FM Radio on EU Version

[EnzoTen]

SanDisk has told some people that the FM Radio can be activated on the EU version of the e200 by updating the firmware with the US version. A user commented that she could not load the US firmware on the EU version of the e200 because it detected that it had already been loaded with EU firmware.

Now i am almost positive that these players are identical in the inside, so the FM hardware should be present in the EU version. It would just be a matter of firmware for activating the FM in the EU e200.

Anyway, there should be a way around this, a hack or trick of some sort. Have any of you EU users tried upgrading to the US firmware?

Edit: It is not that the firmware doesnt load, it is that European IP addresses are blocked from downloading the US firmware. So let us know if you get the FM working where it is not supposed to be.

Update: The hardware neccesary for FM operation is missing from the EU version of the e200. It is not possible to get the radio to work on the EU version.

[CrowdAds]

[schnupi]

i would love to answer that question but the e270 isnt out here yet... i thought the radio function is activated anyway on the eu version. i thought that the eu version was not able to record radio station music as such.. oh well. it is really annoying me how sansa ruined my view of this player with their constant FW problems...

[Michel]

Hmm, according to the german SanDisk support, the e270 here will have the FM Radio and the possibility to record radio as well.
But as schnupi said, the player is not out yet so who knows if this is true...

[pjdk]

I live in the UK and ordered a 260 from expansys (uk online retailer). It arrived a couple of days ago. I can confirm that my 260 has a radio and I can record from it. In case this helps it had firmware 01.00.12A (the latest) already installed.

[Jaer]

I bought the e260 from a local retailer in Sweden and there is no FM radio available on the player. It has a firmware numbered 01.00.12 (without the A at the end). If someone could provide me with the non-EU version of the firmware I will update the player and report back if I can get the FM radio going.
If you have the non-EU firmware available please send me a PM for my email address.

/Jaer

[EnzoTen]

Originally Posted by Jaer

I bought the e260 from a local retailer in Sweden and there is no FM radio available on the player. It has a firmware numbered 01.00.12 (without the A at the end). If someone could provide me with the non-EU version of the firmware I will update the player and report back if I can get the FM radio going.
If you have the non-EU firmware available please send me a PM for my email address.

/Jaer

Jaer Check your PM

[Jaer]

I have now tried three different versions of the firmware and they all seem identical. I do not think the difference is in the firmware but some configuration file on the player decide which version gets loaded. If someone with radio activated could provide me with the two files located in the root folder of the player called (preferrably from an e260),
version.sdk
VERSION.TXT
I could keep trying to get the radio working.
If you are not comfortable with providing me with the files the second best option would be to copy/paste their content when opening them in notepad in a pm.
/Jaer

[Jaer]

I used the two "version" files from an e250 with radio enabled (thank you, EnzoTen) as models and changed my own config files. Then I could get the firmware to update to 01.00.12A instead of 01.00.12E. So the firmware file is identical for all the different regions. And it also resulted in the player having an FM radio menu.
But here trouble begins. In the radio setings you can choose regions USA/Japan/World. I could not change this setting from USA, it would let me try but it would not have any effect. And I could not find any signal on the FM band when scanning through (88-108). I will try to change a few things more tomorrow and see what happens.
/Jaer

[hjulskov]

Originally Posted by Jaer

I will try to change a few things more tomorrow and see what happens.
/Jaer

Good job Jaer!

Hopefully I'll recieve my e250 today -maybe someone could send me the config files from a radio-enabled e250 -and I'll try myself to get the radio to work.

/Hjulskov

[joknjokn]

Please someone, send me the version files from an e260 with fm working =) Would be really nice!

[Jaer]

Please use caution when experimenting with modified config files. I do not think you should just replace the config files. They contain information specific to that piece of hardware. For all I know you might end up with a shiny piece of metal and plastic that is unusable. I have been doing this with my own player because I enjoy fiddling around with things like this and if this go totally wrong it is not the end of my world.

