ESCIENT FIREBALL H-40 - Upgrades

I've received lots of questions on how to upgrade an Escient Fireball. I will add a bunch of detail but here is what is possible:

1. You can upgrade the original H-40 Fireball hard drive to 120GB. Due to the limitations of either the IDE chipset or IDE device drivers... I havent figured out which yet... the maximum space that the OS will recognize is about 130GB. I recommend the older Maxtor 4R120L0 or 4R160L0 media Quickview drives which work much quieter in the Fireball than the Western Digital drives that come with the unit. These can be found on ebay and are super quiet. Even a 250GB Quickview will work... though you will still only get roughly 120GB.

2. To perform the upgrade, you need the upgrade CD + a new drive. I can help out with the CD. If you need it post a message with your email and I will get back to you (I won't publish it to the public). If you don't feel comfortable with opening up and pulling the guts out of your unit, I could do the whole thing for you but you would need to ship me your Fireball.

3. You can also upgrade the fan. The original fans get noisy when they wear out. I will post some info on how to replace the originan and make it quieter.

4. You can also upgrade the CD Drive. I have successfully upgraded to the 32x. I will post some info on how to do that as well.

5. Escient no longer posts the PC software to access your Fireball. I have a copy if you need it. There is actually a better piece of software out there to access the Fireball from your PC called Conduit. It allows you to pull Files off your Fireball and put files on it (bi-directional). It was written by James Slepicka a couple years ago and is no longer available on-line. Its a little quirky but if you want to backup your Fireball H-40, this does the trick. I have a copy if you want it.

6. You can control your Escient through the RS-232 ports. I use an AMX system to control it using a touch panel. If you want some tips, I can help. A simple system can be created for under $200 if you get the pieces on Ebay. Escient has some quirks though that make accessing radio stations and custom folders difficult, but if you want regular commands like Play, Stop, Random, it works great. I even created an AMX Landmark configuration that will control the Escient using the PLK-IMS and PLK-DMS keypads. If you want info, let me know. The basics include: AMX PLB-CF2 cardframe + PLC-MCU + PLC-SER cards; a serial cable to connect the unit to the Escient; a Viewpoint VPT-CP touchpanel + PMB-RF; and you will need the landmark software to program it which I can help out with too.

7. You can network multiple Fireball H-40s together and have a huge virtual playlist. It works great, but has some quirks. Specifically that when you pull a Fireball out of the network, it retains the song titles from the other Fireballs.

8. You can get these units for roughly $200 on ebay. No it won't synch with an iPod, and you can't use AAC encoded music, but it is a very straight forward music server. It will synch with a Compaq iPaq from several years ago.

9. Can you customize the Escient screen layout that you see on your TV... you sure can. Want a different color? Want to get rid of the ad at the top?... you can do it if you reinstall the OS using the upgrade CD. I tried it once... did not seem to affect anything. Will try to post some experiments.

10. What is the best option for USB Ethernet on the H-40? You can find the Belkin USB Ethernet adapter model number F5D5050 on ebay. It works great. You plug it into the rear USB port, and you can connect to your home network.

I have not yet upgraded an E-40...

ESCIENT POWERPLAY - The CPU

The Powerplay controller utilizes the following CPU: AMD k6-2 450afx. This should be upgradable... more to come.

ESCIENT MC-201D 200 DVD/CD Changer

SPECS:
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The Powerplay system is made up of two components: a controller and a 200 CD/DVD changer. Escient originally made these changers for the commercial storage market. The product line continues under the Powerfile brand. The MC-201D changer is a relative of the Powerfile C200 changer that is still available today. I have not confirmed if the changers are interchangeable - when I contacted Powerfile, then recommended trying it to see... they did not know.

The MC-201D has a single DVD drive internally and stores 200 discs on a rotating carousel much like a typical CD changer. This changer is industrial, however, in every way. The loading and unloading of discs is fully automated. It weighs a ton and has a very nice aluminum face. The changer is basically a safe for your discs. It puts any Sony or Pioneer changer to shame.

It may be possible to connect this changer to your PC as well. Powerfile has a windows and Mac device driver available on its website that should allow you to access any of the media on the unit. The Escient controller also has the Powerfile device files available in the Powerplay directory.

DRIVE USAGE:
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The Escient controller can connect to multiple changers via a firewire cable. I have used 20ft cables without issue. This allows you to place the changers relatively far from your home theater system. This is preferable since the changers do make noise when searching for a disc to play.

Each disc added or removed from the changer is catalogued automatically by the controller. The controller uses a process called Autobuild to review each new disc and determine if it must call out to the Escient database for title, track and cover art. The controller is pretty well connected. I have never been able to get the two units out of sync unless I add or remove discs when the changer is disconnected. The controller's Autobuild process though will notice the discrepancy and correct it once it runs.

