504 with model 42000 DVR base?

[revschafer]

I just recently purchased a used Archos 504 off of ebay and I've been quite happy with it. In the town where I live, we have a store called Awesome Surplus that sells miscellaneous items that have been returned to other stores and the packaging was missing or not good enough to put out on the shelves again.

I stopped by at lunch today hoping to find a 3.5 mm stereo to AV cable and sitting on top of a rack of ugly sunglasses I found an Archos DVR Base - no cables, no AC adapter - but it was marked $4 - so I bought it without even stopping to check compatability. Looking it up online it appears that this is a Gen5 model designed for the 405, 605, etc.

However, the connectors appear to be the same size, etc. as the ports on my 504.

Has anyone ever tried hooking up different generations to see if they're compatible? If not, know anyone who wants to buy a 42000 DVR base - cheap?

[revschafer]

Guess I ended up answering my own questions.

I found a Radio Shack AC adapter with adjustable voltages and 9 different tips and one of them happened to be the right size. Plugging that in turned on a green LED on the base unit. I connected a USB to mini-USB cable between the DVR and my PC and when I docked the 504 unit it turned on and asked if I wanted to use HD, WMP or charge only. Also, selecting the VideoCorder icon with it docked took me to the record screen instead of the "you must be docked to a DVR to use this function" screen.

Tonight I'll dig out some video cables and put it between my Tivo and TV and see if it actually records and plays back.

One question remains - if I order a replacement remote, do I want to get the 4th Gen remote or the 5th Gen remote? Anybody know?

[ejanssens]

The GEn 4 and gen 5 DVR stations are exactly the same except for the remotes. They even have the same model numbers. But you'll need to get the Gen 4 remote to work on your 504. The Gen 5 remote won't work (though a Gen 4 remote will work on a 605). The cheapest place I found a Gen 4 remote was the store on Archos' own website. I ended up not getting one as I personally didn't find much value in the remote since you can control everything using the buttons on the 504 itself. Good find for $4 though!

[revschafer]

ejanssens,

Thanks for your response! I might go ahead and order the remote if for no other reason than to hit Pause when the phone rings