Hi. I have 2G clip. I have had it for awhile, and mostly it works just fine. A number of times, though, when I am charging it up (through USB linked to a Mac laptop), instead of charging, the laptop drains the thing completely. I think it has something to do with leaving the computer inactive–after a while I guess some connection is broken (even though it still shows itself as charging). But that would explain why it stops charging and not why it ■■■■■ my little clip dry. Any idea why this happens? I would be grateful for any advice. (Oh and my 2G Sansa also seems to be missing over 1G of space–it says I am almost full, but the numbers don’t work out right. I doubt that problem is related to this one, but I thought I’d mention it just in case it is.)
I have had a few Apples over the years, let’s see… I had a few II’s, the Plus models and e-models, with the z-80 expansion board…years later, I had the PowerPC variant. I just had a look, reminding me just how expensive 48kb of RAM was back then. Oh yes, there was a Macintosh on the desk years ago, with its side mounted buttons and wee screen. Almost forgot that one, my sister probably has it as a collectible these days.
Disappearing memory in your Sansa may be directly related to the method you use to transfer the files to your device from the Apple. As you can see, I haven’t worked closely with the Mac in recent years, as far as using media devices with them is concerned. It may be related to the Finder. The Apple likes to populate memory with “applesauce”, zillions of ._ files, that let you know an Apple has been there.
Check this thread for a start. GuyScharf has a lot of information on using the Apple happily with the Sansa. Check his post in the thread, and use the Advanced option in the Search box to gather his posts on the subject.
Bob :smileyvery-happy:
Thanks. I’ve started looking through some of GuyScharf’s stuff and I’ll see where that gets me. I have been just dragging my mp3 files straight into my clip’s folder (I don’t really use Itunes) and he says that’s not a great idea, so it could be a part of my problem–maybe not the battery discharging problem, but I’ll keep looking. Thanks so much for the resource.
And Miikerman, no the clip is not playing music while it loses power. In fact, when this happens, the power drains much faster than normal use when it’s just playing music.
You mentioned you’re connecting the Clip to a laptop. Laptops USB ports often don’t provide enough current to properly charge MP3 player batteries, especially if you’re running the laptop from its own battery. And if the laptop goes into standby, the ports would lose power too. I don’t know why your battery would drain FASTER when connected to the laptop though, unless it’s actually leaking power back through the USB cable to the laptop.
Those old beasties had great feel on the keyboard.
I still miss the snick-snick-snick of the original keyboard on the IBM PC/AT. I think that was an original KeyTronic, good qiality, maybe Cherry switches in that.
I just had a thought about the Clip draining power. The Clip demands more current when the USB port is actively handshaking. If the DC bus on that port has “browned out”, the Clip is trying to communicate on its own internal battery. This might explain the depleted battery.
Remember, you can go into the Device Manager and turn hibernation OFF on that USB port.
Bob :smileyvery-happy:
