GRN Saber Operating manual

Saber
Hand Wind Audio Player
Maintenance Guide
February 2014
http://globalrecording .net/ aber

Saber Hand Wind Audio Player - Maintenance Guide
Table of Contents
1.Introduction.......................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Other information currently available...............................................................................................................3
2.Equipment Nece ary for Maintenance.............................................................................................3
3.Trouble hooting Procedure................................................................................................................4
3.1 Power Management...........................................................................................................................................4
3.1.1 Hand-Wind Generator........................................................................................................4
3.1.2 External DC power.............................................................................................................5
3.1.3 Internal Battery..................................................................................................................5
3.1.4 Power management circuit.................................................................................................7
3.2 Audio file preparation: How to download, and etup playback of audio file .................................................8
3.2.1 Manual Audio folder and file management........................................................................8
3.2.2 Manual connecting and tran ferring audio file onto player..............................................9
3.2.3 Benefit of u ing the provided SaberCopy utility..............................................................9
3.2.4 SD Memory Card ...........................................................................................................10
3.2.5 Precaution and tep to connect the player to the computer...........................................10
3.2.6 Advice on audio announcement ......................................................................................10
3.2.7 Technical information on how the player talk to the computer......................................10
3.2.8 Player Firmware...............................................................................................................11
3.2.9 Player Boot Sequence and Re et button...........................................................................11
3.2.10 Saber Locking Option ...................................................................................................12
3.3 The u e of the Player to play audio file .........................................................................................................12
3.4 The Keypad.....................................................................................................................................................12
3.5 Indicator light .................................................................................................................................................13
3.5.1 Maintaining the player.....................................................................................................14
3.5.2 Automatic Power Off.......................................................................................................14
4.Step to Di a emble and Rea emble the Saber............................................................................15
4.1 Di a embly Step ...........................................................................................................................................15
4.2 Rea embly Step ............................................................................................................................................17
5.Player Diagram and Part heet .....................................................................................................20
5.1 Drawing 1: Mechanical drawing of part in the player.................................................................................20
5.2 Drawing 2: Internal part of player.................................................................................................................21
5.3 Diagram 3: Back ca e and battery...................................................................................................................22
5.4 Part Li t for player:..........................................................................................................................................22
5.5 Electronic Diagram..........................................................................................................................................23
6.Firmware Update ...........................................................................................................................24
6.1 Firmware Update Procedure............................................................................................................................24
6.2 Saber Firmware update on a Window 7 computer........................................................................................25
7.Trouble hooting: Common Symptom and Remedie ....................................................................26
7.1 Power upply problem ...................................................................................................................................26
7.2 Internal Battery life.........................................................................................................................................26
7.3 The Saber will not turn on...............................................................................................................................27
7.4 File Corruption I ue .....................................................................................................................................28
7.5 Folder and File and volume button will not work.........................................................................................28
7.6 The Saber will not work with an SD Card .....................................................................................................28
7.7 The Saber ha problem when connected to a computer by the USB Connection.........................................29
7.8 Further help.....................................................................................................................................................29
7.9 Contact Detail ................................................................................................................................................29
8.Saber Specification ........................................................................................................................30
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Saber Hand Wind Audio Player - Maintenance Guide
1. Introduction
Global Recording Network ha produced the Saber Hand Wind Audio player in re pon e to
demand from mi ion and churche for a compact reliable audio player that i not dependent on
external power ource .
The purpo e of thi maintenance guide i to provide the nece ary technical information to tho e
who will be doing in- ervice repair on the Saber player .
For general u er , plea e con ult the Saber u er guide for the mo t up to date information on how to
u er your player.
1.1 Other information currently available
•Saber U er Guide
•SaberCopy In truction
Vi it our web ite for the late t update : http://globalrecording .net/ aber
2. Equipment Necessary for Maintenance
Ba ic Equipment:
•Pozi drive number 1 crewdriver (or Phillip' head number 1 crewdriver)
•Long no e plier
•External SD memory card (loaded with audio file )
•External DC power (example: AC/DC plug pack)
Other u eful item include:
•USB cable
•Acce to a computer to download audio file to player.
•Saber Maintenance Pack
•NiMH Battery Pack. Part No: C413 (optional, if battery replacement i nece ary)
•Small amount of grea e
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Saber Hand Wind Audio Player - Maintenance Guide
3. Troubleshooting rocedure
The key to identifying and repairing electronic device i to have a logical approach to
trouble hooting and fault diagno i . The fir t tep i to examine carefully all the ymptom of the
fault, and to identify the problem area . Thi guide i de igned to a i t you in identifying the fault,
and the tep needed to repair the player.
