From: Jerry Van Baren <gerald.vanbaren_at_smiths-aerospace.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2004 15:53:27 -0500

Kathy Szinnyey/Fred Otto wrote:
> ...hook the remote control port up to your ear-lobe and generate a small
> electric shock - LOL Ouch!
>
> Okay, so yous guys are just about the coolest hacks I know. Okay,
> so maybe my flattery won't get me anywhere, but I do hope you all
> think about this some more. I'd just like to know, as a totally
> blind person, whether I'm recording or paused. It's such a sad
> moment in my day when I think I've pressed that play button twice
> only to discover somehow I still wasn't recording!
>
> On another subect . . . Why do we sometimes get weird sounds from
> the hard drive during a recording? My husband and I were recording
> a performance, and we went back to listen to it, there were a couple
> of odd squeals that came from out of nowhere. Seemed to somehow be
> coming from the hard drive.
>
> Thanks for all your help and for all the interesting discussion.
>
> Kathy Szinnyey
> _______________________________________________
> http://cool.haxx.se/mailman/listinfo/rockbox

It would take a non-trivial hardware mod (DISCLAIMER: I have not looked
at the motor specs to verify that this would work)...

If you removed the red LED and fed the wires out the case (perhaps use
the 4th connection on the line in jack (?) -- the "digital out" line),
you could connect a pager vibration motor to the wires. When Rockbox is
ready to record it blinks the LED, which would give an intermittent
vibration. When it is recording, the LED is on which would give
continuous vibration.

           __
          ---- NO pushbutton switch
v+ >----o o-+----+
               | |
               - |
         diode ^ (O) vibrator motor
               | |
LED >---------+----+

I would add the normally open pushbutton switch so that the motor is
driven only when you need the feedback. I would also mount this in a
remote box so that it is protected and the vibrations are isolated from
the Rockbox (important if you are using the built-in mic).

----
On your second question, are you using the built-in mic?  It picks up 
the hard drive mechanical noise.  There is no avoiding this.
Some people have also complained that the hard drive (apparently) 
induces noise in the power supply lines which is picked up by the analog 
input circuitry even though they are using the line-in function.  This 
seemed to be a function of individual units, not a cross-the-board issue.
gvb
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Received on 2004-12-21