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With the introduction of version 3.11 and continuing with 3.11.2, neither the Sansa Fuze v2 or the Sansa Fuze+ can play a song while the battery is being charged. Previous versions allowed the Sansa Fuze v2 to perform this action and many of the themes are set up to indicate that this is occurring.

Hardware device(s): Sansa® Fuze™ v2 (this exact same problem has also been heard on the Fuze+)
Original manufacturer’s firmware version: 02.03.33
Rockbox version: 3.11.2 (the current release), bc41926 and the current build

The problem described in the title is the same as that reported in  FS#12393 . Prematurely, Alex Parker (BigBambi) determined  FS#12393  fixed as reported in this message:

From: Rockbox(tracker@rockbox.org)
Sent: April-13-12 12:13:14 PM
To: terrythegreat-1@hotmail.com

The following task is now closed:

 FS#12393  - Annoying “click” before track restarts
User who did this - Alex Parker (BigBambi)

Reason for closing: Fixed
Additional comments about closing: Fixed in current build (bc41926, 13 April 2012)

More information can be found at the following URL:
http://www.rockbox.org/tracker/task/12393

• * This task was closed without giving me an opportunity to provide my feedback on whether the repair he did had been successful, which in this case it was not. This is an example of how MichaelGiacomelli (saratoga) did this properly with another bug fix:  FS#12633  - Loud “clunk” when the user manually skips back to the start of a WMA file
  User who did this - MichaelGiacomelli (saratoga)
  
  ———-
  Should be fixed in bc41926. Confirm and I’ll close it.
  ———-
  
  More information can be found at the following URL:
  http://www.rockbox.org/tracker/task/12633#comment42559 I was given the chance to review the changes and comment. As a result this bug is now fixed (the loud “clunk” no longer occurs) and this task is properly closed. As indicated above,  FS#12393  was not successfully fixed and this task is being submitted to replace it. At least some tests were conducted on the MP3 files I included and the problem confirmed (as reported in this earlier message to me): From: Rockbox(tracker@rockbox.org)
  Sent: April-13-12 12:06:49 PM
  To: terrythegreat-1@hotmail.com  FS#12393  - Annoying “click” before track restarts
  User who did this - Alex Parker (BigBambi)
  
  ———-
  Curiously I can reproduce this on Fuze v2, but only with the track attached to this bug report and not with any others that I tried. I don’t have any wma to try. I haven’t tried on any other targets.
  **

Firstly, I have conducted tests using bc41926, release 3.11.2 and the current build on this track and many others downloaded randomly from the internet, including MP3s and WMAs. The results are always the same as described in  FS#12393 . The attached tracks were produced on a friend’s computer using Windows Media Player 12 to rip them from a CD and then transferred to the player. However, I find that these tracks behave exactly the same as those produced on my computer and additionally that of the local university’s machines after a full virus scan. As reported in  FS#12393 , when the user skips back to the start of a track after a few seconds of play, there is an annoying “click” before the music restarts. Also this “click” now occurs whenever the user skips forward a track or back to the previous one. Admittedly, what Alex Parker (BigBambi) may have missed is that occasionally when the WPS playback is activated immediately after powering up the player the “click” may have a much lower volume until after this function is activated a few times. That is why a number of tests lasting a few minutes with a few tracks should always be run to determine whether this bug still occurs after a fix is applied. There may also have been some confusion because BigBambi and saratoga were working on fixing similar problems and their repairs were both included in daily release bc41926.

Secondly, the same problem also occurs on the Sansa Fuze+. It is true that this is classified as an unstable port but since the “click” occurs in the same manner and has exactly the same sound as on the Fuze v2, I can’t help but conclude that this is a problem with the firmware and not with the player or the tracks used.

I would be happy to review your new changes designed to fix this problem and provide constructive feedback. Your goal should be to make the Rockbox firmware as silent as the Sansa firmware during these transitions using the files attached to this report.

Note: this report covers a problem encountered while using the Sansa Fuze v2 with release 3.11

When I used releases 3.8.1 through 3.10 I could always plug in the battery charger while listening to a music track or the FM radio and continue to enjoy the tunes while the player was being recharged. Many of the themes did and still can indicate the ongoing charging process. Now when I plug in the charger in these circumstances the music stops, the controls are unresponsive and a screen with a picture of a USB plug appears while charging occurs. I consider this a “retrograde” bug unless the Rockbox team can convincingly explain to ALL USERS why this change occurred.