The three major area of trouble hooting the Saber player are:
•Power. Generator, external DC, and Battery i ue .
•Audio file preparation. How to download, and etup
playback of audio file .
•The u e of the Player to play audio file .
3.1 Power Management
All electronic device require power to operate. The
Saber i de igned pecifically to be able to u e the
built in hand-wind generator a well a external
power to charge the internal battery to allow the
player to function.
We can divide the power into 4 categorie :
Hand-Wind Generator, External DC power, Internal
battery, power management circuit.
3.1.1 Hand-Wind Generator
The onboard generating unit contain the only moving part in the player. It con i t of:
•Crank handle
•gear and pulley wheel
•belt
•idler arm
•generator
•Red light
If the red light doe not light when turning the crank handle in a clockwi e direction, further
inve tigation tep need to be taken. Thi will require the opening of the player and po ible
replacement of part . Plea e follow the a embly in truction on page 15 in thi manual, and check
that the belt, gear and generator are working correctly, and replace any part that are preventing the
reliable running of the hand-wind generator ub y tem.
Powering the player using the hand-wind generator
The player i de igned to be powered by the hand-wind generator. It i recommended that you
Page 4 of 30
Power
Management
Play Audio File
File
Preparation
Power
Management
Circuit
Ni MH Battery
G
Crank Handle
Generator
7.2V
DC In
E ternal
Power
Power
Low Voltage Cutoff
Red Charging Indicator

Saber Hand Wind Audio Player - Maintenance Guide
hould turn the handle ALL THE TIME while the player is playing, if no other external DC
power ource i available.
We recommend that you turn the crank handle for 1 minute before tarting the player, and
continuou ly during the tart up pha e of the player, where the green light i fa t fla hing.
3.1.2 External DC power
All external DC power i connected u ing the 2.1mm DC power ocket
on the ide of the player. The voltage need to be between 6 to 8 Volt
DC, and a current rating of at lea t 350mA with the centre pin po itive
(+). If the input voltage i too high it may re ult in component on the
circuit board burning out, requiring the expen ive replacement of the
circuit board.
DO NOT connect a Saber player directly to a 12 volt battery a thi will
permanently damage the player. There i an optional voltage adaptor
available to allow connection to car batterie .
External power upplie , olar panel and external battery pack that
will meet the Saber player requirement are available from GRN.
When u ing external DC power, di connect the power once the red light ha gone out, indicating
that the player i fully charged.
3.1.3 Internal Battery
The purpo e of the internal battery i to tore energy that i provided by the
generator and external DC power. The 3.6V 750mAh Nickel Metal Hydride
(NiMH) battery pack ha been cho en, a it i robu t, co t effective and require
minimal maintenance in the field. The e batterie are de igned for year of
ervice, with a minimum of 500 full charge / di charge cycle before tarting to
degrade. They cope with partial charge / di charge cycle and have minimal
memory effect.
NOTE: The e batterie elf di charge over time.
•At a temperature of 20'C the elf leakage di charge i 20% per month.
•At a temperature of 40'C the elf leakage di charge can be over 40% per month.
If you have an external power ource, it i recommended to charge the player if the unit ha not
been u ed for a number of week . If you do not have an external power ource available, it i
recommended that you turn the crank handle for a minute before turning on the player, and to
continue turning the crank handle while the player i being u ed.
We recommend that the player are recharged every 90 day , u ing any available charging ource.
(External DC, Generator, olar panel.)
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E ternal Power:
- 2.1mm DC plug
- Centre pin positive (+)
- DC (direct current) supply
- Input: 6 to 8 Volts
- Minimum 350mA current
Battery Type
Nominal 3.6V
750mAh capacity
Nickel Metal Hydride
(NiMH)
(3*AAA battery type)

Saber Hand Wind Audio Player - Maintenance Guide
Battery Maintenance
If you follow the e imple guideline , you will have year of ervice from the player:
•Recharge the player every 90 day , u ing any available charging ource. (External DC,
Generator, olar panel.)
•Keep the player out of direct unlight. (all batterie will lo e capacity if they get hot. If u ing
olar panel to charge a player, make ure the player it elf i in the hade)
•Do not remove or ub titute the internal battery pack. The e have been pecifically de igned
to work together within the player and damage may occur if change are made.
•If battery replacement i nece ary, plea e contact Global Recording Network to di cu the
be t method of obtaining the right battery.
Indications that the battery needs replacing
The internal battery of the Saber player i ba ed on a NiMH con truction for year of maintenance
free u e. We recommend that the Saber i charged every 90 day , u ing any available charging
ource (External DC, Generator, olar panel) to keep the battery in good condition. We expect to get
about 10 hour of audio playing from the internal battery, when it i fully charged.
