Greetings!

Well, I got the "official go-ahead" from the folks@empeg to check the drive cables.

First impressions:

1) They really mean "no user servicable parts inside".
2) Child labor is the only way anyone can work for any length of time in such a confined space.
3) I agree with the "do not enter" warranty policy. It is a very compact design, with little space to spare. I am not a small person (read this as very large), and working in the unit made me a bit nervous.

Taking the fascia off was easy. I had a brief moment of worry when the bottom button decided to jump off the table onto the floor, but it did not get away.

Opening the unit, I did not notice any hot glue around the hard drive connectors. It may have been on the bottom of the tray, but I did not see any. A close visual inspection showed nothing wrong. Sigh.

Removing the shock tray was a bit tight. At first, there seemed to be a slight cable resistance at the left-rear of the unit, but it lifted free quite easily after I was able to get my fingers in there. I looked at the main board. Visually everything was OK. I placed my finger on the hard drive connector, and gave a slight push. It slid onto the pins with a reassuring "THOK". Well, it was probably barely on. It looked connected, but was just hanging in place. One note: FedEx cannot read or understand the concept of "This End Up". Maybe being shipped, stuck in customs and delivered upside-down shook the connector loose???

Closed up the unit, and tried it out. Perfect! I loaded up Developer 1.01 RC2 without any problem. Configured the time and initial settings. My next step is to do the "no guts, no glory" attempt to download 21GB of music at one shot. This is running as I type. So far, it progresses well...

Thanks to the folks@empeg - great unit! Also thanks to Alex Lear and Tony Fabris for the documentation on how to get at the player. I studied it well in advance of the notification, and I found it extremely helpful!


Paul G.
Q# 15189
SN# 090000587