GamePark GP2X User manual

GP2X User Guide
Version 1.2
Authored by: Guyfawkes
Last Updated: December 26, 2005
Homepage: http://www.emuholic.com/

2
Contents
Basic Usage
Page 3 –GP2X Information
Page 6 –Setting up your GP2X
Page 8 –Using the GP2X for the first time
Page 11 –Managing files on the GP2X
Page 12 –Installing and loading software
Page 15 –Viewing Images
Page 17 –Playing Music
Page 19 –Viewing Movies
Page 21 –Reading E-Books
Page 23 –Using Explorer
Page 25 –Using the Settings menu
Page 28 –Troubleshooting
Page 29 –Useful information
Advanced Usage
Page 30 –Installing software updates and firmware flashing
Page 32 –Customising the menu graphics
Page 33 –Developing for the GP2X introduction
Page 34 –Credits, Thanks and other stuff

3
GP2X Information
Product Name:
* GP2X-F100
General
* Main Processor: MagicEyes MP2520F
* CPU: ARM920T - 200 MHz
* CoProcessor: ARM940T - 200 MHz
* Dimension 143.6mm* 82.9mm*34mm
* Mass (w/o batteries): 161g/5.68oz (GP32 NLU: 163g/5.74oz)
* RAM: 64Mb
* Internal Storage: 64Mb NAND Flash Memory
* External Storage: SD Card
* Connections: EXTension port, USB 2.0, DC in (3v), Headphone jack.
* O/S: Linux
* Batteries: 2 x AA
* Display: 3.5" TFT LCD
* Resolution: 320*240 (QVGA)
* TV Output: up to 720*480 with separate S-Video cable.
Video
* Video Codec support: MPEG 1, 2, 3, 4, DivX 3.11, 4.x, 5.x and higher, XviD, WMV (7, 8, 9
Series by 'After Support')
* Extension support: AVI, MPG, MPEG
* Audio Formats: MP3, OGG, WMA (by 'After Support')
* Resolution: MAX 720*480
* Frame Rate: Max 30 fps
* Bit Rate: Video Max: 2500Kbps, Audio Max: 384Kbps
* Caption: SMI
Audio
* 2 Channel Stereo (L+R)
* Frequency Response 20Hz~20KHz
* Sampling Rate 16bit/8~48KHz
* Supported Formats WMA, OGG, MP3
* 11 Equalizer settings

4
Included Software
* E-Book Reader
* Image Viewer
* Movie Viewer
* Music Player
Controls
* 8 way digital thumb stick
* 4+1 main action buttons (Thumb stick clicks in for use as an action button)
* 2 shoulder buttons
* Start and Select
* Volume +/-
I/O Ports
* Headphones
* USB 2.0 (not powered)
* EXT Port
* DC Power - 3 Volts, center negative
* Future SDIO Hardware Support
GP2X Layout:
1 –Left Shoulder button
2 –Right Shoulder button
3 –Joystick
4 –Y, A, X and B buttons
5 –Volume buttons
6 –Select button
7 –Start button
8 –Left speaker
9 –Right speaker
10 –Power LED (green)
11 –Battery LED (red)

5
12 –Secure Digital Card slot
13 –Headphone Jack
14 –Battery Cover
15 –DC Power (3 Volts, center negative)
16 –Mini USB socket

6
Setting Up Your GP2X
You should have the following inside your GP2X box:
1x GP2X unit
1x USB cable
1x Screen Protector
1x Pack of 2 AA batteries
1x Korean/English Manual
Fitting the Screen Protector
After unpacking the GP2X you should install the screen protector immediately. Carefully
remove the shipping film from the GP2X screen by pulling the Red tag on the top right.
Now remove the film from the Screen Protector and ensuring there is no dust on the
underside of the Screen Protector and on the GP2X screen carefully place it on the GP2X.
The Screen Protector also has a film to protect the screen, using a fingernail or knife,
gently unpeel it from a corner of the screen.
Fitting the batteries
The GP2X uses two AA batteries to power the device. To fit these, gently push and slide
the marked area on the battery cover found on the back of the GP2X towards you. Insert
the batteries the correct way as shown in the battery compartment and then replace the
battery cover.

7
Fitting the Secure Digital Card
The GP2X uses a Secure Digital Card (not supplied as standard) as its storage. To install
this insert the Secure Digital Card with the back facing you into the Secure Digital Slot
found on the top of the GP2X. The notch should be on the bottom right hand side and
when inserted you should hear a click to confirm it is correctly inserted. Do not try to
force the Secure Digital Card into the slot or you may damage the Card or the GP2X!
Wrong
Correct
Installing the USB Cable
The GP2X can connect to your PC via a USB cable to transfer your games, utilities,
movies, music and E-Books. To do this you will require a free USB port on your PC, it is
recommended you have a USB 2 port for faster transferring of files but a USB 1 port will
work. Locate an unused USB port on your PC and carefully insert the USB connector
into it. To connect the USB cable to your GP2X, remove the rubber protection cover and
insert the USB cable into the GP2X.
You are now ready to switch on and enjoy the GP2X!

