USB usage

Yosserian · Post by **Yosserian** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 3:10 pm

I have a 2017 Goldwing that I use a 64 GB 3.0 flash drive to download and listen to music while on my rides (local radio stations are weak and no XM). I have 10 files on the memory stick with 100 songs in each (there is a lot more room for more), they play great in random mode. Here is the question. While playing the songs, the odd number songs (as it says on the read out) play normally, but while either random mode or sequential, it, the read out, says that the even numbers have no titles or I get a title with an underline bar before the title in the read out. Is the USB input to the radio only reading the odd number songs or is the radio seeing the odd numbers as one channel (R) and the even as the other channel (L)? With 1000 songs, I can't really say if the all songs are playing. Ideas??

kwthom · Post by **kwthom** » Wed Mar 11, 2020 3:19 pm

Ref. 2016 Owner's Manual

You only get to see 16 characters for the display (navigation model) or 8 characters (non-navi model)

Using the 'MODE' button, selects between file titles, (I think...) MP3 data that's embedded in the file itself, and seeing nothing at all.

I'd have to actually play with mine a bit again to recall of the stuff.

The difference between even numbered songs and odd numbered songs? Rarely use mine, so not sure I'd be able to even attempt to duplicate.

C-dub · Post by **C-dub** » Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:13 pm

This even/odd thing is bugging me. I just deleted about 20 songs and added 40 to my flash drive today. I plugged it back and it works fine. I haven't had an issue like this even/odd thing.

As far as troubleshooting, I think I would start from scratch and delete all but two song files and see if there is any issue with the bike recognizing those. Also, just a reminder, the 2017 and older models will only recognize MP3 files plugged into the trunk's USB connection. If it does recognize those two files then try adding two more. If that works then try adding a second folder with two songs/files in that folder and see what happens. I don't know why, but there may be some tipping point or some subtle difference in the file name.

kwthom · Post by **kwthom** » Sat Mar 14, 2020 3:02 pm

C-dub wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:13 pm I don't know why, but there may be some tipping point or some subtle difference in the file name.

True, and that's the problem.

We have no idea what the OP's source of MP3 files is - or how the files are 'tagged' or even if they are tagged.

OP is gonna need to fill in some of the minutiae needed to assist.

Yosserian · Post by **Yosserian** » Sun Mar 15, 2020 1:28 pm

All the files on my drive are MP3s. When played in sequential mode, odd plays, even, no. I've noticed when I load the music, and playing thru the GW, the music doesn;t follow the same path. I checked the first 2 songs that played in folder "E" and it wasn't the same (I plugged the stick into my computer) as on the computer folder "E". Seems that the GW radio does a mix on it's own...

tamathumper · Post by **tamathumper** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:23 am

Yosserian wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 3:10 pm I have a 2017 Goldwing that I use a 64 GB 3.0 flash drive to download and listen to music while on my rides (local radio stations are weak and no XM). I have 10 files on the memory stick with 100 songs in each (there is a lot more room for more), they play great in random mode. Here is the question. While playing the songs, the odd number songs (as it says on the read out) play normally, but while either random mode or sequential, it, the read out, says that the even numbers have no titles or I get a title with an underline bar before the title in the read out. Is the USB input to the radio only reading the odd number songs or is the radio seeing the odd numbers as one channel (R) and the even as the other channel (L)? With 1000 songs, I can't really say if the all songs are playing. Ideas??

Let's get down to basics...

2017 Goldwing
64 GB 3.0 flash drive
- Verify it's actually 64GB, and not counterfeit.
- What brand is it?
- What does 3.0 mean, USB 3?
- MP3 format is not a single format, it's a standard that describes many possible formats, bit-rates, etc.
- What bit-rate are your files?
- Stereo may not support very low or very high bit-rates.
- What file system is on the drive? FAT32, exFAT, NTFS?
- Re-format the USB drive fully - https://www.windowscentral.com/how-form ... windows-10
- "I have 10 files" - do you mean you have 10 folders?
- What happens if you put all the music in one folder?
- "They play great in random mode" vs. "while either random mode or sequential... even numbers have no titles". - so are the songs playing or not, and in what mode? I am confused, what is the actual problem here?
- Very doubtful this has anything to do with L and R channels, this is a file-system and/or format mismatch most likely.

