Topic: iriver h1xx rockbox recording menu added

[Weazel]

iRiver: Initial support for wav-recording in recording menu. Supports mic/line-in (and radio), monitor mode, time-splitting (and byte-splitting), pause/resume etc. Things todo: Prerecording, peakmeter (should be simple), frequency other than 44.1 kHz, etc.

http://www.rockbox.org/

[kuba]

I taped a show yesterday with iRiver H120 on RockBox (CVS 2005-11-18). It worked perfectly. 1 hour 40 minutes of flawless recording and it ate only 20% of the battery. Great. 48kHz + peakmeters and I don't want to stealth with anything else.

[Weazel]

ah your here too.

yes pretty cool i installed the new daily builth firmware of today, the hold button is fixxed now while recording.
i'm going to test batery live with a fully charged battery.

rockbox rules!  no more glitches and 2 gig filesize with continues recording in a new file.

now wait for the  48/16 and big ass peak meters. en spdif in/out and it's a dream recorder.

i wonder if they could make a realtime bass roll of setting in it. that would be cool too.

what gain u used? 6 or 9 db? or higher? do you use a batterybox or the internal plugin power on the line in?

[timP]

is this all analog in or optical?



wish I hadn't fried my 120 by feeding it 12v instead of the 5v is needs with a multi plug


anyone know if it has a fuse of any sort, or any hope of saving it?

[kuba]

ah your here too.

what gain u used? 6 or 9 db? or higher? do you use a batterybox or the internal plugin power on the line in?

I'm everywhere 

diy 9V battery box -> line-in, 0dB gain

is this all analog in or optical?

wish I hadn't fried my 120 by feeding it 12v instead of the 5v is needs with a multi plug

anyone know if it has a fuse of any sort, or any hope of saving it?

Try forums at misticriver.net

[it-goes-to-eleven]

The rockbox guys kick ass. I use it on my Archos FM recorder.. Though I don't record with that device anymore.  They've been trying to get it to record WAV for a Long time but haven't been able to get the specs. Don't know if there has been progress in the past 4-5 months..

How is the noise floor on the iRiver?

[Weazel]

i recorded a sililent wav form and anylysed it in wavlab, i couldn't discover any peaks.

i realy love rockbox besides it can play all the lossless codecs. it can record good too and even 48/16 is in the works. it's also great course it's open source the people who make rockbox really listen to there users.

[kuba]

How is the noise floor on the iRiver?

I don't remember exact numbers, but I think it's -85 with no device plugged in and -80 with my AT831 + batt. box @ 0dB gain (I don't know whether the mics don't produce some extra noise when picking something else then silence).

[Weazel]

well i tested battery life while recording today.

i had gain on 6 db and the mics in the line in with it's internal plugin power.

believe it or not i had 538 minutes wich is almost 9 hours recording time on a fully charged battery!!

twice as much as the original firmware

[whatboutbob]

hehe...i ran on over here to share the news and y'all had beaten me to it.

oh, and I get a very similar noise floor to Weazel with AT853 > SPSB6.

the recent addition of shn playback is pretty handy too...

[kuba]

believe it or not i had 538 minutes wich is almost 9 hours recording time on a fully charged battery!!

Holy crap! 

Upgraded battery or additional external battery pack would give even more impressive results.

[whatboutbob]

i'll run a battery test starting tonight on a H120 with a 2200mAh 'ipod' batt...

Weazel: it autosplits every ~2gb, right?  Can't see any settings for it so I assume it happens automagically...

[kuba]

i'll run a battery test starting tonight on a H120 with a 2200mAh 'ipod' batt...

Weazel: it autosplits every ~2gb, right?  Can't see any settings for it so I assume it happens automagically...

Yes it does automatically.

[Popmarter]

sounds cool, i am looking for mp3 player and recorder for a while. i was wondering, can you put some pics online from what the levels look like?

[whatboutbob]

popmarter: Recording peakmeters haven't been implemented yet.  The rockbox firmware is still very much a work in progress, though getting closer to the "finished" product every day.

My battery test is still running...13 hours and going strong.  I'm guessing it'll run for ~15 hours.

