WTB: Your old MP3 players/DAPs

Rocker

Thread hijack (sorry) but I have a Zen player but it won’t switch itself off. Charge up and it plays FLAC files perfectly. If anyone can help or give me a link to a software upgrade/reinstall that would be great. Thanks 

Bidley

@Rocker there are loads of Zens (Touch, Vision, V, Micro, X-Fi to name a few) so the full model name would help

digitalkettle

Bidley said:

Might be fine, might be spent... I've got a couple nearly 20 years old that are fine, some are totally dead. Generally if it stays on after removing the charger, it'll be fine. Generally a new one will have more capacity and potential longevity though, obviously. Those old iRivers are cool!

One of the most satisfying things is grabbing a "parts/untested" player off eBay (usually because they've lost the original charger because everything used a weird proprietary 30-pin variant), charging it up and finding "Sue's housework" playlist from 2006. Great time capsules!

Battery holding up...just put the latest Rockbox firmware on it.

Sarge

Bidley said:

That would be awesome, thanks @Sarge ! The old Archos stuff was proper back in the day

it's the least I can do since you helped me stop smoking all those years ago 

that's IF I can find it! 

Bidley

digitalkettle said:

Bidley said:

Might be fine, might be spent... I've got a couple nearly 20 years old that are fine, some are totally dead. Generally if it stays on after removing the charger, it'll be fine. Generally a new one will have more capacity and potential longevity though, obviously. Those old iRivers are cool!

One of the most satisfying things is grabbing a "parts/untested" player off eBay (usually because they've lost the original charger because everything used a weird proprietary 30-pin variant), charging it up and finding "Sue's housework" playlist from 2006. Great time capsules!

Battery holding up...just put the latest Rockbox firmware on it.

Rockbox is great isn't it! A tinkerer's dream!

Sarge said:

Bidley said:

That would be awesome, thanks @Sarge ! The old Archos stuff was proper back in the day

it's the least I can do since you helped me stop smoking all those years ago 

that's IF I can find it! 

Ah I'm glad you're still off the smokes! I've been clean nearly 8 years now

You're a legend mate

rze99

He's preparing for the end of streaming when they all go bust. I've kept my iPods.

vasselmeyer

I have an vague idea I have a Zune kicking around somewhere. I'll see if I can find it.

Bidley

I'd love to have a play with a Zune @vasselmeyer

trolley

I also have a Zen at home and an Archos (I think). We used to record videos of the band & then hawk them around pubs to get gigs
They need to go, for sure

vasselmeyer

Bidley said:

I'd love to have a play with a Zune @vasselmeyer

OK, let me see if I can find it. I've got a bunch of old stuff in boxes, including an iPod touch and a couple of Sansas which I still use as the battery life is way better than my phone.

hollywoodrox

Old iPod classics are cool  I remember a friend of mine was getting one & we were fascinated about the possibility of using it as a portable hard drive 

Rocker

Bidley said:

@Rocker there are loads of Zens (Touch, Vision, V, Micro, X-Fi to name a few) so the full model name would help


Thanks @Bidley. ; My Zen is X-Fi-3.  It is a 16Gb unit and the USB Connected is showing on the screen.  I am getting no response if I press any of the buttons, maybe it is still charging the battery.  Thanks.

Bidley

@Rocker I would say leave it on charge overnight. If it still doesn't play ball then it's probably fried. The newer (relatively speaking) flash-based players are more difficult to fix because everything is soldered and the storage is a chip on the main board. They're also tightly packed so difficult to get apart without destroying.

The firmware is here, try flashing that, (back your files up first) and if that doesn't work then it'll probably be for the bin

TTony

Bidley said:

@Rocker I would say leave it on charge overnight. If it still doesn't play ball then it's probably fried. 

Or the battery is just dead.

I had a battery issue with an old Fiio player - sourced a generic replacement (Ali Express) and all is now good again.

vasselmeyer

@Bidley Zune has gone, I'm afraid. No idea where, suspect one of the kids had it years ago.

I have an iPod Touch (probably gen 2 or 3) if that's of interest?

Bidley

Shame @vasselmeyer , but looking on eBay they go for stupid money now due to Guardians of the Galaxy (I've no interest) so I'd feel bad if you sold it me for not much. To be fair they're a pain to use these days as the support has evaporated for them.

@variplexi was a complete gent and gifted me a 3rd gen touch, so I'm all good for those for now thank you for taking the time to look!

ICBM

I've got an old iAudio G2 - not spinning drive though, it's one of the early solid state memory ones - 1GB. I had it because it's tiny and can record direct to mp3 from either a 3.5mm line-in jack or a built-in mic - I used it for recording my band's rehearsals and gigs before smartphones did that more conveniently.

Pwalo

Bidley said:

As above, getting into fiddling about with these. Preferably ones with spinning rust drives. Especially interested in old iPods and Creative Zens. Let me know what you have rolling about in drawers! Cheers!

A guy at work asked me to look at his iPod classic 160gb but the HDD is goosed. I’ll ask him if he wants to replace it with an SD card or get rid.

Kittyfrisk

Pwalo said:

Bidley said:

As above, getting into fiddling about with these. Preferably ones with spinning rust drives. Especially interested in old iPods and Creative Zens. Let me know what you have rolling about in drawers! Cheers!

A guy at work asked me to look at his iPod classic 160gb but the HDD is goosed. I’ll ask him if he wants to replace it with an SD card or get rid.

Not quite as straightforward as just swapping the MicroDrive for an SD. You'll also need an interface between the iPod & the SD or Compact Flash adaptor. 
Been there, done that    https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/2558026/#Comment_2558026

Pwalo

Kittyfrisk said:

Pwalo said:

Bidley said:

As above, getting into fiddling about with these. Preferably ones with spinning rust drives. Especially interested in old iPods and Creative Zens. Let me know what you have rolling about in drawers! Cheers!

A guy at work asked me to look at his iPod classic 160gb but the HDD is goosed. I’ll ask him if he wants to replace it with an SD card or get rid.

Not quite as straightforward as just swapping the MicroDrive for an SD. You'll also need an interface between the iPod & the SD or Compact Flash adaptor. 
Been there, done that    https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/2558026/#Comment_2558026

Yes, spotted that thanks… priced one up from Ali Express and Amazon.. not sure if he’ll want to spend cash on it though…