WELCOME TO YOUR NEW IPOD

1. Introduction

This is a fully restored 7th generation iPod Classic. The critical main board was sourced from a 7th generation 160GB thin Apple iPod, the most desirable version for running Rockbox. This custom-made iPod combines all of the best features possible into one unit.

· The storage is converted to Flash, using an iFlash Quad adapter and SanDisk Ultra MicroSD cards. This iPod can be upgraded up to 2TB. 2TB is great for giving you the space you need to load lossless music (FLAC or ALAC) or movies.

· The mainboard has 64MB RAM for maximum performance with either the original Apple firmware, or with Rockbox.

· New 2000mAh battery.

· New headphone jack and hold switch, so you don’t need to worry about the jack wearing out anytime soon.

· New clickwheel, front face, and rear face, all custom colors.

· All of these features are fit into the thin-back iPod Classic form factor.

Please read through this manual carefully. I have done my best to provide as clear instructions as possible. If things still don’t make sense, then see The Rockbox Guide ⁽²⁾for more information.

The following diagram illustrates the button names used throughout this guide:

2. Loading Music

It is important to remember that the original Apple firmware must always be used when transferring music and files to the iPod.

· If you would like the music to show up in the original Apple firmware, then use iTunes to transfer music from your iTunes library as you would with a normal iPod.

· If you would like the music to show up in Rockbox, then transfer the music using Windows Explorer (copy paste or drag & drop) to the iPod drive. A folder is premade on this iPod where Rockbox will look for music: MyRBMusic

2.1 How to load music

Rockbox comes pre-installed on your unit. Turning on the iPod normally will automatically start Rockbox. To load music files onto the iPod, you must use the original Apple firmware. The following process describes how to correctly turn on the iPod for loading music:

1. If the iPod is turned on and is in Rockbox, then hold down the “PLAY” button until the iPod shuts down.

2. Press and hold MENU to turn the iPod on. Holding down MENU while the iPod starts will select the original Apple firmware. Do not release the MENU button until after the Apple logo appears on the screen.

o Note, if this does not work then alternatively: Press MENU or SELECT to boot the iPod. Immediately after doing this, turn on the HOLD switch.

3. Wait a minute for the iPod to start up in the Apple firmware. This will take some time due to the large upgraded storage.

4. Attach the iPod to a PC using the 30 pin USB cable.

5. Copy your music files over to the iPod. A folder is premade to hold music, called MyRBMusic, but any location on the iPod is viewable in Rockbox. Do not modify the following folders - these are system folders:

o “.rockbox”

o “iPod_Control”

o “System Volume Information”

Note, if you change the name of the preconfigured music folder, MyRBMusic, then see Troubleshooting section “Cannot Enter File Browser” as you will need to reconfigure the File browser to start in the new pathname.

6. Once your music is loaded, eject and disconnect the iPod from the PC. Ensure that the iPod is successfully ejected before disconnecting.

7. Turn off the HOLD switch. Hold down SELECT and MENU at the same time, for about 6 seconds, to restart the iPod. It will start back up in Rockbox.

3. Rockbox Tips

3.1 Browsing Your Library

3.1.1 Overview

There are three main ways to effectively manage your music files in Rockbox.

1. Files – this is simply a file browser, and when you select a music file, it will begin playing the files in the current folder.

2. Database – this feature uses the tag information in your music files to give you more ways to sort through your library.

3. Playlists – you can either build playlist files on your PC, or dynamically create playlists on the iPod.

3.1.2 Files

$Description: Z:\source (NAS)\EMBEDDED\IPOD Development\Rockbox Help and Screenshots\Screendumps\dump 220826-153745.bmp$ The file browser is the most basic way to find music on your iPod. By default, the browser will start in the root folder, and allow you to open folders, and select music to play. Official help for the file browser is at The Rockbox Guide: Chapter 4.1 File Browser ⁽³⁾.

Enter the file browser from the Home menu:

When you enter the file browser from here, you start in the root folder by default. This allows you to browse all files on the iPod.

Navigation Buttons with the file browser:

· SELECT – Enters a folder, or opens a file. A long press brings up a menu of advanced options.

· NEXT – The same as SELECT, but without the long-press option.

· PREV – Go Up one folder to the parent, or containing folder. If you are at the Root, then exit Files and go to the Home menu.

· MENU – Exit Files and go to the Home menu.

· PLAY – Exit Files and go to the Now Playing screen.

Note that when navigating with MENU and PLAY, your current folder is remembered when you re-enter Files.

Set Start Folder

$Description: Z:\source (NAS)\EMBEDDED\IPOD Development\Rockbox Help and Screenshots\Screendumps\dump 220826-200437.bmp$ The file browser can be set to start in a particular folder, other than the root. For example, if all of your music is kept in /MyRBMusic then you can set the browser to start here.

With a folder highlighted in Files,

$Description: Z:\source (NAS)\EMBEDDED\IPOD Development\Rockbox Help and Screenshots\Screendumps\dump 220826-200458.bmp$

Hold down SELECT until this menu appears:

Select “Start File Browser Here”.

Next time you open Files, you will start in this folder. Note that you can still view parent folders by pressing PREV.

3.1.3 Database

The Database feature allows Rockbox to scan and organize your music library using metadata. This is information that is stored in tags, which accompany the audio data in your music files.

Official help for the Database feature is at The Rockbox Guide: Chapter 4.2 Database ⁽⁴⁾.