[Weazel]

pretty cool this battery life while recording huh? you can tape a whole festival with this device.
Whataboutbob yes it autosplits in 2 gig files, but when you have no more power the player shuts down and you get a 0 byte as last file.
that can be restored with chkdsk /f driveletter:  probably will be fixxed in later versions of rockbox.

i'm going to believe this is or is going to be the best budget recording device

[Weazel]

sounds cool, i am looking for mp3 player and recorder for a while. i was wondering, can you put some pics online from what the levels look like?

besides rockbox uses custom wps (window playing screen) and the same is now for the recording screen. you can make your own design or download the ones other people made. so you can have it as you want it.

[whatboutbob]

besides rockbox uses custom wps (window playing screen) and the same is now for the recording screen. you can make your own design or download the ones other people made. so you can have it as you want it.

I'm hoping there's going to be a recording specific .rwps.  Has this been confirmed anywhere?

[Weazel]

just saw something added on the rockbox page rwps. dunno what it is.
but i saw allready something in rockbox that you can choose a recording screen.

[chitaper]

Could Rockbox write a firmware for the MT 24/96 while they're at it? 

[whatboutbob]

just saw something added on the rockbox page rwps. dunno what it is.
but i saw allready something in rockbox that you can choose a recording screen.

Where'd you see that?

I'm also curious to see 20bit optical implemented.

However I'm not sure that the extra 4 bits will make any difference thru my ad20, as apparently its not truly 20bits. *shrugs*

[Weazel]

general  settings - display  - browse .rwps files

[whatboutbob]

ah. ok. that's just the standard remote wps...i guess i'm after a rrwps (recording remote while playing screen).

2200mAh battery test is done.  It worked out to:

14h 57m 12s

My prediction was pretty close.

Total file size (5 files) is about 8.8gig.

kuba: your repair tool came in handy for the last file. thanks.

[Weazel]

ah i didn't know.

pretty amazing battery life. 15  hours damn!

i bet recording goes now on a lower cpu frequency then the original firmware, and the HD acces time is less.

[George]

Very nice.  I have a  H140, i definitely plan on installing the latest rockbox on it tonight.   

[kuba]

14h 57m 12s

uh .. eh .... 

[johnw]

is this all analog in or optical?

Anyone with the answer 

[Sanjay]

I am going to probably purchase one and try it out, I am growing tired of stealthing the jb3.

Questions:

Mac compatability - Does it exist?  If I have to load the firmware from a PC computer that is fine, but will I be able to transfer to a mac and use it on a mac regularly since i don't own a PC?

Batteries:  what does this thing take?  AA's

Remote: I see it has a remote, thats cool, can you start and stop the recording via the remote, and do you have to have the bbox plugged into the box for that. 

Mic in: Does it output 5v for a mic in, i might toy with getting some DPA's to run with this.

Line in/Digi in: right now i'm planning on running line in, how is the A/D compared to the jb3?  Can I run coax or optical in with no noticable clicks or pops?

Thanks for any help.

[Weazel]

is this all analog in or optical?

Anyone with the answer 

this is analog, spdif is not added yet in rockbox, won't be long i guess

[George]

I am going to probably purchase one and try it out, I am growing tired of stealthing the jb3.

Questions:

Mac compatability - Does it exist?  If I have to load the firmware from a PC computer that is fine, but will I be able to transfer to a mac and use it on a mac regularly since i don't own a PC?

Batteries:  what does this thing take?  AA's

The device is a mass usb storage device, no software required to dump files onto and off of it.  When i purchased mine, i just charged it up, turned it on and plugged in the usb cable and it was recognized by windows.  I imagine it should work just fine with a mac and usb too...but i wonder if anyone here has used it with a mac.

Batteries:  It's an internal battery just like the iPod.

By the way, this device is no longer in production.  I purchased mine new and man it cost a bundle but my rio karma looked like it was on its way out and i'm not a fan of the iPod sound, so i went with this unit instead.  I found mine on ebay btw.

Best of luck in finding one in good condition.  Be aware that the battery life on a used one may be down to less than half of its full charge, my friend has a H120 and he only gets a few hrs out of it nowadays and he picked his up 2 1/2 years ago.

[Weazel]

there are replacement battery's like the one whataboutbob has.

[whatboutbob]

Batteries:  It's an internal battery just like the iPod.

Best of luck in finding one in good condition.  Be aware that the battery life on a used one may be down to less than half of its full charge, my friend has a H120 and he only gets a few hrs out of it nowadays and he picked his up 2 1/2 years ago.