Yosserian · Post by **Yosserian** » Wed Mar 18, 2020 3:43 pm

2017 Goldwing Audio Comfort.
Flash Drive is a 64 GB SanDisk Ultra Flash Drive USB 3.0 Speeds up to 100mb/sec.
Format is done on the MAC desk top. Pretty sure it's FAT32.
Again it's a Desk Top MAC.
I've found that if too many songs are loaded, the radio will not play them all. I had to make folders (10) on the USB Drive and put 100 songs into each folder. They will play, all of them, but will play only odd numbers. When trying to load an even number, the radio says "No Title found". And if I put them into one folder, it will only play up to a certain number of songs.
When either random or sequential, even ones don't play.

I have a windows computer I'm going to try to format and down load on another thumb drive.

oilboy1162 · Post by **oilboy1162** » Wed Mar 18, 2020 6:14 pm

you are correct about the 100 song per folder limit. thats in the owners manual.have noooooo clue about the odd/even issue. i use either
1)sirius/xm
2)my iphone plugged into usb in trunk to run my library there,or pandora app,or apple music.

tamathumper · Post by **tamathumper** » Thu Mar 19, 2020 6:16 am

Search for an actual USB Formatting utility, HP makes one that I still see recommended quite often, despite being 5 years old. Run it with administrative privileges on your Windows PC.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/downlo ... rmat-tool/

huggiebear · Post by **huggiebear** » Thu Mar 19, 2020 7:33 am

I have a 2016 and on a 32GB stick I have more than 10 folders and a maximum of 250 songs per folder.
If I don't ride I keep the stick in my long horn truck so I have lot of tunes available.
I don't know where you guys saw a 10 folders limit, maybe you're referring to a J&M player?
The picture below it's from the 2016 gl1800 manual.

tamathumper · Post by **tamathumper** » Thu Mar 19, 2020 8:25 am

Interesting - I don't see MP3 listed there, only WMA (Windows Media Audio), is there another page for MP3?

huggiebear · Post by **huggiebear** » Thu Mar 19, 2020 8:38 am

Yes in the previous page.

tamathumper · Post by **tamathumper** » Fri Mar 20, 2020 12:27 pm

Cool, thank you.

One thing stands out - it says "8 hierarchies, including the root folder".

The word "hierarchy" isn't particularly meaningful in terms of file systems or MP3's. If it means there can only be folders up to 8 levels deep, including the root folder, I suppose that would make sense.

You say you have 10 folders, and I'm assuming they're all located directly in the root folder itself, so that would seem to not violate the "hierarchy" requirement.

I'd make sure your bit rates fall within the allowed ranges, and that the file sizes aren't crazy big. Otherwise, the fact that it's every even file still points to a file system and/or firmware issue with the stereo.

MikeB · Post by **MikeB** » Fri Mar 20, 2020 1:30 pm

I had a BikeMP3 player on my 2003 GL1800.
I used their recommended file structure when I compiled the thumb drives for that system.
Nine separate file folders in the root directory labeled CD1, CD2, CD3, CD4, CD5, CD6, CD7, CD8, CD9.
In each folder I dropped 99 songs.

Now that I have sold that 2003 GL1800, I am riding a 2017 GL1800 Audio Comfort Model.
I kept the thumb drives that I used in the BikeMP3 on my 2003.
I use those thumb drives just as they were, compiled in the same way as used in the BikeMP3 and now plugged into the USB port in the trunk.
They work perfectly. All the songs play, no orphans.
I have yet to entirely figure out the TITLE button's functions on my 2017.
I know that when the TITLE button is pressed, different displays are achieved on the LCD screen.
Press it once and I get a song title.
Press it again and I get the Artist.
Press it again and I get an Album name.
Press it again and I will get CD number.
Press it again and it may be blank.
It is really not important what is displayed because I don't spend a lot of time pushing buttons when I am riding. It isn't important to me what the song title is or who is doing the singing. As long as the music plays, I'm satisfied.

