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Is my bike interfering with MP3 player?

R

REBECCAV

Guest
I have a new MP3 player and it works fine. However, I rode with it for the first time and it would stop for long periods then start playing again.

I thought that there was something wrong with the player, but again, it works fine off of the bike. I couldn't really investigate what it was doing because I was riding.

I know that several of you forum folks know about electronics - is my bike somehow interfering with the operation of the player??? :confused: Thanks for your help.
 
electronics

Need more info
1. What brand of MP3
2. Is it powered by the bike or by internal battery?
3. Are you listening to it through earbuds or helmet speakers?

If you are powering it via a battery, which I assume is the case, the bikes electrical system shopuld have no effect on the MP3 except inducing a possible whine from the alternator.
If you are using a different speaker system, aka, helmet speakers than you normally use, the problem may be the speaker cord.

When my MP3 battery gets low it just quits, when I mash the button and it starts again until the battery dies completely. It goes through this cycle several times until it is completely unresponsive.

Last questions
1. How much coffee do you use in your press?
2. What grind do you use? Course or fine?
 
Re: electronics

1. What brand of MP3
Archos Jukebox
2. Is it powered by the bike or by internal battery?
Either - I think it was powered by the bike when I used it.
3. Are you listening to it through earbuds or helmet speakers?
Earbuds

1. How much coffee do you use in your press?
Two tablespoon+half scoops per 1 cup of water
2. What grind do you use? Course or fine? [/QUOTE]
custom ground by my coffee shop for french press = coarse
 
Power cable

I would look at the power cord connection. It may be an intermittent open (loose wire).
The easiest way to check is to attach it to the bike, turn it on and then gently wiggle the power cord to see if it causes it to turn off. The only thing that puzzles me is that it may be turning itself back on. I am not familiar with the Archos product. Does it have a ON switch or do you press a button?
 
All of the controls are buttons. I'll try it again and check the cords. Thanks.
 
boxergrrlie,

The Archos Jukebox is a hard drive based MP3 player, correct? If you were driving down a bumpy road at the time and the player was not padded, it may not have been able to read the information off the hard drive continuously. Would it play during smooth stretches of road and stop playing during a bumpy section after the buffer was empty?

Michael
 
Easiest way to test the cause of the problem...

In the comfort of the house, play your MP3, then start shaking the player for about thirty to sixty seconds. If it skips there (my CD player does even with 44 seconds of buffereing) then it is simply not enough buffer.

Make sense?
 
brad - frequency and duration of the vibration is important. he might not be able to simulate the vibration of the bike, depending on the state of his love life. ;)

the drive might be able to handle the relatively low frequency high dwell vibration that you can impart with your hand by shaking it. at 3000 rpm, thats a 50Hz vibration, which is still pretty low, but might be doing as kbasa says, sending the drive into a protection mode.

things to try would be a little vibration isolation, and also rotating the drive 90 degrees on each axis in the bag. vibration isolation might be as simple as making a little foam cradle for the device.

then you can start to have thermal problems. :)

(and, you might be having thermal problems if the thing is in your black tank bag on a nice sunny day.)
 
MP3 stoppage mystery

OK, I've checked the wires and they are all just fine. Yes, it has a hard drive and I've shaken the thing different ways for various lengths of time and could get it to sort of skip/hesitate a very small amount but it never stopped.

When it kept stopping and starting I had the player in the map case of my tank bag, so it was more cushioned than if it was in the bottom of the tank bag, then again, it is a 29 year old bike and it vibrates quite a bit. It could have had to do with heat, but it was definitely not a hot day. I think that more tests are in order. I guess that I have to go for a motorcycle ride!

username said:
... he might not be able to simulate the vibration of the bike...
PS - For the record, I am not a 'he'.
 
Re: MP3 stoppage mystery

boxergrrlie said:
PS - For the record, I am not a 'he'.

Yup I can attest to that, spent the weekend with her. A couple of pictures from the Solstice Ride can attest to that as well. :p
 
Last edited:
No wonder you're mp3 player is acting up, you're making your coffee all wrong. This is the ONLY way to fly:

I prefer nice dark Cuban, or LaVazza Crema de Oro, ground fine.
 

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As for the mp3, try it in the inside pocket of your jacket powered by the internal battery. If that works, I'd say the HD doesn't have enough of a buffer to handle the vibes of the R, even in the top of the bag.
When I'm using my MiniDisc player, I find it's more convenient in the jacket anyway. That way I don't have to unplug to leave the bike. Wish I could do the same with the XM! Just too many wires on that one.
 
dlearl said:
This is the ONLY way to fly:
Hey - don't show that nifty gadget (what is it?) to BradfordBenn or he'll want one!

No wonder the player is acting up - I'm using French Roast. I'll try a Cuban roast and put the player in my jacket.
 
It's the "Countess". An Italian (some say Cuban) coffee maker (espresso). Lots of Aluminum types out there. I like the Kontessa becase it's 100% stainless steel.Kontessa
The only drawback to them is that they have to be watched. Not a 'set it and forget it' device. The good news is that they are quick. 6 cups of espresso in ~ 3-4 minutes. (Which, for me, makes one WHOPPING GOOD cup of coffee with a little heavy cream and Splenda?«!)
 
Re: MP3 stoppage mystery

boxergrrlie said:
PS - For the record, I am not a 'he'.

oops, sorry. no offense meant. i get so used to everyone on here being a middle-aged white guy that i forget that there is some diversity in the group.
 
BradfordBenn said:
I already have an espresso maker. :p

Is that the 4 or 6 cup version?;)

It's the 6. They come in 2, 4, and 6. Takes 6 to fill my travel cup!:bliss
 
Re: Re: MP3 stoppage mystery

username said:
oops, sorry. no offense meant. i get so used to everyone on here being a middle-aged white guy that i forget that there is some diversity in the group.
No offense taken. A female on the forum does indicate some diversity, but so would a middle-aged white guy with the username of 'boxergrrlie.' :)
 
Re: Re: Re: MP3 stoppage mystery

boxergrrlie said:
No offense taken. A female on the forum does indicate some diversity, but so would a middle-aged white guy with the username of 'boxergrrlie.' :)

as i understand it, girls can be grrls but guys cant, they can only be girls. so i should have known. i am now immersed in a deep vat of shame.

how's your mp3 player?
 
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