Its relatively easy to put a new battery in...higher capacity than the original if you want.  Costs about $20-$30.  I get about 26 hours of flac playback with my new 2200mAh battery (original 1300mAh got about 16hrs).

[Sanjay]

I'll probably make the plunge then, i see some on ebay, i don't mind a used one as i'll throw in a new battery anyway.  So if anyone sees one keep they're eye open. There is a used one for $199 on ebay but it doesn't have the remote which i think is a real attractive option. 

This is a cool thing

[divamum]

Thanks for the updates and info - this all sounds great! I've been holding off switching firmware until it got to the things I want, but seems we're getting verrrry close. I've only had a chance to glance through the documentation - anybody have any problems installing or booting after the install? I use my iriver a lot, so I'm a little more paranoid than usual about potential problems... 

[Weazel]

it's easy, you patch the original firmware. flash that in the iriver.copy rockbox latest daily builth  on your hd and that's it.
you can choose between firmware on start. by pressing play and record while booting it starts the original firmware. if not, it's booting in rockbox. nothing will go wrong.

[George]

This is the best walk thru i've found to upgrade my iriver:  http://www.misticriver.net/showpost.php?p=283091&postcount=24

By the way, yeah, i'm aware of the battery change.  Anyone got a faq for it   

I updated my iriver to rockbox and man, it sounds so much better, i'm impressed!  I'm going nuts over all the options on this sucker, its insane!!!!

Where can i get some different wps and how do you update your iriver with different wps?  This is totally rad...I feel like such a geek, again   

[Weazel]

yes i was amazed too. did you try flac, shn playback? even jpg view?
the wps files used to be unzipped in the .rockbox directory. but i see rockbox has some implanted allready in there distrubution.

mystic river has also a wps section.

http://www.misticriver.net/showthread.php?t=26193

you tried recording yet?

[whatboutbob]

By the way, yeah, i'm aware of the battery change.  Anyone got a faq for it   

If you use a "proper" iriver battery this walk-thru should do the trick:

http://www.pdainternalbattery.com/iriverinstall.html

If you want to use an ipod battery you'll need to switch the wires around on the molex connector.  There are some details here:

http://www.misticriver.net/showthread.php?p=327187&posted=1

I'm not sure if there's a more concise version elsewhere...

The most difficult bit I find (i've done it on 3 different units now) is getting the old battery molex connector out of the socket.  I end up using more force than I'm really comfortable with levering the sucker out of there.  This won't make much sense to you now...but you'll understand once you try it.  To get the new battery's molex connector in more easily I shave the bottom "lip" off it with a razor (like half a mm).

Hope that helps. PM me if you've got any q's.

[George]

yes i was amazed too. did you try flac, shn playback? even jpg view?
the wps files used to be unzipped in the .rockbox directory. but i see rockbox has some implanted allready in there distrubution.

mystic river has also a wps section.

http://www.misticriver.net/showthread.php?t=26193

you tried recording yet?

Haven't tried any of its more interesting features yet, but i do have a bunch of shn's on my pc so i now i can export them to the unit for playback   

I haven't tried recording with it yet, but i do have a dmb show in two weeks, i'll piggy back the iriver and see how it comes out.  I think i'm gonna run two mic rigs that night, the iriver will be in the mix somewhere. 

I'll report back as i mess with it more, thanks for the reminder though, rockbox has reinvigorated(sp?) my interest in the H140 i own. 

whatboutbob, thanks a bunch for the links, i'll see if its something i feel comfy doing once i go over the instructions.  I'll pass it along to my friend who could use a new battery in his model. 

+T all around!

[Weazel]

FYI there is new official firmware out now today , wich eliminates the recording glitch also.

but i stick with rockbox anyway.

[whatboutbob]

peakmeter's just been added to the recording screen in rockbox.  I'll test tonight.

[Weazel]

was just to tell that.

iRiver recording changes: - Added Peakmeter in recording screen - Fix for stop bug - Fix for playback peakmeter not working after recording

[Weazel]

i made a screenshot of the recording and setting  screen.
so far i can see/hear when the peak meters go all the way  to the right then the signal is clipping.

[timP]

is this all still analog in?



thing has always recorded  analog in with no drop outs or glitches, just no meters....


how about digi in?
does th newest iriver firmware remove the drop outs via the optical in?

trying to get my 120 fixed and would love to run it rather then my JB3.....
much better over all piece of gear...

