Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

[Mutata]

I really like the design and functionality of the dBpowerAmp software. I'm evaluating it for purchase. I'm not able to use the Batch Ripper in conjunction with the Powerfile C200 media changer. I've installed what I believe are the proper drivers. I've disabled the Removable Storage and Shell Hardware Detection windows services. After installing dBpoweramp Reference and Batch Ripper, I installed the Auto Loader Drivers linked at "Media Changers (such as Sony XL1Bx)". In the "Loading Method" drop down, on the drive configuration page, I then found the "Medium Changer" selection. The tests all finished successful. When starting the batch ripping, it sounds like both drives are loading, but it always errors out with "No CD After Load", and Windows file explorer shows no discs in the drives. I've also installed the Mammoth Software PowerRipper 2.1 demo. This does control the C200 accurately, but isn't as well designed or flexible as Batch Ripper. It does prove, though, that the Powerfile unit can work 100% with my current drivers.

I took the cover off the C200 to watch its operation. The Batch Ripper CLI Load and PowerRipper Mount functions appear to do the same thing of loading a disc from a slot, using the black plastic transporting sleeve, and then locking into the drive unit. The difference I note is after a CLI Load is initiated, and the drive locks the loading bracket, nothing else happens. However, after the PowerRipper Mount command is executed, and the drive locks the loading bracket, the disc spins up and is identified in both the PowerRipper interface and Windows file explorer.

What is missing to have the dBpoweramp software work as fully effective as PowerRipper? I've been at this for days now, and would be SOOO GRATEFUL to finally get this working. That would cinch my getting the OK to purchase this software, and make our clients happy with my being able to rip their CD collections for use in the media servers we sell.

Thank you to all who take the time to help me.

David

[Spoon]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

Sorry what do you mean by drive locks?

[Mutata]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

Hi Spoon,

Thanks for the prompt reply. That is my explaining how I observed the C200 mounting discs in the drives. After the black plastic sleeve/shuttle takes the disc from its slot and into the player, a metal bracket draws in and secures/locks the shuttle into the player so it can be spun up and read.

[Spoon]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

I am sorry I have not come across this locking before, but over the years we do know that the Powerfile c200 has been used with batch ripper, you might need Windows XP.

[Mutata]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

The "locking" I'm talking about is not the crucial factor here. The problem and frustration I'm having involves that both Batch Ripper and PowerRipper seem to be initiating the same action/response in the C200 when loading(Batch Ripper), or mounting(PowerRipper). But, after loading drives from Batch Ripper, there is no spin up and reading of the disc, and Windows File Explorer shows no discs in the C200 drives. PowerRipper does spin up and identifying of the disc it just mounted, and Windows File Explorer shows discs inserted, with audio files. I am using Windows XP SP3.

What is not in place here for Batch Ripper versus the full functionality of PowerRipper?

[MMaritz]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

Hi,

I am sitting in the exact same situation as Mutata, and am wondering if anyone out there has the Powerfile C200 working properly with dbPoweramp?

I have a Powerfile C200S, and I have tried it with dbPoweramp under Win7 unsuccessfully, and then under WinXP SP3.
I do not mean to discuss any other software, but I just bring this up to show that it is not the C200S that is faulty, or a driver/Windows issue.
Under WinXP, Power Ripper seems to control the movement of the carousel, and the loading/unloading of the discs successfully, but then dbPoweramp can only rip the currently loaded disc, and can't move the carousel to the next disc or load/unload the discs. I do not know if the changer/drive numbers under the Medium Changer settings need to be set to anything specifically apart from the Default values to get dbPoweramp to communicate properly with the C200S? I have tried changing the two settings to various numbers, but it does not seem to have any effect. As soon as I start Batch Ripper it states that no Media Changers were detected. If I run the tests under the Drive Configuration it also yields no positive results. I am just wondering what to change in dbPoweramp for it to be able to control the C200S as the other software does?

Any assistance is much appreciated.

Regards,
MM

[Spoon]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

You have disabled the service indicated (on the download where you download the batch ripper media changer driver)?

[MMaritz]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

Hi,

Yes, I can verify that I had disabled the "Removable Storage Service" prior to my above post.

