To Keep the Old Display, or Not to Keep the Old Display. Thatis the Question.

[Todd Fields]

I just ordered the new display. It was kind of on a
whim so I sure hope it's worth it.

As you know the "August special," which I hope is
better than the September or October specials, is
that you can send the old display back in for $20.

I own one Squeezebox (which is what this display is
for) and one SLIMP3. Obviously if the new display
goes out I can't put the old one back in because the
instructions have you clip a couple of connectors (is
this really necessary?). However, should the display
go out on my SLIMP3 I'm assuming I could use this one
to replace it.

Would the nice folks at Slim Devices be willing to say
what kind of failure rate they've had on the old
display? I'm assuming it will cost me much more than
$20 if I need to replace it on my SLIMP3 in the
future.

Also, is there any kind of warranty on the new
display?

Anyway, just wondering what everyone's thoughts were
on sending the thing back for the rebate.



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[kdf]

Quoting Todd Fields <jtfields91 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com>:

> I just ordered the new display. It was kind of on a
> whim so I sure hope it's worth it.

I have been lucky enough to have one already. its VERY worth it. for the new
fonts alone! The larger second line makes it readable in two lines from across
the room. I just has more polish to it. simple character modules are a bit
past now.

>
> Anyway, just wondering what everyone's thoughts were
> on sending the thing back for the rebate.

personally, I would. Hopefully they are recycling them, so they will have a
good home instead of sitting on a shelf collecting dust, waiting to be
discarded next time you move house. Great things, but not nice for disposal.
18 months, however, and they will have to be gone. no lead allowed after
mid-2006

-kdf

[Robert Zimmerman]

I am going to order one as well. Question - I have all my equipment
behind cabinets using a Niles Intellicontrol remote system. Is it
possible, as long as I have to open the thing up to change the
display, to lengthen the cable and install the display outside the SB
into the cabinet itself to be visible from the room without opening
the equipment cabinet? If so, any specifics on the cable to use?

Thanks and keep up the good work, the product is amazing!!!


>I just ordered the new display. It was kind of on a
>whim so I sure hope it's worth it.
>
>As you know the "August special," which I hope is
>better than the September or October specials, is
>that you can send the old display back in for $20.
>
>I own one Squeezebox (which is what this display is
>for) and one SLIMP3. Obviously if the new display
>goes out I can't put the old one back in because the
>instructions have you clip a couple of connectors (is
>this really necessary?). However, should the display
>go out on my SLIMP3 I'm assuming I could use this one
>to replace it.
>
>Would the nice folks at Slim Devices be willing to say
>what kind of failure rate they've had on the old
>display? I'm assuming it will cost me much more than
>$20 if I need to replace it on my SLIMP3 in the
>future.
>
>Also, is there any kind of warranty on the new
>display?
>
>Anyway, just wondering what everyone's thoughts were
>on sending the thing back for the rebate.
>
>
>
>__________________________________
>Do you Yahoo!?
>Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers!
>http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
>

[Jack Coates]

> So, I have seen this question asked twice now and I don't think anyone has
> answered it...
>
> Is it necessary to clip the two leads on the board, or can they just be
> left
> "as is"?
>
> Thanks guys!
>
> ~chris
>

I don't know, but it seems highly unlikely that they'd suggest it if it
wasn't necessary.
--
Jack At Monkeynoodle.Org: It's A Scientific Venture...
"Believe what you're told; there'd be chaos if everyone thought for
themselves." -- Top Dog hotdog stand, Berkeley, CA

[dean]

On Aug 5, 2004, at 10:06 PM, Todd Fields wrote:
> I own one Squeezebox (which is what this display is
> for) and one SLIMP3. Obviously if the new display
> goes out I can't put the old one back in because the
> instructions have you clip a couple of connectors (is
> this really necessary?). However, should the display
> go out on my SLIMP3 I'm assuming I could use this one
> to replace it.
Yes, you should be able to. (Replacing it may require a special
firmware upgrade to the SLIMP3, as we also shipped SLIMP3s with a
version of the VFD display that used a different character set.