If poor battery life i experienced, plea e follow the e tep :
–Charge the player completely. (eg u ing AC power adapter or 12V battery adaptor) Record
the time the red light tay on, indicating the charge.
–Turn on the player and let it play until the battery i flat.
–Recharge the player completely (eg u ing AC power adapter or 12V battery adaptor )
Record the time the red light tay on, indicating the charge.
–Turn on the player and let it play until the battery i flat.
–Recharge the player completely (eg u ing AC power adapter or 12V battery adaptor )
Record the time the red light tay on, indicating the charge.
The battery hould now be in peak performance. The player hould play for about 6 – 12 hour at
near to full volume.
If the red light goe off in le than 1 hour during the charging cycle, thi indicate that the battery i
not accepting the charge correctly. A po ible remedy i to charge the player at a lower external DC
voltage of between 5 and 5.5 V for a longer period of time of between 10 and 15 hour .
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Saber Hand Wind Audio Player - Maintenance Guide
3.1.4 ower management circuit
echnical information
The internal battery charging y tem i very efficient. For external DC input. The player detect
maximum voltage, change in voltage, change in temperature, and total duration to optimally charge
the battery. The Saber player' red light lowly fla he 4 time before tarting to charge the battery
when external DC power i upplied.
The hand-wind generator provide the maximum amount of charge by u ing a eparate maximum
voltage detection circuit, which mean that every time the crank handle i turned, the maximum
amount of power i tran ferred into the player.
Do not make change to the way the player charge the internal battery. If there i a problem
identified with thi circuit, plea e replace the circuit board.
What happens when low voltage occurs: The reduced volume effect
The player' main amplifier i u ed to produce high volume level . At the e high level , the power
draw i large, and cau e mall pike which can momentarily drop the upply voltage. When the
internal battery i nearly flat, the e pike can top the audio chip from working. A a precaution at
low battery level the volume automatically reduce to 60% to provide protection again t the e
pike , with the ide effect of lightly extending playback time.
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Saber Hand Wind Audio Player - Maintenance Guide
3.2 Audio file preparation: How to download, and setup playback of
audio files
The player u e onboard internal memory and SD Card to tore the audio file that will be played.
It i important that the audio file are played back in the correct order, and that the next file and
previou folder button work a de ired.
To achieve the correct equencing of the file , it i nece ary to remove the mp3 tag “title”, and
place the file in equential order. The recommended naming convention i explained below.
It i recommended that the SaberCopy utility i u ed where po ible, a thi will a i t with
following the correct naming convention , placing the audio file in the correct equence, and
remove the mp3 tag “title”. Thi utility i explained further below in ection 3.2.3.
3.2.1 Manual Audio folder and file management
The player u e 2 level , folder and file , to manage the audio file , where the fir t 6 character are
ignificant. It i important that the e character are u ed to place the file in the correct equence o
that the file are played in the correct order.
Manual MP3 tag removal
Every mp3 audio file ha the ability to contain “tag ” embedded into the file. The e tag are often
u eful to allow author and copyright information to be a ociated with the audio file for ea y
reference. Our player however need the ID3 “Title” tag removed from each mp3 file, otherwi e the
play order of the audio file will be incorrect.
There are different way of editing mp3 audio file tag . It i po ible in ide the Window XP and
Vi ta operating y tem to right click on the file, elect “Propertie ”, elect “Summary” tab, elect
“Advanced >>” and change the Title de cription. There i general oftware that will a i t with thi
proce , an example being http://www.mp3tag.de
Manual Folder naming format
It i recommended that the folder u e the following tandard
“001000_name of folder” where the fir t 3 digit “001” i the
folder name and “000_” i placed after the la t digit. The
folder are then orted by the e digit o folder 001000_ will
be the fir t folder, and 002000_ will be the econd folder
played.
Manual File format
It i recommended that the file naming format i :
“001001_name of file” where the fir t “001” i the folder
number, and the econd “001_” i the file number order in
that folder. The “_” i placed after the la t digit.
File will then play in the order of the number given. Example
001001_ file will be played, and then file 001002_ will be
played.
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Audio File structure on Player
001000_Genesis (folder)
001001_Genesis Chapter 1 (file)
001002_Genesis Chapter 2 (file) ...
001050_Genesis Chapter 50 (file)
002000_E odus (folder)
002001_E odus Chapter 1 (file)
002002_E odus Chapter 2 (file) ...
002040_E odus Chapter 50 (file)
003000_Good News in English (folder)
003001_Picture 1 (file)
003002_Picture 2 (file) ...
003040_Picture 40 (file)
999000_Last folder available (folder)
999001_Song 1 (file)
999002_Song 2 (file) ...