Reply to your repair of  FS#12633 

THIS IS THE MESSAGE YOU SENT ME:

The following task has a new comment added:

 FS#12633  - Loud “clunk” when the user manually skips back to the start of a WMA file
User who did this - MichaelGiacomelli (saratoga)

Should be fixed in bc41926. Confirm and I’ll close it.

The “clunk” has disappeared but this appears to have unmasked a similar problem originally reported in  FS#12393 . Coincidently, the same day I was sent a message from Alex Parker (BigBambi) about this problem. Here is a copy of the message I sent him that I urge you to read:

The following task has a new comment added:

 FS#12393  - Annoying “click” before track restarts
User who did this - Alex Parker (BigBambi)

Is this still a problem?

In one word: YES!

In fact both release 3.11 and the current build exhibit this problem and now it also occurs whenever the user manually skips back to the previous track or forward to the next. It is so noticeable that I can’t see how the new users can get a favorable impression of Rockbox when its firmware displays such behavior. Even worse, they can review the bug reports on your website and see that this problem has been around for some time. Please listen to the attached files (both MP3 and WMA) and notice that it occurs with both codec types. Always play an individual track for more than 3 seconds before taking any action. When I repeatedly skip forward and backward a track the “click” seems to get louder after the first skips. Next use the original manufacturer’s firmware to do the same thing. I find that the Sansa firmware does not make any noise when the user performs the same actions.

It is surprising for me that you sent this message at this time and after such a long delay, especially as this problem was going to be the subject of my next bug report. Previously the reply I got was that it did not occur in the daily builds after release 3.10 (which was true) and so I was under the impression that this bug had been fixed. Now it has resurfaced with the 3.11 release. Actually, this is not surprising since I and a number of other users have found that the 3.11 release has numerous bugs (it is such a dog). Already there has been a release 3.11.1 issued to replace it.

The first part of my strategy to get the Rockbox team to pay enough attention to this bug was to draw their attention to the worst part of the problem. Therefore I issued bug report  FS#12633  about the very loud “clunk” heard when a WMA file is skipped back to the start of the track. This was fixed last week by MichaelGiacomelli (saratoga) but the problem with the “click” remains. I have sent a message informing him of this and I hope he pays lots of attention to this problem since he is someone who repairs numerous bugs. I hope that you also will give a high priority to fixing this bug. If you do not inform me of your intentions on this matter within one week I will issue another bug report for the new users to read.

Note: this actually applies to the Sansa Fuze v2 but it is not listed in the Playter Type menu so I made the next closest selection

THIS IS THE MESSAGE YOU SENT ME:

The following task has a new comment added:

 FS#12393  - Annoying “click” before track restarts
User who did this - Alex Parker (BigBambi)

Is this still a problem?

In one word: YES!

In fact both release 3.11 and the current build exhibit this problem and now it also occurs whenever the user manually skips back to the previous track or forward to the next. It is so noticeable that I can’t see how the new users can get a favorable impression of Rockbox when its firmware displays such behavior. Even worse, they can review the bug reports on your website and see that this problem has been around for some time. Please listen to the attached files (both MP3 and WMA) and notice that it occurs with both codec types. Always play an individual track for more than 3 seconds before taking any action. When you repeatedly skip forward and backward a track the “click” seems to get louder after the first skips. Next use the original manufacturer’s firmware to do the same thing. I find that the Sansa firmware does not make any noise when the user performs the same actions.

It is surprising for me that you sent this message at this time and after such a long delay, especially as this problem was going to be the subject of my next bug report. Previously the reply I got was that it did not occur in the daily builds after release 3.10 (which was true) and so I was under the impression that this bug had been fixed. Now it has resurfaced with the 3.11 release. Actually, this is not surprising since I and a number of other users have found that the 3.11 release has numerous bugs (it is such a dog). Already there has been a release 3.11.1 issued to replace it.

The first part of my strategy to get the Rockbox team to pay enough attention to this bug was to draw their attention to the worst part of the problem. Therefore I issued bug report  FS#12633  about the very loud “clunk” heard when a WMA file is skipped back to the start of the track. This was fixed last week by MichaelGiacomelli (saratoga) but the problem with the “click” remains. I have sent a message informing him of this and I hope he pays lots of attention to this problem since he is someone who repairs numerous bugs. I hope that you also will give a high priority to fixing this bug. If you do not inform me of your intentions on this matter within one week I will issue another bug report for the new users to read.

