Sansa e200 'V2'

[solstone]

I haven't seen this mentioned here yet, so thought I would share some new info. Sandisk has released a newer version of the e200 series (with Audible support) but it doesn't appear (at the moment, anyway) that you can install rockbox on them.

Here is a thread I found on the RB forum:

http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=13865.0

(Note: it looks like the original poster on that forum is having a different issue, but scroll down a little and you will see where the v2 is mentioned.)(Edit: In the first reply in fact. Just looked again...)

I discovered this over the weekend as I was trying to help a friend get RB on his new sansa e280. It turns out it is definitely a v2 model, and now I know why we were having no success. I put RB on mine in like 3 minutes with no problems (weeks ago, mine obviously not a v2), and we fussed around with his for 2 hours before giving up.

Anybody else know anything about the new chipset or what it has that the original e200s lack? I noticed that it seems to boot a little faster, but it also has no usb mode option.

--Sol

[CrowdAds]

[cpchan]

Originally Posted by solstone

Anybody else know anything about the new chipset or what it has that the original e200s lack? I noticed that it seems to boot a little faster, but it also has no usb mode option.

Just a guess. Audible DRM decryption key in hardware like Rhapsody in the e200r. It most likely uses a different decryption key for the firmware too.

Charles

[saratoga]

Originally Posted by solstone

Anybody else know anything about the new chipset or what it has that the original e200s lack? I noticed that it seems to boot a little faster, but it also has no usb mode option.

--Sol

No one has ever reported having a Sansa V2 before, so until now I didn't even think they existed. We are still waiting for someone to take one apart.

[skaos]

Can you please check:
1. Firmware version - the v2 may have 3.x.x whereas the e200(v1) uses 1.x.x
2. Is there a "e280v2" on the back of the player.
3. Is there a line with "supports audible audio file formats" on the packaging.

If it turns out to be a v2, is it possible to persuade your friend to take the player apart, take some phots (or flatbed scans) and post them somewhere?

[terrence1019]

is this the end of rockbox on the e200? :O

[epithetless]

Originally Posted by terrence1019

is this the end of rockbox on the e200? :O

No. But it may be the (barest) beginning of Rockbox on the e200 v2...

[mikee]

I don't see why they are making a sansa e200 v2 when the view is almost here

[solstone]

Originally Posted by skaos

Can you please check:
1. Firmware version - the v2 may have 3.x.x whereas the e200(v1) uses 1.x.x
2. Is there a "e280v2" on the back of the player.
3. Is there a line with "supports audible audio file formats" on the packaging.

If it turns out to be a v2, is it possible to persuade your friend to take the player apart, take some phots (or flatbed scans) and post them somewhere?

It definitely has a 3.x.x firmware (I think it is 3.01.05a).

I didn't look to see. (And I am not with my friend at the moment.)

Never saw the packaging, but there is a folder called "Audible" in the player's directory.

I am guessing it is doubtful on the taking it apart thing, at least until he has determined whether he is keeping it or not (since part of why he bought it was he had played with my Rockboxed e280 a little, and liked it).

Hopefully there isn't much of a hardware difference, and RB can be put on the v2s in a way similar to the e200r players... (not that I have any idea whether or not that will be the case).

Thanks all.

--Sol

[USS Sovereign NCC-73811]

So because of the Audible feature, the Sansa has new encryption codes?

They did figure out a way to get it on the R models, so maybe the V2s may not be so different.

By the way, do you think you can extract that firmware out of that V2 via the e200tool?

[chrisjs162216]

Originally Posted by USS Sovereign NCC-73811

So because of the Audible feature, the Sansa has new encryption codes?

They did figure out a way to get it on the R models, so maybe the V2s may not be so different.

By the way, do you think you can extract that firmware out of that V2 via the e200tool?

We just found out that SanDisk has released "v2" models of the e200 and c200 series, and that they have completely new chipsets inside.

Getting Rockbox on the R models was "easy" (once figuring out where the bootloader was stored) because they (mostly) used the same hardware. However, it seems the v2 models use new(er?) chipsets than the original e200 series.

[epithetless]

Originally Posted by chrisjs162216

Getting Rockbox on the R models was "easy" (once figuring out where the bootloader was stored) because they (mostly) used the same hardware. However, it seems the v2 models use new(er?) chipsets than the original e200 series.

Hrm. As a side-thought, I wonder if this improves their sound quality over the original version...

[USS Sovereign NCC-73811]

It might be all in the firmware...but then again, the R models did have "Rhapsody DNA."

[kevin bennett]

Hi, this is my 1st post here, I live in Honduras, central America, I bought this model sansa through amazon and got it a couple of days ago, my main reason to get one was to install rockbox, I'm not able to install it at all, have tested everything, from doing a rollback to WMP 9 to formating in fat 32, this is my 6th day trying with this crap, my computer has 2 partitions, one with windows xp service pack 2 & other with windows 2000, winxp detects it only MTP mode & win2000 only can see 1 removable unit and have tried with the sansapatcher.exe & the rbutilqt.exe from the rockbox page, it does'nt recognize the sansa with none of my OS, I have read through this entire forum for answers, downloaded faqs & utils,with no result, I read this morning in this forum that the sansa e280 v2 is not compatible with rockbox because it has a different chipset or something? not even the software that came with the unit worked, arcsoft's SMC would'nt work eith my sansa, I had to download intervideo's version a couple of days later, is this true? believe me, I've been here for days trying to figure out something, is there a real chance for rockbox? please, can anybody advice me what to do or to expect, sorry for the long post, Thanx in advance

[RCM]

It's not ready for the E200 series V2 yet

[cpchan]

Yes, if your Sansa is really a e200 V2, Rockbox cannot be installed on that device at this point. If you really want Rockbox right now, return it and got a V1.

Charles

[advcomp2019]

Like cpchan says, Rockbox can't be installed to the e200v2s, yet.

BTW, welcome to ABi>>, kevin bennett.

[kevin bennett]

thanx guys for your fast reply, I wish I knew this sooner, it would have prevented a lot of headaches, I can't really return my sansa, the international fares are really high & the taxes I had to pay in honduran customs was hell, so I'm screwed that way, will the sansa 280 v2 get the rockbox support or work in progress eventually?

[cpchan]

Originally Posted by kevin bennett

will the sansa 280 v2 get the rockbox support or work in progress eventually?

Eventually, but no one knows when. Someone needs to take the device apart first to see what is different. Reverse engineering is a voodoo science.

Charles

[epithetless]

The v2 just came out, so Rockbox development for it has not yet begun. Since the chipset is reportedly different from the older model, achieving Rockbox support may take quite a while -- and there's no official guarantee that it will happen.

EDIT: Cpchan snuck in before me. What he said.

[chrisjs162216]

Originally Posted by kevin bennett

will the sansa 280 v2 get the rockbox support or work in progress eventually?

As cpchan said, eventually it will, but to start, we need pictures of the chips inside. If you have a scanner (or decent camera) and don't mind opening up your Sansa, it could help get the port started. I'm assuming the v2 comes apart the same way as the first gen: remove the four "big" screws that hold the backplate, then the four little screws holding the faceplate to the main layer.

If you have any questions, you could probably as in #rockbox on Freenode IRC. If you don't have an irc client, you can use http://www.rockbox.org/irc/cgiirc/irc.cgi