$Description: Z:\source (NAS)\EMBEDDED\IPOD Development\Rockbox Help and Screenshots\Screendumps\dump 220826-153802.bmp$ The Database on the Home menu:

Setting up the Database

Before you can browse your library via the Database application, the database must be initialized. Rockbox will ask you if you would like to do this upon first opening the Database app. It may take a few minutes for the initialize to complete. You should avoid using the iPod too much while the database is initialized (ie. skipping songs,) as Rockbox can become unstable. If an error occurs, simply restart the iPod by holding down SELECT and MENU for about six seconds.

Updating the Database

After uploading new music, you should update the database. To do this, highlight the Database app in the main menu, and hold down SELECT until a new menu appears. Then select “Update Now”.

Editing Music Tags

The Database uses metadata tags on your music files to organize your library. It is not required, but can sometimes be helpful to fix tags in your music library.

If tag cleanup is needed, MusicBrainz Picard ⁽⁷⁾ is a very useful program for semi-automatically fixing tags. Picard uses the MusicBrainz Tag Database to detect and import tag information. Although this program is very powerful, it does require some manual work to get it set up, and there is a learning curve.

For manual editing of tags, mp3tag ⁽⁸⁾ is very effective and easy to use. This program can also be used in conjunction with MusicBrainz Picard to customize tags to your own liking.

3.1.4 Playlists

Official help for working with playlists is at The Rockbox Guide: Chapter 4.4 Working with Playlists ⁽⁵⁾.

There are many different ways to manage playlists. In this guide, one simple workflow is suggested.

The first thing you must do when beginning to use playlists is to configure the “home” directory where your playlists will be stored. To do this, enter the file browser (“Files”) from the main menu. Browse to the folder you would like to set to hold playlists, and long press SELECT with that folder highlighted. Scroll to and select “Playlist Catalogue”, and then “Set As Playlist Catalogue Directory”.

Note, before creating playlists, some media should be loaded onto the iPod.

Now, to create your first playlist highlight “Playlist Catalogue” from the main menu and long press SELECT. When the menu appears, select “Create Playlist”. Use the interface to give the playlist a name. (Hint: Add characters by highlighting the desired one and pressing SELECT. To delete the last character, highlight the file name, and press SELECT. To save the file, press PLAY. To cancel and not create any file, press MENU.)

There are actually many different ways to create playlists, which you will discover with use. Each way is convenient for a particular scenario.

For example, one alternate way to create a playlist is to long press SELECT while a song is playing (the Now Playing screen). In the resulting menu, select “Playlist”, then “Save Current Playlist”. Again, you are able to name the new playlist, and all files in the currently playing queue will be automatically added. Whenever you are playing music, the “Current Playlist” is a temporary list of songs that the iPod will play through. The Current Playlist can be added to with a long press on any directory or file in the file browser.

3.2 Rockbox EQ

3.2.1 EQ Overview

EQ Presets are .cfg files that can be edited with a text editor, and contain equalizer settings. These config files are on your ipod in the folder /.rockbox/eqs/myeq.cfg.

Description: dump 220726-184039

To use an EQ preset in Rockbox, go into the menu:

Settings->Sound Settings->

Equalizer->Browse EQ Presets

Description: dump 220726-184044

When you select the preset, EQ will automatically be enabled. Here is an example of a list of presets:

Description: dump 220726-183737

To enable/disable the EQ while on the Now Playing screen:

Hold down the SELECT button. Scroll to the following menu:

Sound Settings->Equlizer->Enable EQ and select NO

3.2.2 Sources of EQ Settings

oratory1990 list_of_presets, on Reddit ⁽⁶⁾

3.2.3 Example eq.cfg file

The following file is an example EQ for Sennheiser HD600 headphones. The settings are copied from: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dm0m6u3s3b4zqzl/Sennheiser%20HD600.pdf

# .cfg file created by rockbox 3.15 - http://www.rockbox.org

eq enabled: on

eq precut: 55

eq low shelf filter: 105, 7, 55

eq peak filter 1: 145, 5, -38

eq peak filter 2: 1330, 13, -24

eq peak filter 3: 3150, 22, -33

eq peak filter 4: 3500, 40, -13

eq peak filter 5: 5000, 60, -15

eq peak filter 6: 5850, 45, -26

eq peak filter 7: 6000, 7, 30

eq peak filter 8: 7710, 40, -27

eq high shelf filter: 13000, 7, -10

3.3 Themes

You can select different themes, to customize the look of your iPod. Several are pre-installed, and you can add more using the Rockbox Utility, which is located on the iPod in /MyRBUtilities. For help using the Rockbox Utility, see https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/GraphicalInstall

$Description: Z:\source (NAS)\EMBEDDED\IPOD Development\Rockbox Help and Screenshots\Screendumps\dump 220826-161147.bmp$ Access themes via the menu:

Home->Settings->Theme Settings

$Description: Z:\source (NAS)\EMBEDDED\IPOD Development\Rockbox Help and Screenshots\Screendumps\dump 220726-184111.bmp$

In Theme Settings, select “Browse Theme Files”. Then, when you select a theme from the list, it will be applied immediately.

3.4 Troubleshooting

This section contains fixes for errors that I have run into, and hopefully will help you to avoid any potential issues.

3.4.1 Cannot Enter File Browser

If you cannot enter the file browser, some component of the path has changed, and Files can no longer find it’s entry point into the file system. The fix is to reset the file browser to start at the Root.

Settings->General Settings->File View->Start File Browser at /

Select this option and return to Files, which should now open successfully.

3.4.2 Music files are corrupted and do not play back correctly.

Using Rockbox when transferring files will result in file corruption. If this happens, simply reconnect as outlined above and replace the corrupted music files.