Regards,
MM

[MMaritz]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

Hi,

Yes, I can verify that I had disabled the "Removable Storage Service" prior to my above post.

Regards,
MM

Spoon, or anyone else: Any other pearls of wisdom that I can try and look at to try and sort this one out?

At this point in time I just can't figure out what to even look at tweaking to get closer to a solution? There aren't too many options left to play around with...

Is there any documentation on the command line switches specified for the Media Changers plugin for Batch Ripper?
I don't fully understand what values to plug into it, or if I even need to change the defaults at all?
I don't have it in front of it me right now, but I think it was something like --changer="0" --drive="0" (I know that isn't exactly what it is, but I think it's close enough for you to know what I am referring to ;-) ).

Thanks in advance for any assistance that you can give to me in this regard!

Regards,
MM

[Spoon]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

Changer = 0 means the first changer found, but for some reason it is not found. Does the changer appear in device manager?

[MMaritz]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

Hi Spoon (and everyone else),

Yes, the changer always appears in Device Manager as a Media Changer.

Yesterday I did make a little bit more progress.
I had previously installed the latest drivers for the Powerfile C200S that I could find on the internet (Version Number: 5.4.0.6, Driver Date: 02/23/2006).
Yesterday I rolled them back in Device Manager to the Windows Default one (Version Number: 5.1.2600.5512, Driver Date: 7/1/2001) in the hope that it would make a difference to dBpoweramp, and it did. I do not know why I did not try this previously!!!

Now, when I start a batch rip in Batch Ripper it does not report that it cannot find a Media Changer any longer, and it commences with the rip, but it still is not working 100% though.

For whatever reason (and hopefully others can shed some light on some things to try to fix this), but the following is happening:
dBpoweramp does not seem to have control over the mount/unmount/movement of the carousel/drive. I have to use PowerRipper to move the C200S to Slot 1, and mount the disc in Slot 1. Then I can commence the rip in dBpoweramp. Then when dBpoweramp is done with the rip of the disc in Slot 1 it does not automatically unmount the disc, move the carousel to the next slot (Slot 2), and then mount the next disc. Instead, once the rip of the disc in Slot 1 is completed, dBpoweramp just keeps bringing up log messages that the rip is rejected as it is the same disc (over and over and over again).

If I do not mount the disc in Slot 1 with PowerRipper prior to pressing rip, then dBpoweramp repeatedly reports back "Reject 1: No CD After Load".
I hear what sounds like the rejection sequence happening in the carousel just prior to the rejection being reported on the screen, but at the beginning of the rip I do not hear the loading sequence. Actually, from the time that I press "Rip", the C200S is silent until it does the rejection sequence, and brings the error onto the screen.
Is there a way of telling dBpoweramp to start ripping at slot xxx and stop after yyy discs?

EDIT: I am sorry for any confusion caused, but I re-attempted the rip, and I must be going carzy, but the following seems to be happening now:
1. I press Rip.
2. The Carousel moves to Slot 1.
3. The Carousel Mounts the disc from Slot 1 into the Drive.
4. The drive does not start spinning up (I cannot hear it, or see the disc moving).
5. After some time the disc is moved back onto the Carousel, and the screen reports: "Reject 1: No CD After Load".
6. The Carousel rotates to Slot 2.
7. The Carousel Mounts the disc from Slot 2 into the Drive.
8. The drive does not start spinning up (I cannot hear it, or see the disc moving).
9. After some time the disc is moved back onto the Carousel, and the screen reports: "Reject 1: No CD After Load".
10. The rip is ended as I have set it to End After 2 Failed Disc Loads.

I have run all of the tests under the Drive Configuration section of Batch Ripper, and all of the tests (barring the POST-BATCH test) report back successfully, and the carousel/drive of the C200S seems to be making all of the correct noises during each of the tests. I have saved the test results for each of the tests, and I can post them, if it will help anyone out there to diagnose the problem - I just didn't want to make the post any longer than it already is, unnecessarily.

Are there any other settings/changes/tests that I could possibly perform to get further along the road here?
It feels like this is so close to working now, and it has come so far, but one major component of it is still outstanding - the automatic function...

