clock setting and line clock doesn't set

v2.0b3

Two things i just noticed, that i can't seem to find reports for.

1. I keep having to reset my clock. I just did it for the fourth time. I haven't had a chance to see exactly when it gets off sync... whether it's from AC to DC or what. But it's not when i just pull AC power and plug it back in. I'll watch it more closely to see if i can determine when it happens.

2. The other oddity is that after you reset the clock, the Line Info clock stays at the previous time, while the Visual clock works as would be expected and changes to the newly set time. This is remedied by a power cycling


|| loren.cox ||

Possibly a hardware failure. I've seen one unit with an exploded supercap (which is what runs the RTC when power is off).

Hugo

Argh, that's not what i wanted to hear. What would cause that?

Is there any way for me to visually verify if the cap is blown? (i'm guessing so). And if so, is it something i can fix or should it be sent in

Soo.... where is it, my warranty is up and i'm not afraid of cracking the hood again. =]


|| loren.cox ||

On the right hand side of the PCB, near the back - behind the HDD connector - is a little (maybe 8mm diameter) round cap, with a lead going from the top back down the side of the component to the PCB.

If there is a pool of mush around this, then it's definitely blown (though it could go without such visible signs).

The way to really check is this: get a voltmeter and check the voltage between the top of the cap and the bottom of it (the other pin is just visible on the other side of the cap). It should be around 3.5v-ish. If it's dead, it'll read <0.5v when the empeg is not powered.

Hugo

Okay, i took the lid off, and took a picture, which is attached with an arrow pointing to the cap (at least i hope so =).

Doesn't look blown to me... I don't have a voltmeter (i know i know) so i'll see if i can borrow one tomorrow and check it further. Thanks for the info!


|| loren.cox ||

Could i just replace the cap myself? Or is that a bad idea?

If so could you provide a part number and how much would a cap like that cost me?? Any idea what would have caused the cap to fail?

questions questions questions... =]


|| loren.cox ||

Yes, you could do it yourself; you'd have to be good at soldering and very careful. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're experienced with electronic rework.

The part number from www.farnell.com is 303-6790, it's £1.43.

No idea what would make it fail, though. It's charged fairly slowly and is rated at 5v (we only use it to about 3.5v max).

Hugo

Ran to RatShack on the way home and picked me up a multimeter... finally. Lets see here....

Sonofa.... I get .21v and falling by the second. .197v.... .196v. Argh. So what would be the repair cost on shipping this puppy back and getting a new cap? That would make it the 6th (3rd if your counting it round-trip) time this little puppy's been over the Atlantic... and i've only been over it twice! I think my empeg fell ill to just about every fault there was. But it's still'a'playin'.


|| loren.cox ||

That would make it the 6th (3rd if your counting it round-trip) time this little puppy's been over the Atlantic... and i've only been over it twice!

It is collecting frequent flier miles...

Seriously, extremely bad luck...

Dragi "Bonzi" Raos
Zagreb, Croatia
Q#5196, MkII#80000376, 18GB green

argh, i guess i'll just email support about it. I don't REALLY need the clock i guess... so maybe i'll just live with it until i get some dying urge to have a working clock.

Hugo... is there any reason it would be a bad idea to leave the dying cap in there? Is it used for anything else?


|| loren.cox ||

No, it's just connected to the RTC. Leaving it in there shouldn't cause any problems.

Hugo

2. The other oddity is that after you reset the clock, the Line Info clock stays at the previous time, while the Visual clock works as would be expected and changes to the newly set time. This is remedied by a power cycling

I just upgraded my player to 2.00 beta 3 and tried to set the clock from the player's menu. It updated the clock, but I saw exactly what was described above.

Mine is having the same problem after recently installing 2.0b3 and attempting to use the clock for the first time. It doesn't remember the time settings after being turned off (either completely removed from power or in-car with accessory power off). I'm assuming this is not the correct behavior. How long should it take the RTC cap to charge to its full 3.5v? Does it only charge when the unit is on? Or should it also charge in the car with everything off? - Eric

The fact that the info-screen clocks do not properly update, but the visual clock does, is a known bug that is fixed in the next release of the software.

The RTC will charge when in-car and the unit is in full shutdown (or anytime it's on/standby); it takes maybe 30-60 minutes to fully charge up. It should hit something like 3.2v peak; anything below 2v and the supercap isn't working right.

Hugo

Does that mean that if every single minute the empeg is in my car, I have it ON and playing music, that the RTC will never charge? Does it charge with the 12vdc mains connector at home?

Bruno

No, I said it'll charge anytime basically, INCLUDING when it is in-car and totally "off". The charging current is miniscule.

Hugo

Hugo - Thanks for the help. After checking mine, the cap seems to be fine . Its just a touch under 3.5v. Unfortunately the system won't retain the time and date during a complete system shutdown (either with or without power). Is there anything else I should check before contacting support? I'd like to avoid parting with the unit if possible. Although I did just get an iPod, so I suppose I would survive ;-).

Very strange; can you send me a boot log ([email protected])?

The RTC is connected to some GPIO pins on the audio sampler chip. If this is not working (has been heard of before) then the RTC won't work.

Hugo