Zumo 396 music ability

[Fitz]

I've just got a new 396 and I am hoping to use it for MP3.

My MP3 files are organised into folders by artist & album, so usually 10-12 MP3s per folder.

I'm planning to just copy over all my MP3 folders to a 64gb SD card to put into the 396.

Has anyone tried this approach and what was the outcome? Success, failure, had to change things to get it to work...?

Thanks

[redpattison]

The music plays just fine here on the desk and I would expect the same thing on the bike.

Let us know if it works. I have a report from someone on the FJRforum that it won't work off a SD card - it only works from internal memory. That would be crazy if true. The 395 manual is not clear whether music can be on the SD card.

Yes it does work from the micro card. I download from my computer to sd card. The card is loaded on the bottom left. Zumo 395

[Sleuth]

I've just got a new 396 and I am hoping to use it for MP3.

My MP3 files are organised into folders by artist & album, so usually 10-12 MP3s per folder.

I'm planning to just copy over all my MP3 folders to a 64gb SD card to put into the 396.

Has anyone tried this approach and what was the outcome? Success, failure, had to change things to get it to work...?

Thanks

Ok I am currently using a BMW Nav IV. However when I transfer the songs across, I take the SD card out and sync the files using Windows Media Player. I take the SD card out, because the songs transfer that much quicker.

I am assuming that this method will work on the 396 - (there is a delay in obtaining a 396 in Belgium, so I have to be patient.)

My File structure is more or less the same, Artist, Album.

On the old forum, some people had issues with Media Player, and used MediaMonkey instead. So far I have not managed to get to grips with it, but then Media Player works for me.

Bestr egards
Sleuth

[Fitz]

My experiment failed.

I copied my MP3 files & folders to a micro SD card - OK.

Put the card in the Zumo, the first message was that the card needed to be formatted to work with the Zumo. This of course deletes everything on the card. OK, no drama, I'll format as required then re-copy the files.

[EDIT]

Subsequently I've reloaded the files and folders but the 396 won't play MP3s off the SD card. I've tried an "MP3" folder off root, an "MP3" folder off root\garmin. I've tried with the files in their original folder structures and I've tried with the MP3 files alone in the MP3 folder. Garmin just says no songs found and selecting Browse returns a message "no songs were found. To play songs, copy music files into the MP3 folder."

Reading between the lines of the user manual re the media player:

"The media player can play music or audio from these sources:
*music files stored on your zumo device
*bluetooth audio from a paired phone
*Pandora internet radio"

No mention of playing from the SD card. Has anyone succeeded in playing media from an SD card on a 396? I don't really want to clog up the space on the Zumo's internal disk with music...

[Fitz]

More experimentation... and SUCCESS!

Zumo would not recognise any MP3s that I was loading onto the SD card when plugged into my PC, regardless of how the files / folders were structured or located (see previous post directly above).

However, installing the SD card in the 396, connecting the 396 to the PC by USB, then copying my MP3 files and folders from PC onto the SD card that way = SÚCCESS!

[Sleuth]

More experimentation... and SUCCESS!

Zumo would not recognise any MP3s that I was loading onto the SD card when plugged into my PC, regardless of how the files / folders were structured or located (see previous post directly above).

However, installing the SD card in the 396, connecting the 396 to the PC by USB, then copying my MP3 files and folders from PC onto the SD card that way = SÚCCESS!

Hi Fitz,
Great news, only shame is that it will take forever to copy the files across.

I seem to remember from the old forum, that you need to create the Garmin file structure before it can read the music files. One quick search on the File manager later it is:
Garmin
GPX
userdata
JPEG
userdata

I wonder if creating the folders first would work?

I will have fun finding out when the time comes.

Thanks for the update
Best regards
Sleuth

[Sleuth]

Hi all,

I now have the 396 installed on the bike. When I created the file structure below, and plugged an SD card adapter into the computer to load the music, the 396 was able to identify that music was installed.

I just now have to find the best way of getting it to sort the music (every time I select Artist, the 396 shuts down! )

One step at a time.

Best regards
Sleuth

[Twisties]

I created an mp3 folder on the micro sd card and transferred the mp3 files to the card in the Zumo. The device can't find the files, as described in a post above. Being a Zumo newbie, I am not understanding the file structure post above. Is my problem that I need to create a particular file structure?

[Sleuth]

I created an mp3 folder on the micro sd card and transferred the mp3 files to the card in the Zumo. The device can't find the files, as described in a post above. Being a Zumo newbie, I am not understanding the file structure post above. Is my problem that I need to create a particular file structure?

Hi, I managed to get it to work the first time, and then after an update the device became difficult and would not really want to load the music files.

However I think it was more to do with the placement of the SD card than issues with the device.
On the Zumo 660, it needed to have a very specific file structure for it to realise that it could read the card. It did not need any files, just the folders. I see that the sub folders are now merged with the top level folders. When I get home, I will re post with the file structure clearly marked.

Best regards
Sleuth

[Twisties]

Thanks!