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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? 

·  Why doesn't my player play very high frequencies?
 (Entry last updated on January 19th, 2005)

It might not have anything to do with your player. Maybe it's your MP3s.

Most MP3 encoders will roll off very high frequencies with a lowpass filter as part of the encoding process. This feature allows them to devote more "encoding bits" to the frequencies that can be heard and reproduced clearly. Most people can't hear frequencies that high, or don't own playback equipment that will reproduce those frequencies.

Some encoders have option settings that will let you encode the high frequencies. Please see the MP3 creation section of the FAQ for more information.

If you're noticing a difference in frequency response between a CD player and the car player, keep in mind that the CD player is going through different DAC and playback circuitry. Most consumer CD players have their output curve "tweaked" a little bit to make them sound better out-of-the-box. The car player doesn't have a tweaked EQ curve, it's ruler-flat by default. So to make the car player sound like a CD player, you will need to alter its default EQ.

Also, make sure that you've got playback equipment that is up to the task of playing very high frequencies. Most consumer speakers start rolling off around 16-18k. Just because a manufacturer lists a frequency response up to 22k, it doesn't mean it's flat response to 22k. Usually there is a significant amount of rolloff at the ends of the spectrum.

Now, with all of that said, some early models of Mk2 (not 2a) players were fitted with EMC capacitors that tended to reduce the extreme high frequencies of the front car outputs and the home outputs (but not the rear car outputs). These capacitors were meant to reduce noise, but it was later discovered that they were not needed, and they were removed from subsequent board revisions.

There is also a report that some owners have experienced a reduction in car installation noise after removing these capacitors. This is a bit strange, since the original purpose of the capacitors was for noise filtering. But if you've got installation noise that you can't seem to get rid of, it might be worth the effort to remove these and see if it helps. It just so happens that the reports came from BMW owners, but that may or may not mean anything significant.

To check to see whether your player is affected, first make sure it is a Mk2 player, not a Mk2a. The 2a's have the correct value of capacitor already installed, so this problem will only occur on Mk2 units.

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

Viewing from the front of the player, unplug the left-hand wiring loom in the rear of the player which hides the home output plugs. With this wiring loom unplugged, you should be able to see the capacitors as illustrated here:


(Note that on later model Mk2 units, the capacitors will be missing from these locations, there will just be empty pads there. If that's the case, you don't need to do anything because your player is not affected.)

If desired, you may remove the main motherboard, carefully following these instructions, and de-solder these capacitors. Do not bridge them, remove them completely so that there is no longer a connection at those locations. Use caution not to interfere with the resistor that's near one of the capacitors (not shown, it's behind the wiring connector).

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.


Don't do this procedure "just because". Before you do this, please make sure that you're definitely experiencing a problem with noise or with the player's high frequency output, and not just running into the limitations of your MP3s, your hearing range, or your amps and speakers. If you're not extremely careful, you could cause damage to the player during this procedure, and it's not worth the risk unless you're pretty sure you're going to be able to hear a difference when you're done with it.


·  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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