In other words, dont blame me if you mess up. And do note in my post above that I only managed to load the American firmware version which gave me a FM menu. I did not get a functional FM radio (yet ).
/Jaer

[joknjokn]

Originally Posted by Jaer

In other words, dont blame me if you mess up. And do note in my post above that I only managed to load the American firmware version which gave me a FM menu. I did not get a functional FM radio (yet ).
/Jaer

Uhm.. Then, it is not working by changing version-stuff and install non-eu firmware? Not at all? =( Thought somebody made the radio work by doing something like that.. but not yet?

[Elvis]

Jaer, who has reached the furthest here, has gotten the menu choices enabled but no radio functionality. Personally, I suspect that Sandisk actually saves a few bucks per unit by not including the tuner chip in the European version. The plant process adjustments are trivial to set up in an automated production facility and the savings over big series would be significant.

Of course, I might well be wrong. We'll wait and see. But for now, the soon to be introduced Meizu M6 looks like an ever more alluring choice.

[schnupi]

well i ve to say that if there is no FM Tuner in the EU version i am not going to buy this thing. simple as that.. i'd rather buy a new phone with a radio in it and space for a sd card..

[stevie_wonder]

Eventually you could order the american version with FM-tuner.

But not many companies are delivering the american version overseas at the moment.... There is one called Neutronexpress and another called Adorama, which i read about in a post on this site (thank you who ever you are - i dont remember)

But I live in Denmark, and also wanted the unit with FM-tuner...and the price is actually a few bucks cheaper than buying the European unit here in Denmark.

But on the otherhand there seems to be a little "waiting"...they expect backorder at the 3rd of June as far as I remember...

[hjulskov]

Originally Posted by stevie_wonder

Eventually you could order the american version with FM-tuner.

But not many companies are delivering the american version overseas at the moment.... There is one called Neutronexpress, which i read about in a post on this site (thank you who ever you are - i dont remember)

But I live in Denmark, and also wanted the unit with FM-tuner...and the price is actually a few bucks cheaper than buying the European unit here in Denmark.

But on the otherhand there seems to be a little "waiting"...they expect backorder at the 3rd of June as far as I remember...

I live in Denmark too -and bought the e250 locally -hoping that it has the radio build in and someone can hack it.
The main reason why I didn't order the american version is that the danish customs usually claim taxes and the danish post claims 50 DKR for claiming the taxes -so it ends up beeing quite expensive

Btw. despite the missing radio it really is a nice little thing

/Hjulskov

[schnupi]

Originally Posted by stevie_wonder

Eventually you could order the american version with FM-tuner.

But not many companies are delivering the american version overseas at the moment.... There is one called Neutronexpress, which i read about in a post on this site (thank you who ever you are - i dont remember)

But I live in Denmark, and also wanted the unit with FM-tuner...and the price is actually a few bucks cheaper than buying the European unit here in Denmark.

But on the otherhand there seems to be a little "waiting"...they expect backorder at the 3rd of June as far as I remember...

ok but lets say u ordered the american version, which I was about to do from neutronexpress months ago, what happens though if the mp3 player breaks? now wouldnt that be awkward to send back and then get send back again fixed? just imagine how long that would take...I think that is what stopped me buying this mp3 player from the US

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by schnupi

ok but lets say u ordered the american version, which I was about to do from neutronexpress months ago, what happens though if the mp3 player breaks? now wouldnt that be awkward to send back and then get send back again fixed? just imagine how long that would take...I think that is what stopped me buying this mp3 player from the US

Yeah, this is a deal breaker. If you order from the US, you had better hope that the product will be perfect, or you're looking at roundtrip times for warranty repairs measured in weeks. The exception is Apple, since they have a worldwide warranty that your local branch will honor for support and repair no matter where it was bought - but this is anythingbutipod.

Given the many build issues with the Sansa e200 series, I wouldn't by on over mail order, let alone from an US source. This is one unit I just wanna be able to go back to the store with.

[Elvis]

Anyway... Jaer, I guess you've had no further luck with enabling radio on the Euro player?

[joknjokn]

Ís it possible to weight the american and the european version to se if there is "missing" som small stuff in the european?