Here is a split screen print of what the files look like on my Windows 10 computer.

Here is a screen print of one of the thumb drive's folders and files.

Bottom line, if the folder set for the BikeMP3 player works for me, it should work for you as well.

C-dub · Post by **C-dub** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 9:41 pm

Yosserian's issue is still bugging me.

I just went to check my 2016 and find what huggiebear has already posted. Mine will also hold up to 255 files/songs in each folder. I have gone through a few downloads to my flash drive attempting to find what works for me. I initially loaded the folders with each band or artists name and then each song according to the album inside each of those folders. It became too much of an issue and I realized there were a lot of songs I didn't really care about hearing while riding. It was nice to have them if I was in the mood for a particular artist/band, but still realized there were many I would just skip. I then went to only a few folders with mainly just my favorite songs. Sometimes I do random play and sometimes just let them play in order.

Anyway, after each time downloading these files/songs into various folders and then plugging the flash drive back into the bike and playing the tunes I realized there is a peculiar way the bike reads those files. It doesn't read them in the order they are sorted on the drive when I view them on my computer. Not in alphabetical order either. It reads them in the order they were downloaded to the flash drive. This is key because if there are ten songs in a folder on your computer in the order they are for the album and you select all ten, copy, then paste them to the flash drive they may not (probably not) download to the flash drive in that exact order.

If you want a certain song to always be the first in a folder download it first by itself. Then the second song and so on if you want them to be in a particular order. I do this for a few songs because that way I know exactly where to find those few songs when I want to hear them. I also load the last few songs one at a time so they will always be the last few songs in that folder. Folders work the same way no matter what they are named. For example, on a computer "Folder 01" will usually be listed before "Folder 02" and so on. However, on the bike, if "Folder 02" was created on the flash drive before "Folder 01" then "Folder 02" will always be seen first by the bike. Even if "Folder 02" is renamed "Folder 001", which on the computer would change and list it first, but not on the bike.

Also, mine will display the folder number and file number of each song playing on the top half of the display and the folder name, song title, or file name depending on my selection of the title button. I ran through a couple folders with the flash drive plugged into the bike and it does show the file number for each file up to 255. When I select the next file it goes to the first file in the next folder just as I expected when I do not have random or repeat folder selected. Part of my point for saying this is that I you select a bunch of songs/files and just copy-paste them to the flash drive, your computer may not paste them to the flash drive in exactly the order they were in the folder from your computer they were copied from. They may all be on the flash drive, but the bike may not view them in the order expected.

I hope this helps any who didn't already know this. For those that do already know this, maybe I left something out or am in error about something. Please correct any of those things so we may all do this better and enjoy more of our music when riding.

MikeB · Post by **MikeB** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 10:10 pm

Sounds the same as my experience too C-dub. I have noticed all the same things but it hasn't troubled me at all.

Being somewhat of a Title/Artist ignoramus, how it presents in my ear while on the road has been just fine. I pile the music onto the thumb drive in no particular order and if the system on the bike wants to scramble them a little, I am still happy with it. It is like having your tunes shuffled and that is how I like it. Too much of one artist at a time gets really boring to me.

I'm just happy I have music to listen to when I have to ride through dead spots or bible belts without having to pay a monthly premium to a broadcast entity like Sirius or XM or whatever it is called now.

tamathumper · Post by **tamathumper** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:46 am

I believe there are programs to sort your FAT filesystem into actual alphabetical order - FATSorter is one.