[Weazel]

digital in in not added yet in rockbox.

i dont know if digital in in the official firmware is fixed i can not test that.

[jkoch]

so is there a verdict on the adc in this machine? how does it sound compared to the MT, R1, and JB3?

[jkoch]

is the    iRiver iHP-120 the same as the iRiver H120?

[bconnolly]

One day Rockbox will dev for the x5.  One day.  Please? I'm dying here.

[Weazel]

steady as we go, yes thats the same player

mojo: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/IaudioPort

[whatboutbob]

steady: I believe it uses the same chip as the jb3 (UDA1380)

[jkoch]

thanks guys. maybe they'll come out with better metering than the ones they just implemented. that's as bad as the jb3 metering lol

after having jb3 input jacks on two units mess up on me (not b/c the plug won't fit) i'm looking to switch things up. this seems to be a good way to go. does anyone run anything other than mics > batt box in front of it? i'd be running KM140s > mp-2 > iriver

[whatboutbob]

as soon as they get optical in working i'll be running spcmc10s > ps2 > ad20 > iriver.

iriver fw sounded good with that rig, but it was a pain in the arse with no meters, and you had to keep the joystick pressed to avoid glitches.

i would imagine they'll put in a more customisable recording screen at some stage. you can create your own while playing screens at the moment...so surely its not that big of a leap?

I'm personally looking forward to nice big fat meters on the remote (which is about the size of a 9v battery). would be awesome.  if it was iriver developing the fw i wouldn't be holding my breath...but the rockbox guys have really proven themselves in my eyes.

They're a fair whack smaller than the jb3 too...a bit shorter than the height of a cd jewel case and about half the width (my unit just happens to be resting on one as a type).

There's a whoooole bunch of refurbed H120s from one guy on ebay atm if you're interested. No relation, but i think someone mentioned he's got 100% feedback.

[graemecogger]

thanks guys. maybe they'll come out with better metering than the ones they just implemented. that's as bad as the jb3 metering lol

What's wrong with the metering?

[jkoch]

thanks guys. maybe they'll come out with better metering than the ones they just implemented. that's as bad as the jb3 metering lol

What's wrong with the metering?

it's impossible to tell where anything really is. no db indicators or anything. the jb3 has to practically show it clipping to even be at -6db and yet -20db is only about halfway up the meters.

[TideBleach]

does the iriver have a hold button? so when your stealthing you dont have to worry about hitting a button when its already recording.

[Weazel]

yes there is a hold button.

[jkoch]

damn things keep going a bit higher than i want to pay on ebay lol

[whatboutbob]

thanks guys. maybe they'll come out with better metering than the ones they just implemented. that's as bad as the jb3 metering lol

What's wrong with the metering?

it's impossible to tell where anything really is. no db indicators or anything. the jb3 has to practically show it clipping to even be at -6db and yet -20db is only about halfway up the meters.

Well, in the rockbox fw at the moment you can pick the range of the peakmeter, and its fairly accurate.  eg i've got my min set at -30dB, and my max at 0dB.  They're equal steps (so -15dB is halfway).

my main grudge with the meter at the moment is that its very thin.

oh, and just as a guide...the cheapest of those refurbed h120's i've seen go for was ~US$155...but the average seems to be ~US$180

[jkoch]

Well, in the rockbox fw at the moment you can pick the range of the peakmeter, and its fairly accurate.  eg i've got my min set at -30dB, and my max at 0dB.  They're equal steps (so -15dB is halfway).

my main grudge with the meter at the moment is that its very thin.

oh, and just as a guide...the cheapest of those refurbed h120's i've seen go for was ~US$155...but the average seems to be ~US$180

yea, i was looking to get one for about $165 or so...they're all going for about $190 lately though.....i know i should just do it....but yea haha

[Weazel]

someone on the rockbox forum has found out the input inpedance for line in recordings on the iriver.
it's 2.2 Kohm incase you want make a batterybox or recalculate your rolloff settings.

[whatboutbob]

Someone pm'd me about the size of the iriver, so thought i'd post a piccy here:

[jkoch]

so i got one...now to figure out this rockbox thing

[Weazel]

its easy

http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/ManualRockboxInstall

[Weazel]

today there is a rockbox patch for the IHP 3xx series that enables recording.