Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 40GB - Under the Hood

The circuit board for the Jukebox Zen Xtra is fairly simple, and we suspect that the circuit board for the Jukebox Zen is basically the same, except for a smaller LCD module. The LCD module (30 x 52mm, 160 x 104 res.), though larger than the one on the Jukebox Zen, is still smaller than the one we saw on the Dell DJ.

 



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The front side is home to a Texas Instruments TMX320 digital signal processor that seems to be related to the TMS320VC5509A series, NEC uPD720122 USB 2.0 controller, Samsung K4S281632E-TC75 TSOP 8MB SDRAM, and Silicon Storage Technologies' SST39VF400A 4MB Flash chip.

The NEC USB 2.0 controller is actually hidden below the left side of the LCD module, which is soldered down and prevents us from getting a clear snapshot.




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Unlike some of the other hard drive based MP3 players, the Jukebox Zen Xtra uses a 2.5 inch slim hard drive, which is typically seen use in ultraportable and thin and light laptops. The 40GB model of the Jukebox Zen Xtra uses the Fujutsu MHT2040AT 4200RPM 2MB hard drive, and we suspect that the 30GB and 60GB models use the related hard drives from the Fujitsu MHT20X0AT family.




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Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 40GB – Family Flagship (cont.) Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 40GB – Interface
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  • jdmf13 - Saturday, July 3, 2004 - link

    This is the MOST USELESS review I have ever read about the Zen Xtra!

    What kind of a reviewer writes a review like this and the only "test" he focuses on is the transfer speed from to the Zen?! I think the transfer speed from a PC to a Zen is the last thing one someone's mind when they're looking for an MP3 player....geez.

    The reviewer forgot to mention two VERY important things like :

    - sound quality (a world apart from an iPod)
    - battery life (average of 10-12h)

    I'm not really fussed how long it takes to transfer a few MP3s, and if I am then I'll use Notmad Explorer (from Redchair software - also left out by the reviewer) which is much faster than Creative's bundled software, not to mention stable.

    To also answer a previous question in these comments, there is limited Mac support via a plugin for iTunes : http://www.nomadness.net/modules.php?name=Forums&a...

    For USEFUL information on the Zen Xtra range, take a look at Nomadness : http://www.nomadness.net/
  • Quiksel - Saturday, July 3, 2004 - link

    yikes, i'm glad i never bought one of those... gosh, doesn't look very good in any category, especially when you're comparing it to the iPod...

    Andrew, you mentioned the Windows support, but I guess there is no Mac support? Just curious.

    Thanks for the review, but like #2, where's iRiver?

    ~q
  • EdvardGrieg - Saturday, July 3, 2004 - link

    yay for once again failing to mention either Rio or iRiver....
  • Souka - Saturday, July 3, 2004 - link

    Yeah, but it can't be integrated into my BMW 3 series...unlike my iPod...which works great! :)

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