8
Using the GP2X for the first time
Switch on the GP2X by pressing the On/Off switch located on the left hand side of the
GP2X. The screen should light up and after a second or two the first of two boot screens
should display. This should last for several seconds then a second boot screen will
display. After around 25 seconds in total, the boot process will be complete and you will
be presented with the Main Menu screen as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1
To navigate the menu system you can use the joystick to move left and right between the
options. Press to select the highlighted option and to cancel.
Connecting the GP2X to your PC
Remove the rubber flap found on the right hand side of your GP2X then carefully insert
the USB cable into the USB connector on the GP2X. Please also ensure that a Secure
Digital card has been inserted into the GP2X otherwise your PC may not recognise the
GP2X. Now navigate to the Settings menu and press to enter the Settings menu as
shown in Figure 2.

9
Figure 2
Now navigate to the USB option and press to select it. The USB Connection screen
will appear as in Figure 3.
Figure 3
After a few seconds Windows should report that it has found a new USB device and will
start to automatically configure the GP2X as a drive device. Once you are notified that
the device is ready to use, open My Computer and locate the new Drive that has been
created as shown in Figure 4.

10
Figure 4
In this example the Secure Digital Card is already formatted but if you have a new card
you may need to format it for it to be used on the GP2X. To do this right click on the
Secure Digital drive (in this example Drive G) and choose Format from the options.
A new window will appear and
prompt you for some information.
The Capacity will vary between
different sizes of Cards; in this
example a 256 MB Card is shown.
The File System should be set to
FAT32 and the Allocation unit size
set to Default allocation size. The
Volume label is the name of your
drive; you may rename this to an
easily identifiable name such as
GP2X Card. Once you are happy
with the settings click on the Start button and the Secure Digital Card will proceed to be
formatted.
Once the process is completed you can now begin to transfer files to your GP2X.

11
Managing files on the GP2X
Copying files to your GP2X
Copying files to the GP2X is much like everyday file copying on your hard drive. In the
following example we will copy a MP3 to the GP2X.
Connect your GP2X to your PC as shown here. Now select which file you wish to copy
to the GP2X by clicking on it once, if you wish to select more files then hold the CTRL
button while clicking on a new file to select/deselect it. Once you have chosen your
file(s) right click on one of them and choose Copy from the options, next click on the
GP2X drive (in our case drive G) and choose Paste from the options. Your files will now
be copied to the GP2X, the time it takes depends on the size and number of files you
copied.
Deleting files on your GP2X
Again this is the same as performing a deletion of files on your PC. Connect your GP2X
to your PC as shown here. Now select which file you wish to delete from the GP2X by
clicking on it once, if you wish to select more files then hold the CTRL button while
clicking on a new file to select/deselect it. Now press the Delete key on your PC or right
click and choose Delete from the options. Your file(s) will now be deleted from the
GP2X. You can also perform this task from within the GP2X Explorer, more information
here.
Useful Tips
1 - You can create new folders on your Secure Digital Card for the various file types
supported on the GP2X. For example: a Games folder to store your games, a Music
folder to store your MP3’s or a Video folder to store your videos. This way it is easier to
keep track of what is installed on your GP2X and you can manage your files more
efficiently.
2 –Never remove your Secure Digital Card or switch off your GP2X while files are
being accessed. This can result in the loss or damage of files on your Secure Digital Card.

12
Installing and loading software
Installing the SDL files
The GP2X supports SDL which is a development library for multiple devices and
operating systems. Games using SDL may require library files to be installed to the
GP2X in order for them to run, you will only need to install these once. You can
download the SDL files from the GP2X Archive at http://archive.gp2x.de/
The SDL files are in a Zip archive format so you can simply extract the two files
(install_libs.gpu and install_libs.tar.gz) straight to the GP2X drive as you normally would
on your PC. Open the file in your preferred .zip extraction program and point it to extract
the files to the GP2X drive (in this case the G drive).
Now quit the USB connection screen and return to the main menu. Navigate to the Utility
option and press . You will be presented with the Utility Launcher screen as shown in
Figure 5.
Figure 5
The two options are described:
NAND Memory –This is the internal memory of the GP2X and only important files such as
drivers like the SDL files should be installed to here. The reason is that only 20MB is available for
storage so space is more limited than you would get with a Secure Digital Card.
SD Memory Card –This is your Secure Digital Card where all data such as games, music and
videos are stored.
Please note that you cannot copy files to the NAND Memory via the USB cable. In order
to run any software initially you will need a Secure Digital card.

