questions about using the Clip Zip to play audiobooks

[tnaubie]

I’m new to mp3 players and the Clip Zip.  The main thing I want to use it for is to play audiobooks that I download from the internet and listen to the books in my car when I travel.  

My questions are:

1. How do I listen to a downloaded book in my car using the Clip Zip?  I have a USB port in my car…do I use this?  I do NOT want to use earphones to listen to the book; I want to listen with my plain ol’ ears as if I was listening to a book on CD or to the radio.

2.  Will I be able to download more than one average length book to the Clip Zip at a time?

3.  How do I recharge the Clip Zip in my car…using the USB port?

Thanks!

[miikerman]

Welcome!

1.  Depending on your car’s stereo system, you may be able to connect the Clip via the USB.  In that case, your car may only be able to read the contents of the player’s internal memory.  And, I believe, your player should be set, unde its System settings, to MSC USB mode.

Having said the above, I hope I got it right (and I’m sure others wil correct me, and amplify)–my car system doesn’t have a USB connection.  Instead, I simply connect the player via a cable between the Clip’s headphone jack and the car stereo’s Aux. port–works just great.

2.  As a general matter and depedning on size, you can indeed download many audiobooks onto the Clip at the same time–more than you would be listening to at a time.  And if you listen to more than 1 at a time, the Clip will remember where you are in each.  

3.  Recharge via the Clip’s USB port, connected to your car’s power–e.g. a USB adapter in the cigarette lighter jack.  (Note:  if you’ve connected your player to your car stereo via USB, I don’t know if the stereo also will charge your player at the same time–I assume so, but don’t have that configuration and it could also depend on your particular car/stereo.)

Hope this helps–

[tnaubie]

Thanks so much for your response, Miikerman.  I haven’t opened the Clip Zip yet until I get a handle on whether it will do what I want.  I’m going to investigate my car’s stereo system and see if the Clip Zip will work with it.  I’ll let you know.

[tapeworm]

@tnaubie wrote:

I’m going to investigate my car’s stereo system and see if the Clip Zip will work with it. 

It will. If all your audiobooks are mp3 format, loaded in MSC mode and the player is also set to MSC mode (NOT Auto Defect).

It should also charge via the USB connection. Mine does. You stereo system may be different. If it doesn’t, you can always use a USB car charger.

[tnaubie]

Thanks for your reply.  I am just now taking it out of the package to give it a try.  However, the box and a sticker on the back of the Clip Zip say that I should have a “starter” CD included.  There is no CD in the package.  What should I do?

[miikerman]

Don’t bother about the manual–sometimes it is included, sometimes not.  When it is included, it just is (1) a free trial (30-day) offer for the pay Rhapsody music service–can be found online as well, just do a search engine search on the current Rhapsody offers; and possibly (2) a copy of the Zip manual–available at the top of this forum, and here’s the direct link for it as well.  http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/Sansa-Clip-Zip/Clip-Zip-User-Manual/td-p/242618

Tapeworm mentions a good point above:  under the player’s System settings, set the USB mode to MSC.  Your car stereo may need this (if you use the USB connection to your car stereo).  Also, your computer only “sees” the fles put onto the player under the USB mode that you then are connected to the computer under.  There are 2 USB modes, MSC (under which the player is seen like a USB drive, and which typically just works, without any problem) and MTP (needed for files that are protected by DRM (digital rights management)).  There also is a 3rd USB setting, Auto, which tries to use MTP mode but will fall back to MSC mode (done behind the scenes–you will not know this is happening).  And so, to make sure that your computer can see all your files on the Zip at one time, best to keep the player always set to one or the other of the USB settings, MSC or MTP, and to avoid the Auto mode.

Hope this helps!

[miikerman]

Don’t bother about the CD–sometimes it is included, sometimes not.  When it is included, it just is (1) a free trial (30-day) offer for the pay Rhapsody music service–can be found online as well, just do a search engine search on the current Rhapsody offers; and possibly (2) a copy of the Zip manual–available at the top of this forum, and here’s the direct link for it as well.  http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/Sansa-Clip-Zip/Clip-Zip-User-Manual/td-p/242618

Tapeworm mentions a good point above:  under the player’s System settings, set the USB mode to MSC.  Your car stereo may need this (if you use the USB connection to your car stereo).  Also, your computer only “sees” the fles put onto the player under the USB mode that you then are connected to the computer under.  There are 2 USB modes, MSC (under which the player is seen like a USB drive, and which typically just works, without any problem) and MTP (needed for files that are protected by DRM (digital rights management)).  There also is a 3rd USB setting, Auto, which tries to use MTP mode but will fall back to MSC mode (done behind the scenes–you will not know this is happening).  And so, to make sure that your computer can see all your files on the Zip at one time, best to keep the player always set to one or the other of the USB settings, MSC or MTP, and to avoid the Auto mode.

Hope this helps!

[tnaubie]

You have both been VERY helpful.  My box says that the CD is also for Sansa Updater.  Will I need to update the software on my player periodically?  If so, is there somewhere online that I can do this since I don’t have a CD?

[tapeworm]

Any new firmware versions will always be posted here on the forum. And usually before the Updater will know they’re available. But honestly, it’s very doubtful there will be any further updates for this player. Besides, the Updater is a resource hog, slowing down your system and nagging you every time you plug the player into your computer, even if only just to charge it. Most (if not everyone) here don’t recommend using it. It’s very simple to manually update the firmware. Instructions are in the individual firmware posts. 

[tnaubie]

I will keep my eyes on the lookout for updates on the forum.  Thank you.

After all this, it seems I have a defective player.  When trying to plug the ear phones in, you have to barely push them in to hear the music.  If you push them in to the player where the earphones won’t fall out, the player doesn’t play. There is no way that the player can be used effectively with the earphones while moving around because the plug just won’t stay in.  I have tried it with not only the earphones that came with it but also some that my husband has.  Neither set works correctly.

So I guess I will be exchanging the player tomorrow.  Hopefully with a new Clip Zip, I will finally be able to test to see if it will play an audiobook in my car without any problems.

[miikerman]

Before you exchange the player, try 1 thing:

When new, the player’s headphone jack can be very tight, to the point that you might fear that you are going to break the player when pushing the headphone plug in.  It loosens up after 1-2 plug-ins.  And so, with this in mind, try pushing the headphone plug in fully again.  It is very likely that this is just a new, tight headphne jack. 

[miikerman]

Also, by the way, if you really want the Updater, it also is available here in the forum (I beieve).  But candidly, as Tapeworm notes, it just sits on your computer, always on, eating a small amount of memory.  And it is unlikely that there will be any further firmware updates–even then, they always will be available here. 

[miikerman]

Also, by the way, if you really want the Updater, it also is available here in the forum (I believe).  But candidly, as Tapeworm notes, it just sits on your computer, always on, eating a small amount of memory.  And it is unlikely that there will be any further firmware updates–even then, they always will be available here. 

[miikerman]

Also, by the way, if you really want the Updater, it also is available here in the forum, in the firmware sticky thread at the top of the forum.  But candidly, as Tapeworm notes, it just sits on your computer, always on, eating a small amount of memory.  And it is unlikely that there will be any further firmware updates–even then, they always will be available here. 

[tnaubie]

Yay!  I was able to download an audiobook to my player and it played in my car using the USB port.  I really appreciate all the advice and help Miikerman and Tapeworm gave me while trying to set up my player and for future use, too…an impressive community help forum!

[miikerman]

Glad to hear, and enjoy!  Sometimes, car USB connections can be problematic–glad that yours worked out so easily and successfully!

[tapeworm]