Saber Hand Wind Audio Player - Maintenance Guide
3.2.8 Player Firmware
The functionality of the player is defined by special binary software that has been installed onto the
player. It may be possible in the future to have updates to this firmware made available for the
player. There will be specific software necessary for this task, and the connection will be made via
the USB port. Please refer to section 6 Firmware Updates for steps to upgrade firmware.
3.2.9 Player Boot Sequence and Reset button
When the player turns on, the green light flashes fast indicating that it is reading the firmware, and
building the play list. Both these functions are very important, and require steady power. If for some
reason, there is not a reliable supply of power, it is possible to corrupt the firmware files. This will
prevent the player playing audio files. If this problem was to occur, it is often seen that the green
light flashes quickly, and then the player turns off straight away without playing any audio. If this
fault occurs, please:
–
press the recessed reset button and retest.
–
Connect the player to a computer. Delete the following hidden files:
–
MUSIC.LIB
–
MUSIC.SEC
–
SETTINGS.DAT
–
TEMP.DAT (if file exists on the player)
–
TIME.DAT (if file exists on the player)
–
These files are hidden files. If you use Windows Explorer and you can't see the files
you will need to change the attributes of the files. Go to Tools - Folder Options.
Click on the View button. Select
Show hidden files and folders
and unselect
Hide
protected operating system files
. You should now be able to see the hidden files
–
Format the Saber internal memory to FAT32. This can be achieved via the SaberCopy utility.
NOTE:
This will delete the audio files on the player. Audio files will need to be reloaded
onto the player after this is done.
–
If these options do not work, it is necessary to reload the firmware. Contact Global
Recordings Network at
saber@globalrecordings.net
for further instructions and for the latest
firmware.
How to prevent Boot Sequence problems
Especially when the players are used out in a village situation, there is a real possibility that the
batteries are low. If the users can be taught to turn the handle for a short time before turning the
machine on this should put enough charge in the batteries to prevent the player turning off before
the index is built. It is important for the people to continue turning the handle when the player is
playing. If there is access to power or solar they can charge the batteries on a regular basis.
Reset Button:
If the controller halts and is not responding to any button control, the reset button will help to restart
the controller back to normal. The button is not designed for everyday use, but may assist with the
actions above if a problem was to occur within the circuitry.
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