After many problem free years, my trusty Empeg has gotten sick. I have no control at all from the buttons nor the knob. The remote fails to elicit any response from the unit as well. I also tried using the Sony stalk I have hooked into my tuner, but the results were the same. The only way to access any kind of control from it is to use the usb or network connection to either Emplode/jEmplode or the web interface (cushman or charcoalgray99's).

After using the web interface, the Empeg will boot back up where it left off at, but then stops right there (unless a playlist had been selected and started already) and continue no further.

Anyone have any ideas what could be causing this? I'm including a copy of the bootlog as well in case some info can be found within it.

________________________________________________________________________________

empeg-car bootstrap v1.00 20000601 ([email protected])
If there is anyone present who wants to upgrade the flash, let them speak now,
or forever hold their peace...it seems not. Let fly the Penguins of Linux!

e000 v1.04
Copying kernel...
Calling linux kernel...
Uncompressing Linux..................................... done, booting the kerne
l.
Linux version 2.2.17-rmk5-np17-empeg52-hijack-v417 ([email protected]) (gcc version
2.95.3 20010315 (release)) #2 Sat Jan 15 19:12:21 EST 2005
Processor: Intel StrongARM-1100 re
Checking for extra DRAM:
c0c00000: wrote ffffffff, read e91ba9f0
NetWinder Floating Point Emulator V0.94.1 (c) 1998 Corel Computer Corp.
empeg-car player (hardware revision 7, serial number 80000150) 12MB DRAM
Command line: mem=12m
Calibrating delay loop... 207.67 BogoMIPS
Memory: 10952k/12M available (984k code, 20k reserved, 328k data, 4k init)
Dentry hash table entries: 2048 (order 2, 16k)
Buffer cache hash table entries: 16384 (order 4, 64k)
Page cache hash table entries: 4096 (order 2, 16k)
POSIX conformance testing by UNIFIX
Linux NET4.0 for Linux 2.2
Based upon Swansea University Computer Society NET3.039
NET4: Linux TCP/IP 1.0 for NET4.0
IP Protocols: ICMP, UDP, TCP
TCP: Hash tables configured (ehash 16384 bhash 16384)
IrDA (tm) Protocols for Linux-2.2 (Dag Brattli)
Starting kswapd v 1.5
SA1100 serial driver version 4.27 with no serial options enabled
ttyS00 at 0xf8010000 (irq = 15) is a SA1100 UART
ttyS01 at 0xf8050000 (irq = 17) is a SA1100 UART
ttyS02 at 0xf8030000 (irq = 16) is a SA1100 UART
Signature is 20706d65 'emp '
Found custom animation at offset 0x9c37c
Tuner: loopback=0, ID=-1
empeg display initialised.
empeg dsp audio initialised
empeg dsp mixer initialised
empeg dsp initialised
empeg audio-in initialised, CS4231A revision a0
empeg remote control/panel button initialised.
empeg usb initialised, PDIUSBD12 id 1012
empeg state support initialised 0089/88c1 (save to d0005e00).
empeg RDS driver initialised
empeg power-pic driver initialised (first boot)
RAM disk driver initialized: 16 RAM disks o
empeg single channel IDE
Probing primary interface...
hda: IBM-DARA-212000, ATA DISK drive
hdb: IC25N030ATDA04-0, ATA DISK drive
ide0 at 0x000-0x007,0x038 on irq 6
hda: IBM-DARA-212000, 11513MB w/418kB Cache, CHS=23392/16/63
hdb: IC25N030ATDA04-0, 28615MB w/1806kB Cache, CHS=58140/16/63
empeg-flash driver initialized
smc chip id/revision 0x3349
smc9194.c:v0.12 03/06/96 by Erik Stahlman ([email protected])

SMC9194: SMC91C94(r:9) at 0x4008000 IRQ:7 INTF:TP MEM:6144b MAC 00:02:d7:10:00:9
6
Partition check:
hda: hda1 < hda5 hda6 > hda2 hda3 hda4
hdb: hdb1 < hdb5 hdb6 > hdb2 hdb3 hdb4
RAMDISK: ext2 filesystem found at block 0
RAMDISK: Loading 320 blocks [1 disk] into ram disk... done.
EXT2-fs warning: checktime reached, running e2fsck is recommended
VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem).
empeg-pump v0.03 (19980601)
Press Ctrl-A to enter pump...VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem) readonly.
change_root: old root has d_count=1
Timezone: GMT
Hijack: intercepting config.ini

do_kexec: failed, errno = -1
hijack: removed menu entry: "Hard Disk Detection"
hijack: removed menu entry: "Serial Port Assignment"
khttpd: listening on port 80
kftpd: listening on port 21
player.cpp : 385:empeg-car 2.00 2003/04/01.
Prolux 4 empeg car - 2.1434 Mar 26 2003
Vcb: 0x4054d000

Do you see anything on the display or is it dark? You might want to check the connection on the display cable - don't remove it, but press it down to see if it worked loose.

Everything shows up on the display perfectly fine. The cable looked to be in good shape as well. Nothing was loose. I might add that when this started, it simply did it once or twice. I tapped harder on the buttons and it started working again. After those couple times.. dead it went (the controls at least).

You just installed the second 30G hard disk, right?

No. I installed it at least 2 years ago. Been using it ever since without any problems.

OK: shake the case gently - I said gently - do you hear anything loose?

Specifically, does it sound heavy (the entire drive sled is loose) or light (a screw, a loose flapping cable, drive head rattle)?

