Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

[Spoon]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

You need to install the dBpoweramp Batch Ripper driver for the XLB, Auto Eject -Manual Load is not the right one.

[Porcus]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

In the configuration for the loader when I set the loading method to medium changer, all of the changer and drive ID's are 0. Yet, when I select TEST, it says NO CHANGERS FOUND in the "errors from testing" window.

Have you tried the "mediachanger.exe" utility? http://mysite.verizon.net/vze39sc9/mediadogg/id13.html . If you cannot access the changer by this utility, then I doubt that dBpoweramp will be able to. More: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...8#post14041168 .

[Lifestyle]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

You need to install the dBpoweramp Batch Ripper driver for the XLB, Auto Eject -Manual Load is not the right one.

I can't seem to locate the driver. All I could find is the mediumChanger-loader.exe. Can you tell me where it is?

[Spoon]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

You need to run "dBpoweramp-Batch-Ripper-MediumChanger-Loader.exe" in teh same location as Batch Ripper was downloaded from.

[sredmyer]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

It looks like I spoke to soon about the capabilities of the medium changer driver Spoon provides. In my original post to start this thread I offered to make some rewrite the CLIs to better handle the Sony and Powerfile disc changers. This was done primarily because I was having issues utilizing both drives in my Powerfile R200. I was also having problems using more than 1 Powerfile unit. I believed the issues were due to Spoon's driver not correctly handling the Powerfile multi drive units. The Sony which (as I understand, is what Spoon used for testing) only has a single drive.

I was wrong Spoon's driver supports both drives just fine. I had a hardware setup issue that was causing my problems. I also suspect that his driver will support multiple units just fine as well. Although I still have not been able to get my setup to work with more than one I am fairly sure that is still an issue with my hardware.

And now my mea culpa to Spoon:
Spoon, please accept my appologies for blaming your driver for my problems.

[bhoar]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

I was wrong Spoon's driver supports both drives just fine. I had a hardware setup issue that was causing my problems.

What was the hardware setup issue, if you know for sure?

-brendan

[sredmyer]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

What was the hardware setup issue, if you know for sure?

-brendan

As best as I can make out it is that Firewire interface of these units (at least to Windows PCs) is not very stable. I still can not get two Powerfile devices to work. Windows does see the drives but doing anything to actually access the drives on the second device locks up explorer. After that I will go through a few power cyclings on the Powerfiles and a few reboots before all is well again. I spoke with an engineer at Powerfile and he said I needed to get the SIIG firewire card recomended on their web site. This card is a 64 bit PCI card and my machine (a dell GX270 SFF) only has 32 bit PCI slots. I told him this and he insisted that I would still see improved stability with the 64 bit recomended card. So I bought one...it is even worse that the cheapy ($10 new on ebay) that I had was...I went back to the cheapy.

One thing I have not yet tried but plan to is to install two cards and connect each powerfile to its own card. I doubt this will be any better but what the hey maybe it will work.

On another note...I have been considering robots as they are well supported here and I have been told have really good speeds. Brendan I know you have worked extensively with these things and are quite knowledgable, could you list off some of the better ones and why they are better. Also could you tell me which ones to stay away from.

Thanks,
Steve

[bhoar]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

As best as I can make out it is that Firewire interface of these units (at least to Windows PCs) is not very stable. I still can not get two Powerfile devices to work. Windows does see the drives but doing anything to actually access the drives on the second device locks up explorer. After that I will go through a few power cyclings on the Powerfiles and a few reboots before all is well again. I spoke with an engineer at Powerfile and he said I needed to get the SIIG firewire card recomended on their web site. This card is a 64 bit PCI card and my machine (a dell GX270 SFF) only has 32 bit PCI slots. I told him this and he insisted that I would still see improved stability with the 64 bit recomended card. So I bought one...it is even worse that the cheapy ($10 new on ebay) that I had was...I went back to the cheapy.

One thing I have not yet tried but plan to is to install two cards and connect each powerfile to its own card. I doubt this will be any better but what the hey maybe it will work.