MikeB · Post by **MikeB** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:50 am

tamathumper wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:46 am I believe there are programs to sort your FAT filesystem into actual alphabetical order - FATSorter is one.

Yes, but why bother?

kwthom · Post by **kwthom** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:01 pm

MikeB wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:50 am
tamathumper wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:46 am I believe there are programs to sort your FAT filesystem into actual alphabetical order - FATSorter is one.
Yes, but why bother?

If your files aren't music files, but 'chapters' of an audio book...you'd probably want them in sequential order.

Same for listening to certain albums...two I can think of immediately are "Pink Floyd - The Wall" and "The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper"

MikeB · Post by **MikeB** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:10 pm

kwthom wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:01 pm
MikeB wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:50 am
tamathumper wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:46 am I believe there are programs to sort your FAT filesystem into actual alphabetical order - FATSorter is one.
Yes, but why bother?
If your files aren't music files, but 'chapters' of an audio book...you'd probably want them in sequential order.

Same for listening to certain albums...two I can think of immediately are "Pink Floyd - The Wall" and "The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper"

I can see a reason if it is books on tape but not so much of an issue with just music files.

C-dub · Post by **C-dub** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 9:49 pm

tamathumper wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:46 am I believe there are programs to sort your FAT filesystem into actual alphabetical order - FATSorter is one.

I'm not sure what good that would be. Windows File Explorer (aka: File Manager) will do this. The issue is how the bike reads them. It reads them in the order to were created on the flash drive. If one of those other programs will load them in order alphabetically that might work. However, the only other issue with that might be that someone might not want their songs to play in alphabetical order. Songs on an album aren't in alphabetical order and if a person wants them to play in the order the artist put them on an album that won't work.

DenverWinger · Post by **DenverWinger** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:39 am

For an album where important to play the tracks in order (like a live album, or a talking book) prepend a two digit track number (00 - 99) to the beginning of the filename before sorting the FAT on the thumb drive. The FATsorter would sort those tracks by number.

I can see where this would work - physically resorting the file entries within the folder on the drive. Windows explorer simply reads all the entries into memory regardless of the order on the drive, and sorts them within memory based on the sort column you select.

C-dub · Post by **C-dub** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:43 pm

DenverWinger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:39 am For an album where important to play the tracks in order (like a live album, or a talking book) prepend a two digit track number (00 - 99) to the beginning of the filename before sorting the FAT on the thumb drive. The FATsorter would sort those tracks by number.

I can see where this would work - physically resorting the file entries within the folder on the drive. Windows explorer simply reads all the entries into memory regardless of the order on the drive, and sorts them within memory based on the sort column you select.

I tried that, putting 01, 02, ... at the beginning of the file names to ensure how they would be sorted. However, invariably, when bulk copied and pasted, one file would end up at the end where it should not have been when read by the Wing’s system. Bringing the flash drive back to my PC they still appear sorted in the order I wanted, but when viewed by date created on the drive I can see where that one file was created/pasted out of order.

It is a pita, but when a specific order is desired, copy & paste one file at a time is the only way I have found so far to accomplish that.

Rambozo · Post by **Rambozo** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:59 pm

You would still need to use something like FAT sorter after the copy, or use a different copy utility than Windows Explorer to write the files in the order desired. Windows file copy is truly bizzare software.

AZgl1800 · Post by **AZgl1800** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:42 pm

C-dub wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:43 pm

It is a pita, but when a specific order is desired, copy & paste one file at a time is the only way I have found so far to accomplish that.

That is a failure of the Windows file manager, and it has been that way from Day 1.

If you want a specific order, you MUST do them one file at at time.

I have replaced the Windows File Manager's file copy system with: https://www.codesector.com/teracopy

I have used TeraCopy for more than 10 years, I don't recall when I first started using it, but it is much better than Win's file manager.

It will copy a complete folder, w/o fail. however, I have not experimented with trying to see if it retains the file order once copied.

All I can say there, is when I look at the Target folder, it is identical to the Source folder.

.

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