999999_Very last song last folder

Saber Hand Wind Audio Player - Maintenance Guide
Spa e for internal playlist
The player create an internal play li t which it u e to play the file when the unit i fir t powered
on after change are made by the computer. It i recommended that 20Mb of pace i left available
on the internal memory for thi playli t. If the pace i not left, the player will turn on, and the green
light fla he at high peed, but will then turn off.
3.2.2 Manual connecting and transferring audio files onto player
Audio file can be manually tran ferred to the internal onboard memory by u ing the USB
connection.
1) Turn player off (before connection i made to the computer)
2) On the computer tart “Window Explorer” and view “My Computer”. Identify the exi ting
drive on the computer.
3) Connect the player to the computer u ing a 5 pin Mini B USB cable.
- If the USB locking firmware ha been in talled on the player, plea e refer to the Saber
Lock Pack documentation for advice on the connection to the computer.
4) About 5 to 50 econd after the USB connection i made, 2 new “removable di k” drive
will appear. The fir t of the e new drive will be the internal onboard memory in ide the
player. The econd drive will be the SD Card on the Saber player.
5) Delete any audio file on the player that are no longer nece ary.
6) Copy the audio folder and file (following the naming convention explained previou ly)
onto the player, onto either the internal onboard memory, or the SD card drive.
7) Once completed, di connect the USB cable from the player and computer.
8) Turn on the player, and confirm that the audio file work a expected.
3.2.3 Benefits of using the provided SaberCopy utility
The SaberCopy utility i Window ba ed oftware that a i t with the correct equencing and
copying of audio file on to the Saber. It i recommended that you read the SaberCopy u age
in truction a thi de cribe the tep nece ary to prepare the folder and file required before
u ing the SaberCopy utility.
Plea e refer to our web ite for the late t ver ion of SaberCopy utility. The u er guide i included in
the help ection. http://globalrecording .net/topic/ aber upport
–Audio file name equence are looked after o mp3 file are played in de ired equence.
–MP3 “Title” tag are deleted o mp3 file continue to play in the de ired equence.
–Copy proce : The option of deleting file i ea ily available.
–Copy proce : The copying of file onto ingle or multiple player i ea ier to execute.
–Final Capacity check: Confirm that there i at lea t 20Mb of free pace left, to allow the
player to create the play li t.
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Saber Hand Wind Audio Player - Maintenance Guide
3.2.4 SD Memory Cards
When a SD Memory card ha been in erted into the player, the onboard internal memory will be
di connected and not able to be u ed for playing. The folder and file format on the SD memory card
need to follow the ame folder and file convention a for the internal memory de cribed above.
Due to the file y tem needing to be FAT16, it i not po ible to u e card with greater capacity than
2Gigabyte .
It i recommended that SD memory card are only in erted and pulled out after the player ha been
turned off.
3.2.5 recautions and steps to connect the player to the computer
–Turn player off (before connecting to the computer)
–Connect the player to the computer.
–Tran fer the audio file with the folder and file name format a explained in ection 3.2 above.
–Confirm that there i 20 Mbyte free on the internal memory, to allow the player to create it
own playli t file .
–Di connect from Computer.
–Turn player on to rebuild the playback li t. Check that audio i heard correctly.
3.2.6 Advice on audio announcements
To a i t u er with navigation, it i recommended to place audible prompt at the tart of each file
indicating the folder (example: “Gene i ”, “Exodu ”) and indicating the file (example: “Gene i
Chapter 1”, “Exodu Chapter 2” )
It can al o become confu ing knowing where
you are if there are many folder and file . To
a i t getting to the fir t file of the fir t folder,
pre and hold the “Previou Folder” button.
It i al o ugge ted that a li t i printed out
howing the folder li ting to allow u er to
navigate through the available folder to find
pecific item . SaberCopy can help in thi .
3.2.7 Technical information on how the player talks to the computer
The player i et up to look like two “USB ma torage device ”. Later computer , including
Window 2000, XP, Vi ta, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, and Linux from about 2001 provide upport for
the e type of device . The fir t “ma torage device” will be the internal onboard memory in ide
the player, and the 2nd will be the SD Card port. The 2nd port will till appear even without an SD
Card, and will produce a prompt to “Plea e in ert a di k into drive x:” (where x i any appropriate
drive letter) if you attempt to view the drive.
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Example printout of folder li ting:
Folder Des ription Language Name
001000_ Good New Mongolian
002000_ Word of Life Mongolian
003000_ The Je u Story 1 of 2 Mongolian
004000_ The Je u Story 2 of 2 Mongolian
005000_ Word of Life Mongolian: Elute