I've already had the unit apart several times. Didn't find anything that would point out a problem. It's just strange. The unit works perfectly fine, there is just no response whatsoever when I use the buttons/knob. Boots fine, displays fine, streams tunes fine, can upload/download fine, ftp to it with no problem, I've reloaded the 2.0 final upgrade and hijack.. etc. etc. Everything worked. Just can't access any front panel control (nor from the remote/sony stalk).

Right: what you need to do is get the unit apart and examine the ribbon cable to the display board, at the point where it bends up to go vertical to the back of the display board. Look at the conductor insulation on the side with the coloured stripe, nearest to the IDE header on the main board.

Checked the cable out on both top and bottom and it looked fine. No open spots or cuts in the insulation.

Have you got access to a multi-meter?

Sure do. I'm an electronic tech/controls programmer by trade so I'm quite used to this stuff. I tried to ring out the cable but got some odd readings. Not knowing what I should be seeing didn't help I'm sure.

*bump*

No more suggestions? Anybody?

Sorry, somehow I missed your response - not sure how.

If you can get the case open (see the FAQ), then you need to set the meter to a range that can handle 60V DC. Probe the neg lead to the case, and the pos lead to the plus lead of the electrolytic capacitor next to the inductor on the back of the display board. This is also marked on the board as TP1. Careful you don't short against anything. I posted a photo of this recently somewhere which I will have to look up for you.

You should get a voltage between 48-56V DC. If not, this either means that the local PSU on the display board has packed up, or that the display board is not being fed from the main board.

You can find the photo here

Thanks Rob, I just finished checking this and the voltage checked out at 65.4 volts during bootup. Display still looks just fine. Everthing shows up as it's supposed to. Just no front panel/remote access at all.

OK, is the display actually showing images, or blank?

Is the winker LED on all the time?

The display shows the boot up perfectly. When I access the unit using the web interface it also will display everything exactly as it should. All controls work properly using the interface as well. I just get no response at all from button pushes or turning/pushing the knob. Also there is no response from the remote or the Sony stalk I have hooked up. The winker led also works as it's supposed to. Again, ALL control is there through the web interface, it streams, displays all graphics, turns on/off, etc. I just have no front panel/remote functionality.

ALL control is there through the web interface, it streams, displays all graphics, turns on/off, etc. I just have no front panel/remote functionality.


This is a very long shot, not likely... but try loosening the four srews that hold the fascia in place. It is possible to position the fascia in such a fashion that it binds up the buttons (not sure about the rotary knob) in such a fashion that the buttons will depress, but not far enough to make electrical contact.

The remote might be a separate problem.

It's worth a try -- on the off chance that it works, it is the easiest/cheapest fix possible.

tanstaafl.

Thanks but I've already looked into that as I (and likely most Empeg owners) have experienced the button/fascia tightening problem before. I've had the unit apart many times now and it exhibits this problem all of the time, fascia on or off. I've even gone so far as to probe the button pads to check for functionality and all four of them work just fine. As a previous post of mine stated, when this problem first started I could get the unit to work by using more force on the buttons (i.e., giving them a fairly sharp and hard tap). This method didn't work long though (and I knew it could be self destructive rather easily as well) as it quit working altogether rather quickly.

I'm sure you checked the battery in the remote right?
Other than that it appears that the display board where the IR receiver is must be cracked, broken.if the remote and front controls aren't working.
I'm probably just stating the obvious as I have no working knowledge or experience with this

I don't understand why you haven't arranged to send your player in to Rob S. yet. It's clearly a hardware fault somewhere in the display board.

If the controls are dead but the display and winker LED work, then at least the VFD, VFD supply and the power PIC on the display board are OK. If the rotary and the push buttons are dead, then either the PIC that scans them is dead or is receiving no power. The 5V power rail comes from the main board, and if it was dead, then the winker LED would go out as well. This could be as a result of a blown fuse on the motherboard. However, the VFD would have died as well since the 60V supply is generated indirectly from the 5V.

So: it is likely that your key scanner PIC is dead and needs replacing - a first in my experience.

Check the voltage on the TP33 test pad, bottom right rear of the display board, relative to GND.

I checked that test point and measured 2.63 volts there.

I can understand that. It's looking like that is going to be what I'll have to do. It's just real hard to part with it since this is my only unit (for now) and I do still use it at work every day via the web interface.

You only have to send the display unit for repair.

If he has a friend with an Empeg, he could try to just swap around the displays and check...

Stig

Ah ha! OK, I need you to check out the voltage relative to 0V on TP22, top right rear of display board. Then I would like you to measure the voltage at TP23 (bottom left rear).

Well, that's pretty conclusive; the 5V power rail is reaching the display board OK, it is the correct value, and it is at the correct value on the active low Reset pin on the power PIC. However, you measured 2.63 V on the RST pin of the keypad/rotary PIC, which should have been 5V.

Conclusion: you key scanner PIC has passed away, and needs replacing. Good news in a way (you know what it is, and you only need to send the display away for repair), but bad news also (it's f***** and you are going to have to send the display away for repair).

Cheer up, you still will be able to play the music on stream.

You do realise that the PIC is a custom-programmed part which you are not going to be able to get off the shelf? You will be able to buy the chip, in the right package - but not the program

Or send the board to Schofiel for repair...

Stig

Right, but the problem with sending it to Rob is that Rob didn't have the code to program the PIC that would need to be replaced. By a known working unit bypasses that problem.

Nope, but I thought he had pre-programmed PICs...

Stig

Rob can fix it. He's got everything needed.

-ml

Good, now I can rest easy knowing that in the 1 in a million event that the PIC on my display board dies, I'm covered.

Not sure I said that at all!

I can obtain a programmed PIC for the repair with no problem. You will need to send in the display unit. However, you are going to have to be patient for a little while as I have to temporarily put repair work on hold for a couple of weeks.