13
Choose SD Memory Card from the options and press to select it. A program list
screen similar to the image in Figure 6 will be displayed.
Figure 6
This is the Utility Launcher menu, Figure 6 shows only one file which we just installed
but as you use your GP2X, more files will be listed here. Select the install_libs file and
press to run it. The screen will turn black for a few seconds while the necessary files
are installed and afterwards you will be returned to the Main Menu.
Installing and loading a game
In this example we will be using a game called ShanghaiX. If you wish to you can
download this game from the GP2X Archive at http://archive.gp2x.de/
Extract the files from the archive to your GP2X drive the same way you done so for
installing the SDL files. From the main menu highlight the Game option and press to
select it. You will be presented with the Game Player screen as shown in Figure 7.

14
Figure 7
As you will notice this screen is similar to the Utility Launcher screen. Choose the SD
Memory Card option and press to select it. A program list screen similar to the
image in Figure 8 will be displayed.
Figure 8
Highlight ShanghaiX and press to select it. The game should now load. Enjoy your
first game on the GP2X!
Useful tip
Game and Utility files have different filename extensions even though they are the same
format. This is because the Game Launcher screen only displays filenames with the
extension .GPE and the Utility Launcher screen only displays filenames with the
extension .GPU.

15
Viewing Images
The GP2X can view images that are stored on your Secure Digital Card. The following
image formats are supported
JPEG - .jpg extension
Bitmap - .bmp extension
Graphics Interchange - .gif extension
Portable Network Graphics - .png extension
From the Main Menu, choose the Photo option and press to select. You will be
presented with the Photo Viewer screen as shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9
Choose the SD Memory Card option and press to select it. An image list screen
similar to the image in Figure 10 will be displayed.

16
Figure 10
Highlight the image you wish to view and press to select. After a second or two,
depending on the size of the file, your image will be displayed. Pressing the or
shoulder buttons on your GP2X will automatically load and display the previous or
following image on your Secure Digital Card.
To return to the list of images press the button, and to return to the Main Menu press
the button.
Useful tip
The GP2X cannot currently display images larger than 2048x1024 pixels; if the image is
larger it may not be displayed. Use a photo editing application to reduce the resolution to
2048x1024 pixels or lower.

17
Playing Music
The GP2X can support the following audio formats:
MP3 - .mp3 filename extension
OGG - .ogg filename extension
From the Main Menu, choose the Music option and press to select. You will be
presented with the Music Player screen as shown in Figure 11.
Figure 11
Choose the SD Memory Card option and press to select it. An audio list screen
similar to the image in Figure 12 will be displayed.
Figure 12

18
Choose the song you wish to listen to and press to select. The audio player will then
appear and start to play your chosen song as shown in Figure 13.
Figure 13
Pressing will show or hide a series of options for the player. These are:
Previous Track
Next Track
Skip Backwards
Skip Forwards
Play
Pause
Stop
Open a new file
Equalizer
Use the joystick to change between the options and press to select.
The Equalizer has eleven presets to suit the style of music. These are Normal, Rock, Pop,
Jazz, Classic, Dance, Heavy Metal, Disco, Soft, Live 3D and Hall. To change between
these highlight the Equalizer option and press to cycle through the presets.
The Volume buttons found on the GP2X can be pressed to increase or decrease the
volume in 10 settings. You can also lock the buttons and turn the screen off and on by
pressing to save battery life and also avoid unnecessary button pressing.
To exit the Music Player press twice to return to the file list screen or press to
return to the Main Menu.

19
Viewing Movies
The GP2X can support the following file formats:
AVI –XVid
From the Main Menu highlight the Video option and press to select. The Movie
Player screen will be displayed as in Figure 14.
Figure 14
Choose the SD Memory Card option and press to select it. The Movie Player file
list screen similar to the image in Figure 15 will be displayed.
Figure 14

20
Highlight the video you wish to view and press to select. A message will display that
your video is being loaded and then after a second or two your chosen video will start to
play.
Pressing will show or hide a series of options for the player.
These are:
Previous Video
Next Video
Skip Backwards
Skip Forwards
Play
Pause
Stop
Open a new file
Use the joystick to change between the options and press to select. The Volume
buttons found on the GP2X can be pressed to increase or decrease the volume in 10
settings. To exit the Video Player press to return to the file list screen or press to
return to the Main Menu.