge cycles, and partial discharge-to-full-charge counts as a partial cycle, and that full discharge should be avoided.
 
As to the rest, while if you buy a battery to store for when you will need it, the stored battery will certainly be better than the one it's replacing, but lithium batteries have a limited lifetime regardless if they're used or stored, they begin to deteriorate from the moment of manufacture. They can be stored, but to store a battery for two years until it's needed isn't a good idea. Lithium batteries aren't going anywhere, at least not without a compatible replacement, so it's better to forget about buying a battery to store, and just buy something new when you need it. Something will be available, whether lithium or a newer technology. BTW if you're going to store a lithium battery, its lifetime is maximized by storing it at 40% charge. This also applies to equipment containing a lithium battery, such as little used daps.
 
All this talk of limited life and long-term storage of lithium batteries is scary, but I have players that are ten years old and still have about half the battery life as when they were new, so not too bad.

Thank you very much.
 
This is a knowledge I can use with my X3, or with my smartphone, or with my autonomous vacuum cleaner. Tomorrow, with my electric car or whatever, as life goes mobile and electric.
 
Regards,
Thezac.

 

[TonyVier]

Ok. Suddenly, at least in my perception, the system info appeared, no need to reset the x3. I opened up the x3, let it rest a while without battery, and started it again. The battery remains cool, the main board gets egg frying hot without charging, just playing a song.

 

[Riolist2]

Ok. Suddenly, at least in my perception, the system info appeared, no need to reset the x3. I opened up the x3, let it rest a while without battery, and started it again. The battery remains cool, the main board gets egg frying hot without charging, just playing a song.

Removing the battery is equivalent to a reset, but anyway it sounds like a component on the main board power supply circuit was fried, it's probably best to RMA it. Whether the initial failure was in the battery or on the mainboard doesn't really matter, as something on the mainboard was subject to over-current and is not functioning properly. If it's a voltage regulator chip that has identifying information on it you may be able to replace it yourself, but you would need some repair equipment, such as a soldering/desoldering station, and if the failed component has no identifying information you would need a schematic diagram in order to identify it. I doubt you want to attempt any of that, the failure wasn't your fault, some part of the player wasn't up to spec, and you should get it replaced.

 

[TonyVier]

Well, found a battery at the local mobile phone repair guy, its only 1000mah, but hee. (if it works, I think I can fit two in parallel). Returning it and so, well, it's complicated.