thanx, now i dont have to do it =)

From some angles, it looks surprisingly like my old mobile phone with I took apart...

it has been a pleasure commenting on this blog then having it deleted. Thank you!

Sorry Bruce, it may be the spam filter. I had to turn it up because i am getting over 1000 comment spams per day... its frustrating... i dont know what else to do...?

Well, most spam messages have the same contents in them, so obviously you'd filter "v1agr4" and "WINN3R!!".
You can also get a harvester trap to capture email harvester bots and send them into an endless loop. It's really cool.
http://www.neilgunton.com/doc/spambot_trap
http://emptv.com/spiketrap/

sorry but did you ever review this new c240 versus the old c150? that'd be a very interesting comparison.

Yeah, I'd love to see a review of the c240 or c250. On paper they sound great; but how are they in the gym? (Can you even get a compatible armband?)

I actually have both the c240 and c250 on order for my wife and I respectively. JC, Bestbuy does have compatible armbands for $24.99 but only one style. I would also like to see a review on these players aswell, mostly to see if I ordered a good product.

There's actually a new review for both c200s at the cnet.com website. I think they were a little hard on it, myself, but you can read it for yourself...

--http://reviews.cnet.com/SanDisk_Sansa_c250_2GB/4505-6490_7-32078916.html?tag=pdtl-list

When it is off, the battery goes dead. I charge it up, and twelve hours later it is dead, regardless of whether it's been on or not.
Does anyone else have this problem?

I have been researching MP3s for about a week. I am buying one for my wife as as xmas present. The three requirements are: FM radio, good sound and ease of use. I have checked out the usual suspects sansa, creative, samsung, rio and found the sansa C250 to be the best choice. The sound is superior thant the Zen V and is equally good as the expensive players and the price is certainly right. If all you are looking for is great sound without all the kiddie features offered by majufacturers today this may be the one for you.

My wife does not want or need all the non-audio features. At the end of the day is about how good it sounds. She has better things to do than loading videos and other nonsense into an music player.

Coyikibod - I got one for c250 for Chirstmas and I have not had any problems with the battery. I love the player. I have not had much luck finding a jacket for it at any of the stores. Might end up buying the DLO Jam Jacket online.

Hello, nice dissection, but, can you tell me by chance who produces the TFT LCD in this Sansa, that is, any and all numbers that can be found on the panel?? What interface it uses? I ask because I am wondering if I could upgrade my own Sansa's LCD. If I and we, knew the part number and manufacturer, then we could find the specs, and thus know which replacement LCD's would be good candidates.

Hey Im having this problem with my headphone jack. By the way it looks, the headphone jack is only picking up one side audio wise. I looked in the jack and saw that one of the gold prongs is flaten on the left side. Is there a way to fix this prong or should I just buy a new one?

Is there anywhere at all that a replacement LCD can be bought for the sansa and would this be covered by a warranty?

I also have a c250 that is broken (playing out of one side). Any luck getting that pin unbent? If so, how?

I'm also having a problem with the sound in my MP3 player. I got mine in November and within a week the sound would only come out one side. I took it back and got another one and the sound went out on that one too. However, with the second one, it took over a month for it to go. Now it's too late and BestBuy won't let me return it. I suppose I could call the manufacturer, but really, when you pay a lot of money for something, you expect it to be good. Right?

Sometimes, when I turn the player on, it will freeze up and I have to pop the battery out and then put it back in for it to work. Anyone else have this problem?

And if I download songs on my computer and then plug the MP3 player into another computer I can't see the files at all. Most of the time it's a completely different set up when I open the Sansa folder. So if I want to be able to see all the songs when I plug the device into the computer, I have to do all my downloading from the same computer. It's frustrating.

I'm also having problems deleting songs from my player. I'll delete them while it's plugged in to the computer but the songs are still on the player. When I open the files on the computer, I don't see the songs anywhere (because I deleted them) and I don't know how I'm gonna get rid of them. I don't want the songs on my player but I can't figure out what to do. Can anyone help? Also, I deleted a few CDs from the player to make more room, but the songs were still on the player. I couldn't see them or play them but they were hidden on the device taking up space. It took me a few days to figure out why there was no more space on the player even though I deleted a lot of songs.

All in all, this device is more trouble than it's worth. Sorry this post was so long, but I'm having a lot of problems with it and I was wondering if anyone was experiencing the same things. Thanks for listening guys and any help you can give. ^_^

I was wondering......does anyone know were to get a replacement LCD screen for this thing?

