S1 MP3 player

The loosely defined category of S1 MP3 players is comprised by a large amount of then-inexpensive handheld digital audio players.[1] The players were mainly widespread around 2005–2006 but the series continued for years afterwards, blurring into that of so-called "MP4 players" employing S1 and competing architectures.

S1 MP3 player
A typical early S1 MP3 player.
ManufacturerVarious[lower-alpha 1]
TypePortable MP3/WMA Player
CPUVarious; Z80 compatible + 24-bit DSP
StorageVarious
DisplayNone, monochrome dot-matrix, or color LCD
Sound20 Hz to 20 kHz
ConnectivityUSB Full-Speed
PowerAAA battery/Rechargeable battery on some models
Wikimedia Commons has media related to S1MP3.

Despite being primarily defined by the use of a system-on-a-chip of one of the Actions brands[2] usually of the ATJ20xx series and some common core features, S1 products vary widely in software and hardware as well as design (including lookalikes and even counterfeits of other players), leading to a jumble of hard to identify internal designs, all employing non-mutually-interchangeable firmwares.

Capabilities
  • MP1, MP2, MP3 and WMA playback
    • WMA DRM support on a small number of models
    • Ogg Vorbis support on a small number of models mostly made after 2005, though this is not typically listed on the player's packaging and may come with drawbacks (such as lower maximum volume, decreased battery life or an inability to read ID tags).
  • Acts as a USB mass storage device when connected to a computer: can be used as a general purpose flash drive, and does not require proprietary software to load music.
  • Memory capacities between 64 MB and 32 GB.
    • As with other forms of low-cost flash storage, some unscrupulous manufacturers resort to "flash fraud" - configuring the reported capacity to be higher than that of the actual storage, resulting in corruption due to wrap-around when the real size is exceeded in use.[3]
  • Powered by a AAA battery or a built-in rechargeable battery which charges via USB host connection. May be operable on USB power without batteries.
  • 8-bit Z80 CPU core[4] with on-chip Debug Support Unit (runs at typically 24.576 MHz, up to 60 MHz — software-controlled).
  • 24-bit DSP with on-chip DSU.
  • Firmware installation by in-system programming over USB, via the proprietary ADFU protocol.

Some models have additional features, such as:

  • FM radio (requiring an additional receiver, such as the Philips TEA5756).
  • Graphic equalizer presets.
  • Recording via built-in microphone or FM radio in ADPCM WAV (32 kbit/s mono or 64 kbit/s stereo; using FFmpeg codec named adpcm_ima_wav), ACT (8 kbit/s) or VOR (32 or 8 kbit/s) formats, and ability to play back these files locally or via Windows Media Player when connected as an MSC device.
  • Basic telephone number list viewer (using a proprietary database format).[5]
  • ID3 tag display.
  • Ability to display lyrics in files with extension .lrc.[5]
  • Some newer players have a slot for SD/MMC cards of capacities from 32 MB to 4 GB.
  • Firmware upgrade tool for Windows.
  • Logo customization via Chinese-language software or firmware hacks.

Software utilities

Available utilities for Microsoft Windows include an ACT to WAV file converter (for files recorded on the device), a basic desktop editor to enter contact details for the device's phone book function and device drivers for Windows 98. An 8 cm CD-ROM containing some or all of these is included with some versions of the device.

There are also tools developed by individuals under the Open-Source license, such as s1res ans s1clone[6] that allow the consumer to modify its device by changing bitmaps and text. By using decompilers, it is possible to add and replace features of the device, steps that were described on the s1mp3.org wiki page.

Firmware update issues

The firmware used in various S1 MP3 players differs significantly, but this is not widely understood. Problems have arisen as consumers have attempted to upgrade their players using incompatible firmware with a higher version number. This can damage the players almost permanently. However, a 'dead' player can sometimes be recovered by opening it, shorting some pins and uploading a full firmware from the PC.[7]

Guides on recovering the players were available on a unofficial website s1mp3.org that is offline since 2019.

Example models and brands

The following are brand names in alphabetical order. Due to common mold specifications of the player type, this list will never be complete.

There are also several models which carry no brand name or model number on the device or packaging, and a few sold under counterfeit trademarks such as Sony, Samsung, iPod, and others that use the same spelling in their brand name yet different brand styling, with inverse effect to established brands that offer similar or unrelated products.

Notes
  1. This product is what is referred to as a 'common mold' which means many different suppliers can produce this same model. The manufacturers are almost exclusively located in China.

References
  1. "S1mp3 device database". s1mp3.org. Archived from the original on 2011-09-02. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  2. "Actions SoC Family". s1mp3.org. Archived from the original on 2011-11-02. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  3. "The fake flash problem". Fighting flash fraud on Ebay. 2008-11-24. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  4. Sepchat, Alexis; Descarpentries, Simon; Monmarché, Nicolas; Slimane, Mohamed (2008). Miesenberger, Klaus (ed.). An Alternative to Portable Video Games Console for Visually Impaired Players. ICCHP. Berlin: Springer. p. 556. ISBN 978-3-540-70539-0. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  5. "S1mp3 User Guide". s1mp3.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  6. ":: S1MP3.de - S1 MP3 Player Firmware Tools". s1mp3.w1r3.de. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  7. "Dead recovery guide". S1mp3.org. Archived from the original on 2007-01-06. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  8. "LG Computer Products, Monitors & Hardware | LG Australia".
  9. "FAQs". LG. Archived from the original on 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  10. "MP3/MP4". MPMAN Europe. 2016. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  11. http://www.mustek.com/mustek/Support.php
  12. "Mustek Portable MP3 Players". Archived from the original on 2009-07-12.
  13. "Mustek - ME1801". Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
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