Battery is showing up still OK, but now I can’t use the wheel, commands or directions don’t get notoiced when I try to navigate.
Any chance it will ever work? Perhaps, if I take it apart (bring it to a repairman)? Or R.I.P.?
Where to get one cheapest model? I just need one for podcasts, no big storage space is required. Possibly even the same 1st gen refurb would do the trick for me.
If you’re lucky it’s a firmware glitch rather than a worn-out wheel. Go to the firmware thread (near the top) and follow the manual installation instructions. Basically you download the file, unzip it, drag it over to the SANSA CLIP driveletter and let it load.
Don’t use the updater because it will think you already have the right version. (And if you have the updater in your computer, you might as well uninstall it–no more updates coming.)
If the firmware doesn’t fix it, it’s probably busted. Try eBay for an original Clip (they turn up now and then) or elsewhere on line for a more recent model. If you seriously only need low capacity for podcasts, you could also go back to Sansa’s C, E or M series, super cheap, though they probably have less battery life since they’re old.
I never moved beyond the Clip+, which is a little workhorse. Seems like the versions that came later had more quirks or fewer features. Clip+ is way overpriced on Amazon but, just at a glance, you can find it for the moment on eBay for $45 or so shipped from Israel from someone with 500 in stock.
There seem to also be eBay sellers with refurbished ones a little cheaper. I have a couple of refurbs that work like new–though of course you’re always taking a chance.
You could also trawl Ebay for original Clips. Just make sure to check reputation and look closely at the photo before you buy.
Thank you for your follow-up recommendations for a replacement.
However, with a quick turn, I will simply replace it with the iPhone 6 Plus. Podcasts, audiobooks, and also regular reading materias and a dictionary too, all in one package. That’s my use case.
Well, yes, a $500 iPhone can be used as a replacement for a $50 Clip player.
I’m not sure that most people think of the Clip player the same as a smartphone, but rather, more as a small, dedicated music and audiobook/podcast player, especially ideal where you don’t want to subject a smartphone to exposure/possible damage . . . .