Note: this report is about the Sansa Fuze v2 but since the Flyspray Player Type Menu does not have an entry for it I selected the next closest entry.

Hardware device: Sansa® Fuze™ v2
Original manufacturer’s firmware version: 02.03.33
Rockbox version: 3.11 (the current release)

Using the Rockbox Utility, I did a complete installation of release 3.11 and also downloaded and installed all of the themes offered. One of these themes is called “air”. This theme is popular with me but when I used it I found that it did not display the playbar image on the SBS and WPS displays as it had in the past.

As an experiment I deleted all the files (including .rockbox) from my player and then loaded a minimal version (without the themes package) of release 3.9 (I keep a copy of each of the last 5 releases) and the tracks I prefer into the MUSIC directory. I then downloaded the complete current themes package and installed them. I therefore ended up with release 3.9 on my player, all of the current themes (not the ones that came with release 3.9) and my song tracks. When the “air” theme was loaded and used it properly displayed the playbar image in both the SBS and WPS displays. I repeated the same procedure for releases 3.9.1 and 3.10. Again in each case the playbar displayed properly.

However, the playbar image is not displayed by the current release (3.11). In fact I have been noticing this problem in the “current” or “daily” build (which I consider experimental) for some time. I did not get overly concerned about it because the “air” theme playbar image always displayed properly whenever I used the new release version that appeared every 3 or 4 months. However, this is no longer the case and I must report it as a bug because no current firmware displays the playbar image.

Note: I see no need to include any attachments to this report because the above materials should be readily available to you. Play any music track you own when using the “air” theme.

Note: this bug report actually applies to the Sansa Fuze v2 but there is no entry for it in the Flyspray Player Type menu so I used the closest entry.

When the user manually skips back to the start of any WMA file while it is playing there is an annoying clunk (like a microphone being turned off) before the same music track begins again. The original Sansa® Fuze™ firmware does not have this problem.

Hardware device: Sansa® Fuze™ v2
Original manufacturer’s firmware version: 02.03.33
Rockbox version: 3.11 (the current release)
Attachments to this report: 2 WMA song files

Actions taken to isolate the problem(s) to the Rockbox firmware:
The attached WMA file (Stay.wma) was produced on a friend’s Windows 7 machine using Windows Media Player 12 to rip the track from a CD. The metadata was downloaded by Windows Media Player 12 which inserted it into the WMA file. I find that it gives the same results when ripped from the same CD on my machine. I try to avoid non-Microsoft software to rip CDs because this can introduce more problems.

Using any theme, skip back to the start of this track after playing it for several seconds or so (without pausing it first) and you should hear the unwanted noise just before the track restarts. Try this several times. You should get the same results every time.

To prove that this problem is not isolated to this single track (Stay.wma) I ripped another track at random from my CD collection. The name of this track is: 01 If Looks Could Kill.wma but it was too big (5.11 MB) for the tracker to attach to this report. Consequently, I cut it down to a length of 1 minute. This new file is called: 01 If Looks Could Kill [1 minute] and it is the second file attached to this report. You should find that this randomly selected track produces the same problem when the user manually skips back to the start (without pausing the track first) while using any theme to play it.

The point I am making is that the Rockbox firmware should be able to properly play a WMA file ripped from a CD using the facility provided by Microsoft Windows Media Player 12. It actually does that. But there should not be a loud “clunk” when the user manually skips back to the start of that file while playing it using the Rockbox firmware and any theme.

Note: this is a bug report for the Sansa Fuze v2 but this player type does not appear in the Player Type menu. This bug does also appear on the Sansa Fuze+

The characters ‘ (traditional left single quote), ’ (traditional right single quote or apostrophe), “ (traditional left double quote) and ” (traditional right double quote) from the metadata (song title, artist, album title) of any MP3 are each displayed as a box outlined in dots instead of the correct symbol on the WPS screen display. This occurs with all of the fonts and when any theme or codepage is being used. The original Sansa® Fuze™ firmware does not have this problem.