> Would the nice folks at Slim Devices be willing to say
> what kind of failure rate they've had on the old
> display?
Very low. The only replacements I know of were due to the player
meeting with some physical misfortune, like dropping it down the
stairs.

> I'm assuming it will cost me much more than
> $20 if I need to replace it on my SLIMP3 in the
> future.
Yes. Our replacement cost for the VFD has been $90+ shipping.

> Also, is there any kind of warranty on the new
> display?
Yes. Our standard 30-day money back/1 year warrantee.

[dean]

On Aug 6, 2004, at 5:39 AM, Robert Zimmerman wrote:

> I am going to order one as well. Question - I have all my equipment
> behind cabinets using a Niles Intellicontrol remote system. Is it
> possible, as long as I have to open the thing up to change the
> display, to lengthen the cable and install the display outside the SB
> into the cabinet itself to be visible from the room without opening
> the equipment cabinet? If so, any specifics on the cable to use?
Nope. That cable has some high speed data on it and lengthening the
cable is definitely not recommended.

[seanadams]

> Would the nice folks at Slim Devices be willing to say
> what kind of failure rate they've had on the old
> display?

These displays just don't die. They are made by a big Japanese company
who's been cranking them out for decades (along with dinner plates -
gotta love those asian conglomerates) so the technology and process is
solid.

> I'm assuming it will cost me much more than
> $20 if I need to replace it on my SLIMP3 in the
> future.

Oh hell yes. Go to www.digikey.com and search for "CU4002".

> Obviously if the new display
> goes out I can't put the old one back in because the
> instructions have you clip a couple of connectors (is
> this really necessary?).

The firmware supports both displays so it is possible to swap them back
and forth.

However, you do have to remove the old infrared sensor in order to
install the new display, so going back to the old display would require
soldering that cable back on. What you're clipping is not exactly a
connector, but a flexible 3-pin ribbon cable which is soldered on both
ends. In retrospect, a socketed connection would have probably been
worth installing....

Also just incidentally: the little jumper wire you see in the
instructions is only necessary on the rev 3.0 boards, but it doesn't
hurt to install it on either rev. The rev 3.1 boards have the signal
routed across the 14-pin ribbon cable so no additional jumper is
needed. The only other difference with the rev 3.1 boards is they have
screw holes for mounting the wireless cards (at the time we did the
first rev, we didn't know exactly which model of wireless card we'd be
using).

> However, should the display
> go out on my SLIMP3 I'm assuming I could use this one
> to replace it.

Yes, the same 40x2 display was used in both designs.

> Also, is there any kind of warranty on the new
> display?

30 days return, 1 yr parts & labor repairs, same as any hardware we
sell.

[seanadams]

Probably not. I have extended the display just a couple inches on my
development hardware, but if you try to go much further than that, the
signal will degrade (it is a high data rate).

Maybe you could do it by using a shielded cable or by using a cable
with interleaved ground lines, like ultra-ATA hard disk cables. But you
have to do a lot of hacking to get the connectors on there I think.

You don't see a lot of shielded ribbon cable these days, but if you go
to an electronics surplus store you might find something already made
with 14-pin connectors on it. Remember the early PCs (eg Apple ][) used
to use cables like this to go to the external disk drives... that's
what you'd probably need.

On Aug 6, 2004, at 5:39 AM, Robert Zimmerman wrote:

> I am going to order one as well. Question - I have all my equipment
> behind cabinets using a Niles Intellicontrol remote system. Is it
> possible, as long as I have to open the thing up to change the
> display, to lengthen the cable and install the display outside the SB
> into the cabinet itself to be visible from the room without opening
> the equipment cabinet? If so, any specifics on the cable to use?
>
> Thanks and keep up the good work, the product is amazing!!!
>
>
>> I just ordered the new display. It was kind of on a
>> whim so I sure hope it's worth it.
>>
>> As you know the "August special," which I hope is
>> better than the September or October specials, is
>> that you can send the old display back in for $20.
>>
>> I own one Squeezebox (which is what this display is
>> for) and one SLIMP3. Obviously if the new display
>> goes out I can't put the old one back in because the
>> instructions have you clip a couple of connectors (is
>> this really necessary?). However, should the display
>> go out on my SLIMP3 I'm assuming I could use this one
>> to replace it.
>>
>> Would the nice folks at Slim Devices be willing to say
>> what kind of failure rate they've had on the old
>> display? I'm assuming it will cost me much more than
>> $20 if I need to replace it on my SLIMP3 in the
>> future.
>>
>> Also, is there any kind of warranty on the new
>> display?
>>
>> Anyway, just wondering what everyone's thoughts were
>> on sending the thing back for the rebate.
>>
>>
>>
>> __________________________________
>> Do you Yahoo!?
>> Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers!
>> http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
>>

[Mark C. Langston]

On Fri, Aug 06, 2004 at 09:27:15AM -0700, dean blackketter wrote:
>
> On Aug 5, 2004, at 10:06 PM, Todd Fields wrote:
> >I own one Squeezebox (which is what this display is
> >for) and one SLIMP3. Obviously if the new display
> >goes out I can't put the old one back in because the
> >instructions have you clip a couple of connectors (is
> >this really necessary?). However, should the display
> >go out on my SLIMP3 I'm assuming I could use this one
> >to replace it.
> Yes, you should be able to. (Replacing it may require a special
> firmware upgrade to the SLIMP3, as we also shipped SLIMP3s with a
> version of the VFD display that used a different character set.
>

Really? When I was over there yesterday talking with Sean (nice to
finally meet you, by the way, Dean and Sean!), I asked him that same
question, and he said it wouldn't be possible because of the differences
in the two devices. If I understood Sean correctly, the new graphics
display has to have a bigger pipe (and possibly different connection?)
between the main board and the display board, and the old SliMP3's can't
accomodate this.

Of course, I'd enjoy being wrong. The new displays are excellent,
having seen them in action.

--
Mark C. Langston GOSSiP Project Sr. Unix SysAdmin
mark (AT) bitshift (DOT) org http://sufficiently-advanced.net mark (AT) seti (DOT) org
Systems & Network Admin Distributed SETI Institute
http://bitshift.org P2P Antispam http://www.seti.org

[Ken Anderson]

Mark,

They're referring to using the old 2 line Squeezebox display on the
SliMP3.

Ken

On Aug 6, 2004, at 3:02 PM, Mark C. Langston wrote:

> On Fri, Aug 06, 2004 at 09:27:15AM -0700, dean blackketter wrote:
>>
>> On Aug 5, 2004, at 10:06 PM, Todd Fields wrote:
>>> I own one Squeezebox (which is what this display is
>>> for) and one SLIMP3. Obviously if the new display
>>> goes out I can't put the old one back in because the
>>> instructions have you clip a couple of connectors (is
>>> this really necessary?). However, should the display
>>> go out on my SLIMP3 I'm assuming I could use this one
>>> to replace it.
>> Yes, you should be able to. (Replacing it may require a special
>> firmware upgrade to the SLIMP3, as we also shipped SLIMP3s with a
>> version of the VFD display that used a different character set.
>>
>
> Really? When I was over there yesterday talking with Sean (nice to
> finally meet you, by the way, Dean and Sean!), I asked him that same
> question, and he said it wouldn't be possible because of the
> differences
> in the two devices. If I understood Sean correctly, the new graphics
> display has to have a bigger pipe (and possibly different connection?)
> between the main board and the display board, and the old SliMP3's
> can't
> accomodate this.
>
> Of course, I'd enjoy being wrong. The new displays are excellent,
> having seen them in action.
>
> --
> Mark C. Langston GOSSiP Project Sr. Unix SysAdmin
> mark (AT) bitshift (DOT) org http://sufficiently-advanced.net mark (AT) seti (DOT) org
> Systems & Network Admin Distributed SETI Institute
> http://bitshift.org P2P Antispam http://www.seti.org
>