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rio car dot org FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)



Category: Main -> Known problems and troubleshooting questions
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·  Why do the visuals disappear every time I put it in the car? 
·  Why is the stereo image of my MP3 messed up? 
·  I get a 'pump' error when I try to upgrade my player firmware. 
·  I get a Windows Installer or MSI error when I install Emplode. 
·  I'm having trouble with my tuner module! 
·  My tuner gets terrible reception, but the extension cable is fine. 
·  My tuner doesn't tune in the correct frequency increments. 
·  When I pause/un-pause, or sleep/wake the player, it starts in a different part of the song. 
·  Why don't fast forward and rewind work properly? 
·  When I pull the power, sometimes it plays a different song when I start it again. 
·  I can't perform an upgrade, install a logo, or install a kernel when the player is in the docking sled. 
·  Why did my player suddenly start freezing at the boot-up logo screen? 
·  Why isn't the headlight-sense dimmer working properly? 
·  Why does my player think it's at home when it's in the car? 
·  Why doesn't my player go into standby mode when I turn off the ignition? 
·  Why is there a 'thump' from my amplifiers when I turn off the ignition? 
·  Why doesn't my Rio Car work in my Mark 2 docking sled? 
·  Why is my docking connector loose? 
·  Why is my Mark 1 getting harder and harder to pull out of the sled? 
·  Why is my Mark 2 hard to pull out of the sled? 
·  Why is my warranty seal already broken? 
·  I get a 'hardware revision check failed' message when I try to upgrade! 
·  Why did ethernet and/or USB quit working after I upgraded the software? 
·  My tuner quit working after an upgrade! 
·  Why is the song count different when I shuffle? 
·  Why can't I figure out how to do searches on the player? 
·  I selected the correct title in a search, and pressed OK, but the song did not play. Why? 
·  Why does Emplode keep getting my tags wrong? 
·  Why can't I read the display in the daylight? 
·  Why am I having problems with my car alarm or my keyless entry system? 
·  My rotary knob is slipping on its shaft! 
·  What do the synchronization errors mean? 
·  The clock on my Mark 1 player does not work. 
·  The clock on my Mark 2 player does not work. 
·  The Mark (cancel) key on the Rio remote doesn't work all the time. 
·  Why is the Shuffle menu backwards? 
·  Why does my player say 'Waiting...' on the screen? 
·  Why does my player rattle when I shake it? 
·  I don't like seeing the circuitry when the sun shines on the player. 
·  I have database errors and all of my playlists disappeared! 
·  Why does Emplode say I have less disk space than I think I should have? 
·  Why does my player sound terribly distorted when I plug it into my home stereo? 
·  My remote control quit working! 
·  I have a Kenwood head unit, and its remote is controlling both players. 
·  Why doesn't Emplode work via USB on Windows? 
·  Why doesn't emplode work via ethernet on Windows XP? 
·  Emplode freezes up on 'Checking Disk Integrity'. 
·  I got an error message about 'e2fsck' at the shell prompt. What do I do to fix it? 
·  My docking sled's top edge is not 'bent'. 
·  Why doesn't my power antenna go up and down at the right time? 
·  The upper-left corner of my screen is cut off. 
·  My config.ini file went all goofy on me, and I can't edit my favorite visuals any more! 
·  My buttons and/or knob are sticking. 
·  What does the battery icon mean? 
·  I just tried to edit one of the visuals, and now my player locks up! 
·  There are glowing red lines on my display! 
·  My display has become garbled or dim. 
·  My display is blank! 

·  Why does my Mk2 player have poor stereo separation?
 (Entry last updated on January 19th, 2005)

If you own an early Mk2 player, there is a chance that it might have been fitted with an incorrect resistor in one spot on the main board. This problem did not happen on the Mk1 players and it was corrected before the Rio-branded Mk2a players came out, so those models will not have this problem.

The resistor is supposed to be a zero-ohm resistor (essentially just a bridge on the circuit board), but some players mistakenly got a resistor of a different value in that location, such as a 10-ohm resistor.

If your player is affected, you may notice a slight decrease (~20db) in the stereo separation between the left and right channels. But remember that stereo separation is greatly influenced by the quality of your speakers and amps, the speaker placement, and the acoustic properties of the listening environment. Most car systems have notoriously poor stereo separation to begin with. So don't immediately assume the player is at fault just because you don't like the stereo imaging of your system.

You can't test for this problem by using the balance control, since it doesn't fully attenuate each channel. And don't try to test it by listening to MP3 files, since they are usually encoded using a method that can reduce stereo separation in some instances. Although it would be possible to test using a WAV file, you would then be dependent on the stereo separation of your playback and/or testing equipment, which might or might not be perfect. The only way to be absolutely sure is to open the player and look.

To check to see whether your player is affected, first make sure it is a Mk2 player, not a Mk2a.

Then, following the instructions in the Drive Upgrade Guide, carefully remove the disk drive tray assembly.

Looking down at the main board from the front, on the left side you will see the DSP chip with the Philips logo on it. To the left of that is a small blue resistor pack. To the left of the blue resistor pack is the resistor in question. It is marked with a red arrow in this photograph:


Look closely at this resistor. These SMT electronics are very small, so you might need to use magnification to see it clearly. If this resistor has 000 printed on it, your player is fine and you do not need to do anything. If this resistor has 1000 or 100 printed on it, then your player has the problem.

WARNING:
Do not attempt to do any soldering on the player unless you have experience with soldering delicate surface-mount devices. There is a real possibility that you could permanently ruin the unit if you are clumsy, if you use too much heat, or any number of other mistakes. You're better off contacting support and having them do it for you.


To repair the problem, simply remove the resistor and replace it with either a solder bridge or a 000 resistor. If you're solder-bridging it, be careful because there's a circuit trace that runs underneath it. If desired, you can solder-bridge over the top of the existing resistor.

Remember that this is not a major problem, and the slight reduction in stereo separation is not always noticeable, especially in the car environment. You might choose to just leave the player as-is rather than going to the trouble of repairing it.


·  Why doesn't my player play very high frequencies? 
·  Why doesn't the car player put out as much bass as my CD player? 
·  How do I stop it from trying to play a bad track? 
·  My player takes a long time to boot and says it is Building Music Databases. 
·  Why does it say 'No hard disk found contact support'? 
·  Some wires have pulled out of my docking connector! 
·  My handle doesn't snap back into place as well as it used to. 
·  My handle sticks in the 'open' position. Can I fix it? 
·  There is a gap between the handle and the fascia. Can I fix it? 
·  What is the proper way to remove the display board and the main board? 
·  Why can't I use USB after installing or upgrading Emplode? 
·  Why is my Mark 1 having intermittent power failure problems? 
·  Why are there pops, clicks, screeches, and stutters when I play MP3s? 
·  Half of my display is blank! 
·  In DC mode, player responds extremly slowly to button presses, and music skips. 
·  My Mk2's volume knob is being jumpy! 
·  Why do I get an error message about reiserfs? 
·  Why did my player wake up in the car and start blasting music all by itself? 
·  Why does my player start doing things all by itself? 
·  Why do my remote and front panel buttons only work intermittently? 
·  Why won't the tuner scan for the next station? 
·  Why did the tuner change stations on me? 
·  Is there a way I can test the player's hard disk for sector errors? 
·  Why does it always say End of Playlist? 
·  Is there a master parts list for the car player? 
·  What do the ide_data_test messages mean? 
·  How do I fix the Daylight Savings Time dates on the player? 
·  There are vertical lines on my display! 


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