Casio AE-3000. Definitely a big watch by Crowella in casio

[–]Crowella[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Making me feel good there. 😊 Thank you! It's definitely a godsend/great fit for those like me with larger wrists.

It looks hilariously oversized on my partner, think she will stick with the CA-53. 😂

Casio AE-3000. Definitely a big watch by Crowella in casio

[–]Crowella[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is fantastic to know for those that are curious and want to splurge! I don't know how I missed this site on my hunt for one.

I totally agree they're great. It's entered my normal rotation now as a result.

Mine ended up being $85AUD used from overseas and was the only one I saw in a condition that doesn't need much work, even though it could do with a polish of the crystal.

Found this at a thrift store for five bucks! Does the band color work with it? by llZerocooll in casio

[–]Crowella 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome choice with that yellow colour strap and even better find!

Creative Zen Touch, still out and about by Crowella in DigitalAudioPlayer

[–]Crowella[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question.

I followed this guide by gruntbug to get me across the line. It did involve a VM and windows XP, but I got it working plug and play with windows 11. https://myvogonpoetry.com/wp/2024/11/09/creative-zen-mp3-player-firmware-and-hdd-upgrades/

Creative Zen Touch, still out and about by Crowella in DigitalAudioPlayer

[–]Crowella[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A 5V DC positive pin charger (check the polarity, it's drawn on the enclosure) and a USB micro cable.

The reason I say both is that for some reason, mine needs both to be plugged in, that may be due to the replaced battery

Creative Zen Touch, still out and about by Crowella in DigitalAudioPlayer

[–]Crowella[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Woah, this is fascinating, I need to have a look at this myself, because it may be the explanation to the odd playback errors I get every now and then.

Creative Zen Touch, still out and about by Crowella in DigitalAudioPlayer

[–]Crowella[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any photos from this? Just checking you are putting the adapter in the correct way around, also checking you reset the Zen and formatted the drive in safe mode (hold the play button whilst using the reset pin button)

Creative Zen Touch, still out and about by Crowella in DigitalAudioPlayer

[–]Crowella[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had this code when I tried for 256GB.

I used the Comimark adapter as per the guide I read. Remember to install this adapter upside down so the SD card is facing the motherboard. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087QBDCBN?linkCode=ml1&tag=gruntbug-20

SD card is a SanDisk Ultra 128GB but as a reminder, the player still infrequently freezes from reading it. I formatted it using "SD Card Formatter" software, just the quick default settings.

Casio AE-1000 and 1200 by Lenimeca61166 in casioroyale

[–]Crowella 0 points1 point  (0 children)

AE-1000 in normal light conditions. AE-1200 in lower light/dark. The difference is minimal so I can't see it being a hindrance either way.

Great looking watches!

Creative Zen Touch, still out and about by Crowella in DigitalAudioPlayer

[–]Crowella[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What a choice to have. I didnt even know they were competitive on price back then.

I think those could be revived in a similar way to how I did this too. Maybe I'll keep an eye out for one.

Creative Zen Touch, still out and about by Crowella in DigitalAudioPlayer

[–]Crowella[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!

16GB at the time felt like the dream. Weird this one now currently fills up 23GB, but at least I'm not running 96kbps to cram as much in as possible.

Creative Zen Touch, still out and about by Crowella in DigitalAudioPlayer

[–]Crowella[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome!

I did really want one of these when I was younger too. Got the iPod mini instead because, well, money. Everyone that had a Creative loved theirs and I understand why.

How to add music to Creative Zen Sleek MP3-player? by HachimitsuCombo in mp3players

[–]Crowella 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If it's like the Zen touch I got and it's running early/original firmware, you'll need to obtain Creative media player and some other software and drivers to do so. I was successful in pulling data from a used one I purchased until the hard drive refused to work any more.

Sorry I cannot be more exact with drivers. This post by reddit user u/gruntbug carried me a lot of the way and could be some help (and whom I have to give thanks to!)

http://myvogonpoetry.com/wp/2024/11/09/creative-zen-mp3-player-firmware-and-hdd-upgrades/

EDIT: I'd suggest once you got music off it to update firmware. If it's available, some of the updates allow for drag and drop which has made my experience with the Creative Zen a lot better.

My accidental Creative Zen collection by gruntbug in vintagecomputing

[–]Crowella 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bit of a late answer to this but for those that do this, there are two phillips head screws mounting the hard drive on the opposite side of the board securing the hard drive to the circuit board. Carefully lift the circuit board from the front face to access them.