On another note...I have been considering robots as they are well supported here and I have been told have really good speeds. Brendan I know you have worked extensively with these things and are quite knowledgable, could you list off some of the better ones and why they are better. Also could you tell me which ones to stay away from.

Thanks,
Steve

I'd definitely try two firewire cards before giving up on the changers, mostly because it shouldn't be too hard to do. I have a theory that when both changer devices and both drives share a single firewire bus (which is also used for changer<->drive interactions), there may be some confusion by the changers about which drive it should be talking to under some circumstances...e.g. perhaps there's a prescribed access pattern that must be followed to not trigger this issue if they are all on the same bus.

Regarding robots: In terms of cheaply available on ebay I'm pretty happy with the amtren/discmakers one-drive robots (elite micro, micro ultra, flexwriter i - capacity 60-75 discs). Their speed factor is "medium". The Primera Composer mechanism speed factor is "slow" but you can run across these even cheaper (and the XL/Pro variants have more capacity/drives+capacity, respectively, that the amtren/discmakers units).

I'm experimenting with the Aleratec Roboracer (aka dexpreso) which has the fastest mechanism out there and is, also, an example of engineering simplicity. Downside is, due to their required customization of the tray, you're stuck with the lightscribe drive it comes with and will not be able to put a different drive in there). The drive works fine though. As these seem relatively cheap to construct, I suspect these models (or the next generation) to fall in price and, assuming they end up reliable in the long run, might end up a candidate for "consumer" level market penetration.

-brendan

[sredmyer]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

There are a couple of Primeras and an Amtren elite on ebay now. Would look and give me your thoughts.
Amtren item #190254393430
Primera item #150298265463
Primera item #150298265774

As far as the changers I think their major flaw (aside from the firewire stability thing) is that you are stuck with the drives that are in it. Mine are fairly slow. I am not sure of exact speed but I have never seen anything higher than 12x out of them. With the robots it looks like you can pretty much use any normal drive. Therefore I could put the fastest drive I could find in it to improve speed even more.

Thanks,
Steve

[bhoar]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

Steve - how'd you do on the auctions?

If that didn't work, out, then see my post here: http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showpost...8&postcount=95

-brendan

[sredmyer]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

Steve - how'd you do on the auctions?

If that didn't work, out, then see my post here: http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showpost...8&postcount=95

-brendan

Brendan,

I decided against the robots for now...I got both machines to work which means four drives ripping simultaneously. WOOHOO!!!

It was your suggestion to try the second Powerfile on its own Firewire interface card that did the trick. Both units are now recognized by windows and used without issue by batch ripper. Of caorse I have to run a separate instance of the Batch Ripper for each Powerfile but that does not appear to be an issue.

I did have one of the drives in one of my Powerfiles start to act up last night though. Do you know if there has been any work (DIY type) replacing the drives in these things. Also any idea where one would get these verticle clam shell type drives?

One other quick question while I am here, is it possible to save the Secure results in the tags like the Accurate Rip results are? Also would it be possible to store the FreeDB disc ID (which I assume is the same as a CDDB disc ID) in the tags?

Thanks for you idea on the dual Firewire cards.
Steve

[bhoar]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

Thanks for you idea on the dual Firewire cards.

Glad to hear I was able to help. No idea on swapping drives, looks like there's a lot of custom work. Perhaps the XL1B thread on avsforum might have some leads (though I doubt it).

As to the accuraterip/secure stuff, I'll leave that to spoon and ltdata.

-brendan

[LtData]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

I'm not sure how to do this in the Batch Ripper, but there IS an option in the CD Ripper in the tag options to write the CDDB Disc ID to the tags.

[Spoon]

Re: Improved Powerfile/Sony XL1B support

Batch Rippper will use the settings in CD Ripper, so Batch Ripper >> Profile 'edit' (into CD Ripper) >> options >> id tags & meta options

Here to switch on AR and cddbid in the tags.