I'm having the exact same problems as Cortney...
I'm also having sound on only one side now, and the player freezes a lot too.

Now I want to fix the jack, but I'm not that technical... so can anyone give me some tips?

ps) I had my player set up in Dutch language. But after I downloaded Hebrew language support the Dutch just disappeared and only 4 languages are left.

I'm wondering... maybe next time I should buy an iPod... haha

I barely got my sandisk c200 for my birthday 3 months ago and already it's giving me problems. Everytime I turn my c200 mp3 player on, I can't see the screen light up but when I use and point a flashlight on the screen I can barely see the menu settings on there such as FM radio, music, photo, etc., Can anybody help me out. The chumps at Sandisk aren't doing anything to help me.

As for the broken headphone jacks, contact Sandisk and they will replace the player for you. If the player is freezing, just hold the [power button down for 30-60 seconds and it will power cycle it. If it does not (which it should, most people do not hold it down long enough) then update the firmware.

I work for Sandisk tech support :)

d lo: Contact Sandisk again. I must say I do not believe you were told that nothing would be done about it.

I appreciate Matt's tips, but I have done two firmware updates with no appreciable improvements. Are we stuck with "just power cycle" the player as a fix. I have a support/rma into sandisk and awaiting reply.

I'm looking for a case/armband for the c200 series. But not for $25.99 that is crazy. If anyone find them cheaper please let me know....... It is truly great for the gym or bike riding.........excellent sound !!
2bwj_only@ameritech.net

I Have one c240 .After i format with NTFS its lost disc what cani find solution..win xp see F and G drives with zero bit

Antonio, You're supposed to format in FAT 32. Now you might have to call SanDisk and try to get a replacement firmware.

hi, any idea of what is the function and/or pinout of the large connector on the left appart from being the place to put the USB cable? it has way too many pins to be just the USB,
cheers.

YO I NEED HELP O.O Some songs that i download and put into my Sansa c200 have some weird names on like 0000002 or somthing so how do i fix this problem some songs dont show all the info to :o

I have had this MP3 player for a month and generally like it. The other day I did a firmware update and now the only thing that happens is the blue light lights up around the buttons. The only way to get the blue light to stop is to take out the battery. I have tried to contact Scandisk by email but have gotten no response. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

My recommendation to anyone considering buying this MP3 Player is DO NOT SANSA WILL NOT SUPPORT THEIR PRODUCTS AND WILL GIVE YOU THE RUN AROUND. I have been thru 2 C240s both have had problems freezing including cd and MP3s. I contacted Sanza and they said the problem was the source and they can not guarentee that the product will work unless it is store bought/subscrition services. This is after I went thru and followed their instructions and spent many hours on this problem. I even explained to the guy on the phone "who was treating me like a little kid" that obviously It is not only me with this problem because I get thousands of hits regarding this problem. The guy blew me off. DO NOT BOTHER WASTING ANY TIME WITH THIS COMPANY.

I just called Sansa about my earphones not working properly and they told that they would send me a new pair but they wouldn't tell me when =(. They better send me those new pairs or I'm never gonna buy another thing from Sansa.

I'm having problems with my new sansa c240.

after I edited an MP# tag it gets stuck on "refreshing Database".

It connetcs as a 16MB-FORMAT USB drive, but the only file on it is VERSION.TXT

Over the last two days I've downloaded some utilities to reformat the sansa but the software simply can't see the sansa connected.

MATT, I need your help! this was a gift from some American relatives so I don't have a receipt for return. unsure if I still have the warranty stuff.

Darren, I have the exact same issue with this (now worthless) mp3 Player.. Any help would be appreciated with this... I am very disappointed right now.

Does anyone know where I can find a replacement LCD screen for my Sandisk Sansa e250? If anyone knows of a site that sells them, please let me know! Thanks!

i need help i have a sansa c240 and there are 45 songs that wont erase i have formated the mp3 player and yet they are still there any ideas on how to solve this? plz help

I have 3 Sansa now and all 3 (c 240) have failed one side of the headphones. Sound only comes out the right side and the headphone jack seeems to be the problem because if you wiggle the headphone cable a little, some sound will start playing out the left side.

