Unknown iPod Nano Clone...
 

Background:
A friend of mine got this player from an eBay scam (Thought she was getting an 8GB Nano, but got this instead. A real iPod box, with a fake inside.) She settled it through eBay, got her money back and everything, and was about to throw it away before I rescued it.

Problem:
So now what? I finally figured out how to set the UI Language to English. I haven't taken a photo yet, but here's a physical description:

The player is Black, styled after the new generation Nano, so the casing feels metallic, and it's rounded on the edges. It's a single-channeled construction, with plastic end caps screwed on each side, so I haven't been able to take it apart without fear of breaking it. (I can remove the ends, but can't slide the PCB assembly out from inside.)

The front has a color screen, tall and rectangular, measured about 1.8". Below it is an Apple logo and the word "iPod" in silver-holographic print. The control "wheel" is white, with "MENU" at the top, "VOL" at the bottom, with the Next/Prev arrow symbols on either side. The center button is black with no label or printing.

The end caps are also white. The top has an OFF/ON slider and a MIC hole. The bottom has a headphone jack and mini-USB.

The back of the unit has a large Apple iPod logo, and below it is another logo for MP3/MP4. There is also a speaker. It also came with a nifty silicone case, poorly-translated manual, and a Chinese power adapter.

According to the UI, the Firmware version reads:

The memory info initially read somewhere around "8000M". When plugging it into my laptop, Windows initially read the same amount, 8 GB.

The mini-CD contained software called "MP3 Player Update Tool" and "MP3 Player Disk Tool." The Update tool shows the following:

I tried following the guide to remove the memory hack, but now my player only reports 20MB total. This can't be true, because the player came with a Tom & Jerry FMV movie that was 24MB, larger than the capacity it thinks it has now. See pictures below:

Before Formatting:
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/9...ore1tp2.th.gif

The Hardware Properties:
http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/1...8675bo4.th.gif

Formatting the Drive:
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4712/format3xu7.th.gif

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/3...9800of7.th.gif

The End Result:
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/4...6401md2.th.gif

Do I have an S1MP3 player? Is there any other way I can figure this out without opening it? If not, then does anyone have any experience cracking one open? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Re: Unknown iPod Nano Clone...
 

UPDATE: Aha! I was able to get it open.

The only board number I can see so far reads:

KJT-888

This is on the bottom-rear of the PCB. The same number is printed on the back of the keypad PCB, along with a set of numbers: 1.5 1.8

The chips themselves are underneath the screen, which is glued down. I'm looking through the Gallery here, and still haven't seen any players that exactly match this one. I'll take photos when I can.

Re: Unknown iPod Nano Clone...
 

UPDATE: Found the chip numbers:

Memory:
SAMSUNG K9G4G08U0A - PCB0

Small chip next to it:
SP3767AHN
07CS24

The only other chip has a holographic sticker design with an 'R' I think. I don't remember, and it was a pain to put back together, so I'll leave it be. Either way, it didn't have any numbers on it.

So, this means I have 512MB, right? How can I restore the correct size?

Re: Unknown iPod Nano Clone...
 

UPDATE: I just tried dumping the firmware, but no luck:


$e
connect to device 'E:\'...
init device...
set device to f-mode...
get info from device...
ic version = 0x0000
storage info = 0x0602, 0x0001, 0x0000, 0x0000
device = 'LISONG MP3 Player'
manufacturer = 'Wilson Co. Ltd.'
bootflash type = 'F285'
brom version = 3.0.80
firmware version = 9.1.50
read boot record...
detect firmware size...
error: The system cannot read from the specified device.
disconnect from device...
Press any key to continue . . .

Re: Unknown iPod Nano Clone...
 

UPDATE: Fixed the memory problem. The formatting instructions weren't entirely specific - make sure you select "Low" again for the second format when you drag the slider back to the left.

I didn't notice, because my player was one of the few that didn't display two drives. I only saw a single 20MB. Now it's back to 475 MB, which jives with the 512MB chip that's installed.

jivebologna , you would be unable to dump your current firmware as the S1fwx v3.2 does not support your current player's version.

Ah, that explains it. Guess I'm waiting for the new version just like everyone else, then.

Thanks for the help!