Regards,
MM

[MMaritz]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

Hi,

In the procedure I listed above, after Point 3, and Point 7, the message below to the Drive Letter in dBpoweramp chanes to "Post-Load Waiting for CD".
This also makes me think that the drive is maybe not being sent the command to spin up, or something similar, so it does not notice the disc in the drive?
I know that it is not the hardware, because as stated before, the other software does not have this problem.

Regards,
MM

[Spoon]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

If test load cannot move a disc from the carousel to the drive, then communication with the changer and batch ripper are not functioning correctly.

[MMaritz]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

Hi,

Agreed, but the Test Load in the Drive Configuration tool does work and the carousel and drive do make sounds that sound appropriate for the action being taken.
Please see below for the test results for all of the tests in the Drive Configuration tool:

LOAD:

**********************************************
Beginning Test

Running Program: "C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\BatchRipper\Loaders\Me dium Changer\Load\Load.exe" --changer="0" --driveid="0" --drive="G" --rejectifnodisc --logfile="C:\DOCUME~1\User\LOCALS~1\Temp\dBBF0.tmp" --passerrorsback="C:\DOCUME~1\User\LOCALS~1\Temp\dBB F1.tmp"
Running...
Waiting For Changer Mutex: Got
Finding Changer: Found: \\?\sbp2*powerfile-c200s&disc_changer&lun2*003060f200003064*{53f56310-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Opening Changer: Open
Getting Changer Storage Elements: Got 200
Current Changer Position: 2
Finding Full Slot From 2 to 200
Loading Slot 2: Loaded
Closing Changer: Closed

Testing Complete


UNLOAD:

**********************************************
Beginning Test

Running Program: "C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\BatchRipper\Loaders\Me dium Changer\UnLoad\UnLoad.exe" --changer="0" --driveid="0" --drive="G" --rejectifnodisc --logfile="C:\DOCUME~1\User\LOCALS~1\Temp\dBBF3.tmp" --passerrorsback="C:\DOCUME~1\User\LOCALS~1\Temp\dBB F4.tmp"
Running...
Waiting For Changer Mutex: Got
Finding Changer: Found: \\?\sbp2*powerfile-c200s&disc_changer&lun2*003060f200003064*{53f56310-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Opening Changer: Open
Getting Drive-Disc Slot Number: Got 2
Unloading Disc in Drive to Slot 2: Unloaded
Closing Changer: Closed

Testing Complete


REJECT:

**********************************************
Beginning Test

Running Program: "C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\BatchRipper\Loaders\Me dium Changer\Reject\Reject.exe" --changer="0" --driveid="0" --drive="G" --rejectifnodisc --logfile="C:\DOCUME~1\User\LOCALS~1\Temp\dBBF7.tmp" --passerrorsback="C:\DOCUME~1\User\LOCALS~1\Temp\dBB F8.tmp"
Running...
Waiting For Changer Mutex: Got
Finding Changer: Found: \\?\sbp2*powerfile-c200s&disc_changer&lun2*003060f200003064*{53f56310-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Opening Changer: Open
Getting Drive-Disc Slot Number: Got 3
Unloading Disc in Drive to Slot 3: Unloaded
Closing Changer: Closed

Testing Complete



PRE-BATCH:

**********************************************
Beginning Test

Running Program: "C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\BatchRipper\Loaders\Me dium Changer\Pre-Batch\Pre-Batch.exe" --changer="0" --driveid="0" --drive="G" --rejectifnodisc --logfile="C:\DOCUME~1\User\LOCALS~1\Temp\dBBF9.tmp" --passerrorsback="C:\DOCUME~1\User\LOCALS~1\Temp\dBB FA.tmp"
Running...
Waiting For Changer Mutex: Got
Finding Changer: Found: \\?\sbp2*powerfile-c200s&disc_changer&lun2*003060f200003064*{53f56310-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Opening Changer: Open
Closing Changer: Closed

Testing Complete


POST-BATCH:

Error Running Loading Method (might be normal, if loader requires no action)

Regards,
MM

[Spoon]

Re: Powerfile C200 Desperately Need Help

After a test load the CD appears in Windows Explorer?