CHANGER STOPS WORKING:
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These changers are rock solid. They will probably last the lifetime of the controller. However there are times when they may need servicing. The primary issue that I have found with these units is that the internal motherboard can become disconnected from its IDE ribbon cable during shipping or transport. This is a problem if you turn on the unit and it continuously spins the carousel, or continuously reboots.

All the electronics for the changer are located on the underside of the unit. Flip the unit on its top and you will see a lid that is fastened to the underside of the changer with about 20 screws. You need to remove all except the ones holding the feet on. Then slowly remove the lid. Now you basically want to press all the ribbon cables into their connectors and make sure that there are no loose connections. Be careful NOT to touch the power supply that is completely unprotected.

If the face of the unit is towards your body, the first board you see towards the front is the main mother board. You will notice that on the left side is an IDE ribbon cable connection. You should also see that there is tape around the board that is supposed to hold it steady. Since most of these units are a couple years old, the tape is no longer sticky. First you want to secure the board. I would recommend that you add electical tape strategically to stabilize the board. I have actually added silicon sealant to the corners to do this as well... making sure that it completely dries before placing the lid on.

The other ribbon connectors may be loose as well.. press them all into place. Before replacing the lid, use an air duster or vacuum cleaner to make sure there are no metal shavings around that worked loose when you unscrewed all those screws... then put the lid back on. Your changer should be back in business.

ESCIENT POWERPLAY - Replacing the DVD ROM Drive

SPECS:
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The Powerplay controller unit comes standard with the Toshiba SD-M1402 DVD-ROM drive. The drive supports 12x DVD / 40x CD playback.

DRIVE USAGE:
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The drive is called a Plus One in the user interface, and allows the user to quickly play a single DVD/CD without the need for loading the changer. Great design, especially when the changer is located away in a rack or other sound-proof enclosure.

REASONS TO REPLACE:
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- Strange new sounds from the drive. Grinding sounds are common after a couple years of use. I haven't figured out what causes the sound, but a faulty motor is the probable cause.
- It is possible that a faster drive may provide quicker access to DVD tracks and menus. This is not yet proven, however.

STATUS:
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Replacement in progress. Trying to find a replacement drive that will work. Tried the Toshiba SD-M1502 which is slightly faster, but though it would play CDs, it wil not play DVDs after it is installed. :-(

ESCIENT POWERPLAY - Replacing the hard drive

SPECS:
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Most Powerplays were delivered with one of two drives: Western Digital WD400 (40GB) drive or the WD200 (20GB) drive. In general these are reliable drives with few failures.

The Hard Drive and DVD-ROM are not on the same IDE bus. The hard drive is setup as a standalone drive with no slave on the primary IDE connection.

DRIVE USAGE:
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The hard drive in the Powerplay is only used to boot the operating system and Powerplay software (user interface), and to save the contents of your Powerplay changer (titles, cover art, etc.). In total, this is less than 1GB of actual storage. The rest of the drive is not used. No media is stored on the hard drive.

REASONS TO REPLACE:
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- Strange new sounds from the drive.
- Power play won't boot, e.g., gets stuck after the Powerplay logo is displayed.
- Need a quieter drive... Though these drives have a low rational speed of 5400 rpm, they are actually pretty noisy. You can definitely hear these when placed in your living room, and they can be heard during quiet passages in a movie.
- Your Powerplay has begun to act funny. Since the Powerplay is based on Windows95, it is incredibly susceptible to Cross-linked file issues and the resulting corruption of files. This is typically caused when you do not power down the Powerplay using the menus. Most often power outages are the primary cause of this since the Powerplay is typically left on for years. I am very surprised that Escient does not recommend that these be powered through an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).

NOTE: In many cases, your existing information on the drive may be damaged. If that is the case, then moving that information to a new drive will not help you. You need not only a new drive but also a new Powerplay drive image without errors. I would recommend trying to copy the information to a new drive first, and if that fails you need a new image. I will write something later on getting an image.

REPLACEMENT:
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The Powerplay is a custom PC. If you have experience building or modding PCs, then the Powerplay will look very familiar. Since these units are out of warranty, you don't have to worry about losing any benefits from Escient. However, the power supply will retain its voltage after it is unplugged. DO NOT open or touch the power supply. Unlike other media machines, the power supply in the Powerplay is fully shielded and contained as a typical PC style component.

