I have the 30GB model of this brilliant little player.

The sound quality is good and the battery life is brilliant. It does not, however, play OGG, FLAC or SID files. It is because of this that I decided that I would like to run rockbox on it. This seemed like little more than an idea when I first looked into it, as there was only the beining of a project page open about it.

However, things have changed! It would appear that it is not too far off. There is a replacement bootloader and rockbox has been booted on one. It is not yet functional, but this is a very big step towards that.

I would liketo say a big thanks to everybody that has worked on Rockbox, not only the main application but the porting og it to various devices. It is something that, for the moment, is way more advanced than I am able to do.

I will be keeping an eye on this, I might soon be able to abandon restrictive MP3 for the open OGG Vorbis format.

I’ve picked up a Victorian mantle clock. I know nothing about them, except I love clockwork movements.

It does have 1 small problem…. it doesn’t run.

The movement has “(L.T.M)” stamped onto it around the rim of the face that is covered by the case. “9150″ is also visible there as well as on the pendulum and the back of the movement. “45″ is also present on the back of the movement.

The movement itself is run by a “going barrel” so that tension on the train is not lost during winding. This not only keeps the clock ticking, but improves time accuracy. The design is a generic design, used my many manufacturers, so no clues there. As the dial shows by the single key hole, it has no chime… Good!

On the bottom of the case, the number “105″ is clearly visible in the cement.

The face looks like an enammeed tin, due to its opacity, with painted roman numerals. There is some inscription on the back of the dial, but it looks like the bezel is holding it together. There is no way that that is going to be seen, shame, my curiosity is going to nag at me now.

I have been reliably informed that it looks like it was English made, due to some decent work on its construction, Bonus! The number “9150″ and “45″ could lead me back to the manufacturer of the movement (sans case, hands and dial), or maybe the jeweler who fitted the mech into a case etc. the 105? A serial or case type, although unlikely. It has been sujested that it was scratched there by a pawn broker to identify to him who sold it to him, nice eh?.  L.T.M could be the clock maker.

I have been informed that it is really hard to track this kind of thing, so I’ll probably do some googling, but I don’t hold much hope.

I know the case is slate, other than that, this is all I know about it. Any more information would be great!

The DVD is only there as a size guide.

Updated 12/11/2008: Added a few more chinks of info courtesy of DrJeep