SanDisk has been nice to replace them each time, but this is getting annoying. I've not been able to play mine for more than a few days before having this problem. First C240 did last about 3 months before this happened, but the two replacements only lasted 2-3 days before failing.

After all this trouble, and also having the song skip/ not play problems with it also, i have to say that SanDisk should do a totall recall of this product. I'll never buy another one from them as this is getting worse than Windows 3.1

Hope this helps everyone.

David

I got my Mp3 player at Christmas. It's the same brand of mp3 player, but its smaller than the one on this page. Mine was certainly not worth the $110.00 I paid for it. Mine's already broken. It freezes all the time and it only plays out of one side of the earphones. Next time, I'm buying an iPod.

I got my c240 for xmas, and have used it daily since. i can say i have had none of the problems that anyone has complained about on this blog. i am happy with this product.

For some reason the sound on mine completely stopped working. It went fuzzy for a day or two, and I tried switching to a different set of headphones, but no matter which set i tried it didn't work.

The headphone problem is due to the use of a surface mount 3.5mm audio jack that is used inside.

The first unit I bought had the problem right OOB, and the replacement lasted just over 2 months before it happened again. I dismantled it before returning it to CostCo for an exchange (refund + repurchase = fresh warranty) and could visibly see the pad separation on the jack.

I assumed this might be an issue with these the moment I tested the first unit -- looks like I was correct ;) Product Replacement Program perhaps?

Hy, Does anyone know where I can find a replacement LCD screen for my Sandisk Sansa e260? If anyone knows of a site that sells them, please let me know! Thanks!

Hy, Does anyone know where I can find a replacement LCD screen for my Sandisk Sansa e260? If anyone knows of a site that sells them, please let me know! Thanks!

Hy, Does anyone know where I can find a replacement LCD screen for my Sandisk Sansa e260? If anyone knows of a site that sells them, please let me know! Thanks!

Thanks for the insight on the headphones working on only one side--this just showed up yesterday after one week of using the C250. SanDisk is sending us another player and the tech guy said the problem has been fixed and will not happen with the replacement.

I suppose there could be a lot of bad players out there from before their "fix". Let's hope it's real and I don't have this problem again.

Thanks again for the great forum!

I am having the exact same problem as David with the player. The sound only comes out of the ride side of the earphones. I am sure the problem is not the headphone, but rather the earphone jack. Does anyone know where I can get this fixed? I've only had this item for about 5 months. Thanks.
-Geoffrey

I too am having problems with headphone jack Playing out of one Ear, etc. This is truly an epidemic. As soon as i fix, ill post the sollution.

I have the headphone jack problem too. It now only plays out of one side. 3 weeks after warranty expired too. Since it went out of warranty, Sandisk support cannot help. Otherwise, I really like the player but this is very disappointing.

hi i got my c240 2 weeks agop n today sound in my left headphone siezed i really need help with this plz someone if u find a solution send me a email at cubangangzter@aol.com

yes ive got that headphone jack problem too !

sansa e260 sucks

I got the headphone problem too. I purchased a sansa c250 from radioshack about 4 months ago. Does anyone have any experience getting this fixed?

i have the earphone problem too and i live on guam so i cant call sansa

Had the famous "earphone problem" too, but mine is worse - no sound at all out of the sansa e260...

I had this very problem with the earphone jack. The Sansa worked great for over 1 year, but then I started getting some dropping out of sound on the left side. At first it was intermittent and slowly it became almost all the time.

Today I went to an electronic shop and they opened up the unit. There was a small crack in the solder of the earphone jack on one side. So the electrician just used a fine point solder and fixed that, then strengthened the other solder points of the jack to make sure it won't happen again...

I hooked in the earphones....and it is PERFECT again!!!!

So, don't lose hope...just take it in to a decent electronics shop and they will most likely be able to fix your problem.

And he only took around US$10 for the job.

Beats buying a new player...

And other than that, it works great...sound quality is very nice...not as many DRM issues as the iPod and other units, and less expensive. They could have done a more sturdy headphone jack, and hopefully they have learned their lesson, but Sansa is a great product IMNSHO. (and I have to admit the problem probably had something to do with the fact that I am extremely rough with my 'toys' and that I use the Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones with it...which has a heavy cord that puts pressure on the jack if I am not careful)...so all in all, if it lasted more than 1 1/2 years with me, it is built quite strong

We gave our two eldest children a c240 each last Christmas. Our daughter uses hers more than our son, and hers went first. Initially just one side, then both. Then the audio went on one side of my son's. At this stage, the kids were hassling me, so I rang Sansa and they were both replaced.