Replacement requirements:
- Several hours of time.
- A replacement hard drive. I will write something on some good drives to use later.
- A copy of your new drive's diagnostic utility. For example Maxtor has PowerMax.
- A PC you feel comfortable opening with open IDE ports that you can use to connect the old drive and the new drive.
- OR an external hard drive enclosure that connects to your PC or laptop via Firewire or USB 2.0.
- A copy of Symantec Ghost, or other partition copy program.

Steps:
1. Static electricity is your enemy here. Ground yourself and be careful of what you touch. Do not touch the PCB board on the underside of the hard drive!

2. Unplug and open up the Powerplay. The Powerplay is screwed together with machine screws. As such they will leave metal shavings when removed. You don't want these bouncing around inside the unit. Clean the screws when removed and vacuum up any shavings that you see inside.

3. The hard drive will be visible to the right front of the unit when the CD tray is facing you. There are four screws holding it to the base. Remove these.

4. Remove the power connector and the IDE ribbon cable and push under the CD tray to get them out of the way.

5. Lift the drive straight up... it is sitting on metal risers. Be careful not to touch the IDE pins. You may notice that some blue bushings are left behind on the risers and may be stuck to the bottom of the metal drive mounting plate. Make sure you don't lose them. They cushion the drive.

6. The drive is mounted to a plate and is secured by 4 screws. Remove them and you've got the heart of the unit in your hands.

7. The drive is set as a standalone drive. If you need to change this setting to install into your PC, do so now.

8. Connect the drive to a PC on the secondary IDE cable OR connect through USB/Firewire. Be careful not to boot it since it will begin reconfiguring to the hardware of your PC! Your PC should have an existing C drive and Operating system. Boot into Windows and run error checking on the Powerplay drive (Windows Explorer, right click the drive, Properties, Tools, Error Checking, Check Now). Select Automatically Fix & Scan For Bad Sectors. This may require a reboot.

9. Run defragmentation to improve the performance of the partition. (Windows Explorer, right click the drive, Properties, Tools, Defragmentation). You may want to run twice.

10. Fixing errors such as cross-linked files may affect the partition information. Put the white jumper back to the standalone setting on the rear of the drive. Place back on the mounting plate securing with one screw, and connect the power and IDE. Boot it to confirm it still works! When confirmed that it is still good, shut down powerplay. Unplug it. Remove the drive from the Powerplay, rest the white jumper to your PC requirements, and reconnect to your PC.

11. Use Ghost to make a copy of the Powerplay partition. Save the image to a location where you can find it again.

12. Remove the original Powerplay drive from your PC. Store safely in the antistatic bag of your new drive.

13. Connect your new drive to the PC. Fully test the drive using the manufacturer diagnostics to make sure there are no errors.

14. Use Ghost to install the saved Powerplay partition onto the new drive (Restore Drive). Set bootable and active. This should take less than 30 minutes. NOTE: If you use a drive greater than 40GB, I would not let ghost fill the rest of the drive with the partition. Don't select that option.

15. Use Fdisk or Disk Management in XP to confirm that the partition appears healthy. Not sure what happens if you initialized the drive in XP or if you assign a drive letter in XP. You don't need to, so I would not recommend it.

16. Now you have a new drive with the old but error free Powerplay partition on it.

17. To test it, place the NEW drive on the metal mounting plate. Secure with a single screw. Reset the white jumper back so that it is set to standalone. Attach the IDE and power cables, plug the powerplay back in, and it should NOT boot. the system should hang. I think a setting triggers the system to boot into safe mode. Reboot it a couple times by pulling the power cord when it gets stuck and you should be good. If NOT... at this point reconnect it to your PC make it the only drive in your PC so that it boots as the C drive. Power up your PC, the Powerplay OS should begin to boot. If it wants to go into Safe mode select Normal. As soon as the Windows95 blue screen appears and indicates that it is reconfiguring hardware, power off the PC. Not sure what this does, but it resets something. NOW the drive should boot. Put it back in the Powerplay with the juper set to Standalone.

18. Fully test all the functions. When you confirm it is good, remove the drive for one last time. Fully attach the mounting plate to the drive with all 4 screws. Ensure that all the blue bushings are in place correctly. Attach the mounting plate to the base with the 4 remaining screws. Securely attach the IDE cable snugly, Securely attach the power cable. Replace the cover with screws. Your Powerplay should now be good as new.

Welcome!

Hi all. Thanks for visiting my little piece of real estate on the web. I have dedicated this site to one of my favorite hobbies... playing with Escient audio/video components. If you are here, then you already know what wonderful gear these are. If not, just google for Escient and you can find all kinds of reviews on the goodies from Escient. What you can't find much of is information on how to maintain and upgrade this gear. Once you get yours loaded full of media, you can't have these dying on you. Hopefully you can find everything you need to know about maintaining your gear here.