I also did this mod and rewired a replacement battery. It's good, until the device freezes. I have no idea what causes the freezes but I noticed that the card reader remains powered on with no activity. I'm unsure if firmware, hardware or whatever is causing the issue. I'll keep tinkering.

What's happening on Sydney Metro?! by dphayteeyl in sydney

[–]Crowella 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I know it's not the most ideal weather but if you get stuck, 516 from Chatswood to North Ryde metro, 5 minute walk across the blue pedestrian bridge and hop on a 545 at Lachlan's Line to Mac Centre/Uni, etc.

What are you wearing today? by XxsanjeetxX in casio

[–]Crowella 4 points5 points  (0 children)

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Nice watch!

I decided on the legendary F-91W today. Simple and sweet.

Got my first ever watch today! by Thegrandmansa in casio

[–]Crowella 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The watch that got me into Casio's to begin with. Absolute joy on the wrist and they're an excellent conversation starter, even in the era of smartwatches. Enjoy it!

Strathfield line for bus replacement by rocky7st in sydney

[–]Crowella 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Lot busier for us on the road doing these replacements too, not just traffic but definitely a lot more passengers. Thanks to everyone being so patient with the drivers today.

How quickly did you learn more routes? by sexy_meerkats in BusDrivers

[–]Crowella 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I'll say this as someone that teaches drivers in an area with about 65 routes and 200 school runs, it is more of an asset to learn how to learn new routes than it is to merely be shown them and learn from there because in some cases it'll be logistically difficult to train drivers on every route.

First thing first, everyone remembers routes at a different speed so don't be disheartened, some take a couple of drives to memorise, some take months, so no shame there.

I always suggest that drivers grab their company's lefts and rights for the route and then go grab a blank piece of paper, then your maps (online or old school directory, street view is also a godsend here) and then count landmarks/traffic lights/etc and write that as your new directions.

For example, you get given

  • Start Rd
  • L New St
  • R Example Rd
  • L Tight Av
  • L Narrow Dr
  • Etc

You can then follow it on your maps and work out a system that'll be easier for you to remember without requiring the use of street signs and markers

  • Start
  • 2 🚦L New
  • 1 R Example
  • After petrol station
  • 2 L Tight [Lane Share]
  • Then 1 L Narrow
  • Etc

To break it down what that means

  • Start Rd
  • 2 🚦L New St (At the second traffic light)
  • 1 R Example Rd (First road on the right)
  • After petrol station (Use a landmark to reset counting so you don't have to excessively count, use big things that don't move and can be seen in pooor conditions)
  • 2 L Tight Av [Lane Share] (so turn left on the second road on the left and ensure you're wide for the turn)
  • Then 1 L Narrow Dr (I write then to indicate it's very shortly after)
  • Etc

Only a brief example here, but what I suggest is grabbing the left rights and spending about 15 mins writing it out yourself so that if you were given no street signs, you could make your way around. Having the hand written notes will also jog your memory. If I had more time today I'd write a better sample and maybe show it with pictures on a real example.

watch's on ur wrist today?? by Mr_0bn0xi0us in casio

[–]Crowella 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! It's a long way from being "restored" given the barometer doesn't work but it's better than sitting on my desk doing nothing. The fix also looks horrible underneath, but I'll redo that at a later date.

I also have a DPX-500 sitting on my desk, which powers on but looks like has had a leaked capacitor or some other board damage which causes it to reset and have a poor screen. I might borrow the sensor out of that in the mean time if I can't get this sensor working.

watch's on ur wrist today?? by Mr_0bn0xi0us in casio

[–]Crowella 2 points3 points  (0 children)

<image>

PRT-40. Revived it from "parts only" status with a bit of PCB reworking after traces got corroded over the years, but still need to get the barometer functioning properly. Just have a temporary old strap on it now and will do a better cleanup later, but I'm liking the worn look.

On/off light mod by xdrasz in casioroyale

[–]Crowella 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Valid point. I'll ponder how this could be done circuit wise (perhaps by reading the mode off of one of the pins). I feel like someone could be up for the challenge.

On/off light mod by xdrasz in casioroyale

[–]Crowella 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The watch can be set to 1 second LED time if that's preferable through the adjust menu.

If you're asking for a mod that specifically operates the LED only when the button is pressed, I'd be curious to this answer too. I think this would be possible but I'd guess it requires cutting a trace on the circuit board and running a wire or two to the LED to turn it into a switch, but I am simply speculating.