Latest firmware updates
The SweetPea3 can be updated with the latest and greatest firmware (the software that controls the way it functions). Firmware updates are released occasionally to fix bugs and add features. Firmware releases are hardware dependent so look at the back label to see what version of hardware you have.
Model SP3-101
The latest firmware can be found here.
Model SP3-102
The latest firmware can be found here.
Troubleshooting for all models
1-1. Can't change to a different playlist
The SweetPea3 does not allow you to select empty playlists. Playlists may appear empty to the SweetPea3 if they contain songs encoded in an unsupported format because the SweetPea3 simply ignores these formats. Ensure that all your songs are encoded in a supported format for your particular model of player and that the firmware is up to date. Supported formats for SP3-101: MP3, WMA, WMA protected (DRM9). Supported formats for SP3-102: MP3, WMA, AAC (.m4a), AA (Audible) and Ogg Vorbis.
1-2. AC adapter not charging the battery
The AC adapter does not charge the battery. It is only used to avoid using the battery, such as playing music overnight in a child's room. You can use rechargeable batteries in the SweetPea3 but they need to be recharged outside of the player.
1-3. Less available memory than expecting (Mac)
When you delete a file on a Mac, the file isn't actually deleted until you empty the trash. Empty the trash and the memory will be freed up.
1-4. Using iTunes
Drag the songs straight from iTunes and drop them to the SweetPea3 (in Mac Finder or Windows Explorer).
Do not use the sync function because iTunes does not recognize other MP3 players.
1-5. Windows Media Player won't transfer the songs to the correct playlist.
Do not use Windows Media Player to transfer songs. Use Windows Explorer. The songs are likely located in your
My Music folder.
1-6. Deleting songs
Highlight the song on the SweetPea3 using Windows Explorer or Mac Finder and hit the delete button (command - delete for Mac)
1-7. No sound from speaker
Ensure that the speaker volume is turned up. If headphones work but the speaker doesn't, the speaker is likely defective. Please contact customer support for further instructions.
Troubleshooting for Model SP3-102
2-1. Songs stop after every track / Duplicate non-playing songs when using Mac Finder
When transferring songs, Mac Finder splits the song and the song information into two separate files. Both files
have the same name except the information file is preceeded with a "._" (dot underscore) to hide the file from view.
This extra file is being interpreted by the SweetPea3 as a music file and it attempts to play it.
Solution #1: Download the latest firmware found here. This operation requires a PC, however.
Solution #2: After you have transferred your songs to the SweetPea3, remove the extra files by following these proceedures:
1. Download the Clean Up application to your hard drive.
2. Double click on it to unachive the clean up application.
2. Move Clean Up.app to your desktop.
3. Drag the PLAY1, PLAY2 or PLAY3 folder from the SweetPea3 and drop it onto the Clean Up application icon on your desktop.
The extra files should now be deleted from the SweetPea3.
2-2. Does not play Audible
Download the latest firmware found here. Audible Manager used to transfer
stories to the SweetPea3 is not compatible with Mac.
2-3. Stuck in "updater" mode
Download the latest firmware found here.
2-4. Still not working after updating the firmware
Reformat the SweetPea3 hard drive. This process will erase all the songs from the SweetPea3 so it is best to
backup your songs if you can first. Also make sure that it is the SweetPea3 you are
reformating, not some other drive!
1. From within Windows Explorer, right click on the SweetPea3.
2. Select "Format..."
3. Click OK.
4. Create three new folders and call them PLAY1, PLAY2 and PLAY3.
5. Drag your songs back to these folders.
Troubleshooting for Model SP3-101
3-1. SweetPea3 losing songs, locking up, garbled music
The latest firmware update fixes this memory corruption problem. Download the latest firmware found here.
3-2. Verifying the update worked
Go into the settings menu on the Sweetpea3 then scroll down to the "Exit" menu item and press an arrow key. You should see a number flash briefly indicating the version of the firmware. Check that it is the same version as listed on the firmware update webpage.
3-3. Does not work after firmware update.
The battery may be dead. A player in the locked state drains the battery so you may think you have a fresh battery when in fact the battery is dead.
3-4. Does not work after firmware update and the battery is good
For one reason or another, the updater program was not able to install the required drivers on your computer. Follow these instructions to manually install the drivers, which should allow your computer to find the locked up SweetPea3 and update the firmware.
a) - Open Device Manager
Windows XP - Click Start button (lower left of screen) then "Run...". Type "devmgmt.msc" and press Enter.
Windows Vista - Click Start button (lower left of screen). Type "devmgmt.msc" in the search box and press Enter.
b) - Plug in the SweetPea3 (with no battery).
c) - Right click on "Player Recovery Device Class" within the Device Manager and select "Update Driver..."
- Allow Windows to connect to Windows Update and install software automatically. It can take several minutes for Windows to locate and update the drivers.
e) - Close the Device Manager.
f) - Run the Firmware updater program again with the "Format Data Area" box enabled. The updater can be found here.
g) - Unplug from the computer and replace the battery. The SweetPea3 should run and show "No Music".
h) - Plug in again to the computer and drag and drop music back to your SweetPea3 using Windows Explorer.
3-5. My computer does not recognize the SweetPea3 when I plug it into the USB port.
Try the solution for a locked up player in point 3-1 above.
3-6. I lost the preloaded songs when I did the update and did not/could not save them in advance.
Please contact customer support for a link to these songs.
3-7. My songs appear in the list when plugged into a computer but they do not play on the SweetPea3.
Make sure that the three letter extensions on your music files are either .MP3 or .WMA. The SweetPea3 will ignore formats that it doesn't support, such as AAC and ATRAC. It will also ignore songs that are protected but the license file is invalid or missing. Make sure you transferred your protected songs to the SweetPea3 using Windows Media Player and that your license files are valid.
3-8. Songs not in expected playlists.
The SweetPea3 looks for two folders that are named exactly "PLAY2" and "PLAY3". Songs in these folders appear in playlist 2 and playlist 3 respectively. All songs not in these two folders will appear in playlist 1.
There is nothing special about the PLAY2 and PLAY3 folders other than the name. If you accidentally delete one of these folders, simply create a new folder and name it appropriately(PLAY2 or PLAY3)
3-9. Songs copied from iTunes will not play
iTunes uses AAC as the default format for copying CDs. These songs appear with the .m4a extension. The SweetPea3 (SP3-101) will not play AAC formated songs. You can configure iTunes to copy your songs in MP3 format, which will play on the SweetPea3. Within iTunes, go to:
Edit->Preferences...->General (tab)->Import Settings->Import Using MP3 Encoder
You will need to recopy your CDs in MP3 format.
3-10. Will not play songs purchased from iTunes.
Songs purchased from iTunes prior to Jan 2009 are in AAC format encrypted with a proprietary Apple encryption scheme known as FairPlay DRM (Digital Rights Management). Apple now sells their songs without the encryption however they are still in the AAC format so they need to be converted to MP3 format. iTunes (the program) can do the conversion by right clicking on the song and selecting "Create MP3 Version"
For songs purchased with the DRM encryption, the work around is to burn the songs onto a regular audio CD, then copy them back in MP3 format.
Contact Technical Support
If none of the troubleshooting tips above resolves your problem, please contact technical support by using the form below