Hardware device: Sansa® Fuze™ v2
Original manufacturer’s firmware version: 02.03.33
Rockbox version: 3.11 (the current release)
Attachments to this report: 2 complete song files (MP3 & WMA, each under 2 megabytes in size)

Proof of complaint:
First, I avoided using ripping and tagging software downloaded from the internet because this can introduce further problems (such as a computer virus). Besides, I believe that Rockbox should be easy to use and that means using what the Windows 7 operating system already provides. In order to eliminate my computer as the source of the problem, the two files attached to this message, one an MP3 and the other a WMA, were produced on a friend’s Windows 7 machine using Windows Media Player 12 (WMP 12) to rip the tracks from a CD (WMP 12 was used twice, once to produce an MP3 file and the second time to produce a WMA file). In both cases, the metadata was downloaded by WMP 12 which inserted it into each file. I then opened Microsoft Word 2007 and using my favorite font Times New Roman I created the string: [‘’“”]. This string contains the traditional left and right single and double quote characters encased in square brackets. The appropriate song file was then located in the Windows 7 Music directory and the property dialogue box brought up by right clicking on the file and selecting the Properties menu option. Next the summary tab (Advanced option) was selected. The string was pasted into the appropriate location in a data field (song title, artist or album title) according to this scheme:
MP3: The string was pasted onto the end of the song title and artist name. A character called the Greek Tonos (a symbol that can be inserted into a Word 2007 document while using the Times New Roman font) was added to the end of the artist name field.
WMA: The string was pasted onto the end of the song title and artist name.

When these files appear in a WPS screen display (using any font or any theme or codepage) I get these results:
MP3: The traditional single and double quote characters in the song title are not displayed properly when the Rockbox firmware is utilized. Instead a box outlined in dots appears in each case. The traditional single and double quote characters in the artist name are displayed properly (along with the Greek Tonos character appended onto the end). All of the characters in the song title are properly displayed when using the original SanDisk Sansa firmware.
WMA: The traditional single and double quote characters in the song title and artist name are displayed properly when using the Rockbox firmware.

Further experiments showed that the bit rate selected did not matter. The results are exactly the same as I get after using my computer to produce the MP3 and WMA files. Also try deleting the Greek Tonos character in the MP3 metadata artist name field and see what happens. Admittedly, this was a somewhat elaborate experiment, but in my view the results show that there is indeed a problem with the way in which the Rockbox firmware displays the traditional left and right single and double quote characters from metadata on an MP3. It is also clearly obvious that the Rockbox firmware has access to the proper symbols to display.

A visual display of the problem I am encountering can be found at: www.terrythegreat.wordpress.com

Please display the attached files on your Sansa Fuze v2 before pronouncing whether or not there is a problem as described above.

Disclaimer: Any music file I provide to the Rockbox crew is for testing and evaluation purposes, not for public broadcast, as per the copyright laws.

Player: Sansa Fuze v2
Original manufacturer’s firmware version: 02.03.33
Rockbox version: 3.10 (current version)

The characters ‘ (left single quote), ’ (right single quote or apostrophe), “ (left double quote), ” (right double quote) and : (colon) from the metadata (song title, artist, album title) of any MP3 (ID3v2.3) are displayed as a box outlined in dots on the WPS screen display. This occurs with all of the fonts and when any theme is being used. The original Sansa® Fuze™ firmware does not have this problem.

For visual proof of this complaint, view the website: www.terrythegreat.wordpress.com (At 9.47 Megabytes, it was too big for your file attachment limits)

When the user manually skips back to the start of an MP3 (ID3v2.3) there is an annoying click before the same music track begins again (Obviously this occurs after a few seconds of play). First the songs stops, there is an small instant of silence, followed by a click, then another small instant of silence, then the song restarts. The original Sansa® Fuze™ firmware does not have this problem.

Player: Sansa® Fuze™
Rockbox Release: 3.9.1
Contact for details: TerryTheGreat-1@hotmail.com

Suggestion: If this is not the proper way to submit a bug then give DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS on how to do it properly

Player: Sansa® Fuze™
Rockbox Version: 3.9 (first noticed in previous version)

The characters ‘ (left single quote) , ’ (right single quote or apostrophe) , “ (left double quote), ” (right double quote) and : (colon) from the MP3 (ID3v2.3) metadata (song title, artist, album title) are displayed as a box outlined in dots when accessing the database menu and on the WPS screen; they are displayed correctly in the file menu (The characters ' and " are not the single and double quote marks. In fact they denote feet and inches). This occurs with all of the fonts. The Sansa® Fuze™ firmware does not have this problem.