New to Cowon products: What should I do first

[beyondinvisible]

So after lots of research and finally having the funds, I've decided to take the plunge into Cowon products and have ordered a C2. Now this is my first portable player so I'm a little unsure of what I'm supposed to do when I get it. I have a few queries and hoping someone can give me a little advice.

1. Do I update the firmware first or assume the latest firmware is installed? I read some threads about players getting 'bricked' so trying to be cautious.
2. I saw lots of cool uis and will definitely try them out. Would S9 or J3 uis also work on my C2 or too many resolution problems?
3. I haven't bought an adapter yet but the Cowon store is selling S9/J3 adapters. Can I buy one for my C2 or should I look for a generic model? I live in South Asia so would prefer to buy local.

That's about it. Can't wait to get my hands on a Cowon finally

[Enzyme]

What to do first.....


run away! run away!


1. check the firmware installed via the devices option menu. check the updates list of changes and more-so the discussions here, and see if you feel it's worth upgrading or best avoided.

2. too many problems i think, both in resolution, button layout and possibly the menu systems and other options involved.

3. i dont know what socket the c2 uses or if it's compatible with the j3\s9 charger, but buy a good quality charger rated at around 1A or 1000ma (given the c2 is usb charged).

[beyondinvisible]

Thanks for the reply. I've seen some sites where the S9/J3 adapter is also recommended for the X7 and C2 so I wondered if anyone was using one of them for their own players. I guess I'll wait and check around.

[beyondinvisible]

Ok I finally got my player and am charging through usb for the first time. The charging icon appears for 5-7 mins and then disappears. Is this normal ? I noticed that if I wiggle the usb cable slightly, the charging icon reappears, again for 5 minutes or so.

Also, my Windows PC says device not recognized. I presume this is because it's charging for now.

[jpgr]

the usb cable is not fully plugged into the c2. can you pick the c2 up by the usb cable?
if not, its not fully inserted.

push the side cover up towards the screen and then push the usb connector in to the body of the c2 all the way until it clicks.
it takes a lot of force to get it fully engaged.

[beyondinvisible]

I did that and I got a 'USB connected' screen, then my computer recognised the device. How do I check whether it's charging though? If I press the power button all I get is the 'USB connected' screen.

Edit: Left player as is for a bit. Now it shows 50% charged. Boy I really have to get used to this thing

[nsxviper]

It takes forever to charge the C2 through the computer. If you have one of those block usb outlet chargers, it'll charge fully in 3 hours or less.

I think the firmware you should NOT install is 1.12. That's been known to brick players. I had to RMA my C2 to Cowon because of this.

1.17 just came out and I will most likely install it. For some odd reason, 1.15 gave the player a lower battery life during normal use.

C2 has it's own UI. Although not very popular, you have to search them in the forums to find what you like.

[marcusgi]

jpgr,

I actually pushed harder and got the charger ALL the way in. I am surprised that it worked before when it barely was connected. Thanks for the tip. As far as the cover, wow that thing gets in the way, I thought about cutting the strings holding it on thinking it would stay on without the strings, but would void warranty.

[beyondinvisible]

I pushed the cable in as hard as I could but did not get any click. Player was recognised by the computer though. Maybe I'm deaf .

First observations: Even small movements can 'disconnect' the cable. It's like you can't even breathe over it. UI is okay, I think I'll get used to it in some time. Didn't have problems with the touchscreen but my fingernails are a little long now. I have a resistive screen phone too so I'm used to working with these screens.

Query on created UIs though. Most of the instructions say 'copy to /system/flashui folder. The only thing in the folder currently is an 'SOL' folder, which has one file in it.

1. Does the player recognise the user UIs automatically in the FlashUI folder or do I put it in the subfolder?
2. Can I load 2 different uis for music and choose which one to use or load only one at a time?
3. Is anyone using the Ubuntu Faenza or Windows7 main menu uis from cowonworld.ru? They look really nice but can't figure out if it's English or not.
4. How do I know if my C2 is charging? Does the battery icon change in some way?

Sorry for so many questions. I'm pretty clueless right now as I haven't really used mp3 players much. I'm surrounded by iPod users so can't ask them for help

[marcusgi]

beyondinvisible,

1. Yes. If if is music.swf then it will replace the default music screen. mainmenu1 will replace the menu screen with all the icons, and browser_total.swf will replace the browser screen. My personal favorite is music.swf by jpgr, no spinning disc.
2. no, you can only have one UI at a time, by replacing the .swf currently. It doesn't take long though to plug in the C2 and change it though.
3. Do they specifically say they are for the C2, if not, they wont work because the screen size?
4. As others have said, buy a cheap 1 Amp AC to USB adapter and once you plug it in, it says you are charging. If you want to check if it still charging, just press the power button for a sec and it will wake up and say charging or full. It just doesn't make sense to use the computer to charge it unless your computer is always on, does it in a 1/3 the time with an ac adapter.

[Adoby]

Many new PCs provide power to the USB ports even when "powered off", as long as the cable is still in and the switch on the PSU is still on. Works fine to give a gentle full charge overnight.

[beyondinvisible]

Originally Posted by marcusgi

4. As others have said, buy a cheap 1 Amp AC to USB adapter and once you plug it in, it says you are charging. If you want to check if it still charging, just press the power button for a sec and it will wake up and say charging or full. It just doesn't make sense to use the computer to charge it unless your computer is always on, does it in a 1/3 the time with an ac adapter.

I bought a cheap adapter. It's just a 3-inch white box with a plug on one side and a USB port on the other. Will have to check it and see if it works.

[beyondinvisible]

I tried charging my C2 with the adapter I bought but it doesn't seem to be working. I connected the player to the adapter and then plugged it in but no 'Charging' message or anything on the player. Had to charge through the computer, which worked.

I don't want to have keep charging through the computer. How can I test if my adapter is working?

[porcupene]

Originally Posted by beyondinvisible

First observations: Even small movements can 'disconnect' the cable. It's like you can't even breathe over it.

That's not normal. Even if you don't hear a click the connector should lock firmly into place. So firmly that it takes considerable effort to pull it back out. Also, when you open the little lid that covers the connectors, push it up towards the screen not down towards the back of the player, there is more room that way.

And yes, the s9,j3,c2 and x7 use the same cable: http://www.amazon.com/COWON-USB-Cabl...A2SZ6RJGR6A085

As for charging, any standard usb charger should work. I have one like this: http://www.hama.de/portal/picType*ab...ticleId*167256 and it works without any problems (also charges faster than the computer port.) You may be interested in this article about usb charging: http://www.extremetech.com/computing...our-smartphone