• Registered: 2007-10-16
  • Posts: 7

Topic: Alarm override not working

I have tried the alarm override trick by placing small (100k) mp3 files called alarm1.mp3 and alarm2.mp3 on a usb drive. When the alarm goes off all I get is a high pitch distorted beep. I might be able to hear the actual clip playing in the background but it sounds awful. I have tried both usb ports (and different drives) and as soon as I unplug the drive I get the good ole bugle back. Anyone else have this problem? My chumby reports being version HW: 3.7  SW: 1.1 FW: 312

  • Registered: 2007-08-06
  • Posts: 85

Re: Alarm override not working

Dumb question, but are the MP3s non-DRM?

"We will find a way, or we will make one."
  • Registered: 2007-10-16
  • Posts: 7

Re: Alarm override not working

Not a dumb question. I am pretty sure they are not DRM'd.

  • Registered: 2007-10-16
  • Posts: 7

Re: Alarm override not working

If anyone wants to try this with a known quantity, I downloaded this: http://simplythebest.net/sounds/MP3/MP3 … etnam.zip. I unzipped it, renamed it alarm1.mp3 and put it on a usb key. I put that into the Chumby and set the alarm. All I got was awful sounding shrieks and chirps. Keep in mind, my default bugle alarm sounds fine. It seems like something to do with pulling the sound off the drive (I have tried two different drive and both Chumby USB ports)...

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,197

Re: Alarm override not working

I'll try your file and see what's up.

Thanks.

Duane's Website

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
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  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,197

Re: Alarm override not working

OK, here's the deal - despite the extension, it's not actually an MP3 (ie MPEG-1 Layer III) file.  It's actually an MPEG-2 Layer III file, which is similar, and which many MP3 players will play, but not ours.

The reason you're getting the audio you're getting is that the file is encoded with a bitrate of 16K, which is not a valid bitrate for MP3, and the player is getting pretty confused because it trusted that the file was what it claimed to be.

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2007-10-16
  • Posts: 7

Re: Alarm override not working

Thanks Duane. You are absolutely right. It is actually quite hard to find movie quote "mp3" files that are actually mp3s. Most are, as you point out mp2 - level 3. I even tried converting wavs to mp3s using Zamzar and I still got mp2 level 3 (maybe because of the low bitate). A real mp3 from a music CD works fine but most songs exceed the recommended size of a couple of megs. I'm poking around to find a site with real mp3 sound files so I can wake to the melodic voice of Sgt. Apone...

  • Registered: 2007-10-16
  • Posts: 7

Re: Alarm override not working

One other follow-up question. Is there a directory on the Chumby where I can copy the alarm1.mp3 and alarm2.mp3 files that the Chumby will see them? I'd rather not have the USB key sticking out the back. I'd also like to set up cron to rotate the alarms for me and that would be cleaner if the files were onboard...

  • Registered: 2007-10-13
  • Posts: 41

Re: Alarm override not working

One possible solution is to get a very small hub and install it *inside* the Chumby.  Put a USB stick in that, and you'll have plenty of writable memory to work with.

The real trick is opening up your Chumby and clearing out enough space for the setup (the polyfill and beanbag).

Other than that, you just need a real small hub, and preferably a very short cable running to the hub.

I unplugged the USB connection that goes to the Wi-Fi riser, plugged the hub into the mother board, then plugged the Wi-Fi riser connection into the hub, along with a memory stick.

Works great.  Your mileage may vary.

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,197

Re: Alarm override not working

seanconlan wrote:

One other follow-up question. Is there a directory on the Chumby where I can copy the alarm1.mp3 and alarm2.mp3 files that the Chumby will see them? I'd rather not have the USB key sticking out the back. I'd also like to set up cron to rotate the alarms for me and that would be cleaner if the files were onboard...

There isn't any substantial amount of read/write Flash memory in the chumby - there's a bit less than 200K reserved for various settings, and that's it.  The rest of the file system is read-only.

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2007-11-21
  • Posts: 1

Re: Alarm override not working

Another option for getting around a USB Flash Drive is to mount something to /mnt/usb. I have not tried this...so feel free to correct me if my hypothesis is wrong.