That was is July, and my daughter's new player stopped working on one side in late September just before we were going on holiday. I rang to get it replaced (again) today. They are going to do it, but had to ask me where we get our music from. I was bemused so asked why. She said that the player isn't compatible with LimeWire and that might be causing the failure. She told me this wasn't a common problem with these devices and they were keen to find out why we were having some much trouble. With help from Google I found this thread, and confirmed my suspicion that she didn't know what she has talking about.

I will keep on getting them replaced when they fail until the warranty runs out, and then I'll try rakiah's suggestion with the soldering iron.

OK, same headphone jack problem here. It got so annoying that I decided to risk the consequences and rip this baby apart. Sure enought one of the jack legs had a cold solderjoint (the solder had not completely reflowed over the pin) as described above. I could press on the edge and see the pin lift away from the PCB pad. Looks like the others were touched up by hand because the pins were completely covered but the pin for the left side had been left as is. It is also the hardest to get it (because the SD cage is right next to it) so I'm wondering if they got sloppy. It's an easy problem to fix if you have a fine point soldering iron (big IF). A few tips: 1) Once you have the 4 inner and 4 outer screws off you have to carefully pry off the front, so be careful here 2) you then have to gently get the PCB out by carefully taking out the connector side first 2) there may be a riser card you have to take off to access the culprit jack pin, it is attached with some doubled sided stick foam. Hope this helps.

I was wondering if anyone might know the disassembly inside the display button's part of the Sansa c200. I think my player would fine if I could use the down button. It seems to be stuck somehow. When talking to the Sandisk tech-support guy, he said that it was glued together. After asking whether, if trying to separate the parts glued together, it might break or if it could be glued back together afterwards, he referred this site to me. Might anyone know if it's possible to fix the buttons? I also have a soldering iron.

FWIW, my son's e260 has been a wonderful unit- until he crushed the LCD. 6 months of listening & viewing pleasure with no problems. I still think these are a great way to go. By the way, for every problem listed above there are probably 1000 satisfied customers who've not had a problem. Those who have understandably voice their ire, but satisfied customers tend to be less vocal.

Now looking for details on how the LCD is connected- can I use a heat gun to remove & resolder the LCD without frying the new LCD? I have no other special tools for SMT work.

In response to the broken down button:
This might help: I have a refurbished sansa e250 and I had a problem where it was registering the down key continuously. It turned out that the problem was caused by a lack of a spacer just below the front lid (where the buttons are attached on the inside). I put some electrical tape in there to offset the front cover on the inside and it fixed the problem.

Note: I too have had 1 case of the headphone jack left side failure...and I plan on reinforcing the 3 others after I replace the capacitor and resolder the joint (I bought 4 from buy.com)...= /

These pictures where helpful in taking apart my c250 for repairs. I had the problem with the headphone jack, only one side was working. After taking it apart, the left side of the headphone jack had disconnected from the pcb. After re-soldering, it's now working like it should. Since I had it open I reinforced the right side of the headphone jack as well.

Thank You for the pictures and comments :)

These pictures where helpful in taking apart my c250 for repairs. I had the problem with the headphone jack, only one side was working. After taking it apart, the left side of the headphone jack had disconnected from the pcb. After re-soldering, it's now working like it should. Since I had it open I reinforced the right side of the headphone jack as well.

Thank You for the pictures and comments :)

Thanks for blazing the trail! I'd never soldered anything before, but now my headphone jack issue is no more!

As an aside, the internet is an amazing thing. I think I've saved close to $5000 learning to work on cars, a motorcyle, a washing machine, and now a Sansa c200 through forums like this.

Anyway, thanks again!

Just bought my son a c240. It worked great in the beginning, but later that evening the display got weird and the music sounds a little shaky at moments. Any ideas?

I just bought a Sansa c200 today and still cant figure it out . The directions don't tell me one thing. I'm sorry i bought it .
can anyone help me with some Direction ?? thanks

J L

Does anyone know exactly where I should solder my Sansa?

I pulled it apart last night and I see only 3 points where there is solder at the base of the headphone jack. At which point do I apply the solder? Is it good to reinforce all of the solder points in case of future breaks? Any help at all is greatly appreciated. Thanks!