Help!!! Newbie!!

m9k · 09-04-2010, 08:39 PM

I have struggled with Calibre and Stanza off and on for days now and am not making much progress. I am trying to get ePub format books/magazines/newspapers that are in Calibre on the Mac desktop onto my iPhone for reading with Stanza. I have searched a ton of forums, how-tos, and am just not getting it working.

I kind of feel like somebody who's never driven a car before and is put in the seat and told all the rules of the road and how this and when that... but what I need to know first is "the right pedal makes it go, and the left pedal makes it stop, and the round thing in front of you makes it turn."

I think some of the confusion comes from what I am guessing are changes in the UI for both Calibre and Stanza since these howtos were written. The howtos refer to screens and buttons on both apps that don't exist anymore or are renamed or moved. For example, there seems no way to add a Catalog to Stanza anymore (there's no "plus sign" at the bottom right of that screen). And looking at the "Shared" tab in Stanza shows my Mac's Calibre content server running, but no books show up and it times out, saying "Catalog Error: The request timed out". The Mac Calibre content server is running and I can see it from my Mac through a web page using 127.0.0.1:8080 and various forms of names as well. I can even get a telnet connection on the Calibre server from another machine on the network. Using the nifty iNet app on the iPhone, I can see the Stanza-compatible server running on the Mac from my iPhone, on the right port (8080) .

But heck if I can get anything showing up in Stanza on the iPhone.

I have been able to sync to iTunes OK, but those are then only readable (I think) from iBooks.

So: at a very, very simple level, how do I go from an ePub library in Calibre on the Mac, to reading those in Stanza on the iPhone/iPad? Nothing fancy, no special options, just so it works.

Thanks...

theducks · 09-04-2010, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m9k

I have struggled with Calibre and Stanza off and on for days now and am not making much progress. I am trying to get ePub format books/magazines/newspapers that are in Calibre on the Mac desktop onto my iPhone for reading with Stanza. I have searched a ton of forums, how-tos, and am just not getting it working.

I kind of feel like somebody who's never driven a car before and is put in the seat and told all the rules of the road and how this and when that... but what I need to know first is "the right pedal makes it go, and the left pedal makes it stop, and the round thing in front of you makes it turn."

Thanks...

The left pedal is the CLUTCH , the middle pedal is the brake.
(and it is still the same on Right hand drive cars, you just shift with the other hand.)

Worldwalker · 09-04-2010, 10:49 PM

What theducks said. Down with slushboxes.

As for calibre, I got a little lost in what you're trying to do there. Hopefully the following will help you some; if not, rant in my general direction and I'll try to be less confusing. Mind you, this is from the point of view of a person who is using a Sony 505 and a mouse with multiple buttons, so your mileage may vary.

Import your books into calibre. You'll find a button for this.

Use the setup wizard to make sure your proper target device is selected.

Pick the books you want to transfer, select them, right-click, and click "send to device:.

They should be where you sent them.

If this doesn't work, either I haven't explained myself very well, or I don't know jack about iAnything. Or both.

Diana495 · 09-04-2010, 11:25 PM

In Stanza, on the Shared tab, at the top there should be an Edit button. If you tap that you can manually add a book source.

But I have no idea why you're getting an error. Hopefully someone more tech savvy than me will be able to help.

m9k · 09-04-2010, 11:30 PM

Thanks WW, but AFAIK working with the iDevices is different from other devices because you can't just ship the files over to them. You have to go through some Apple-controlled intermediary (iTunes) or set up the reader on the iDevice (Stanza for example) to pull them down in some way -- in this case Calibre sets up a WWW server on the desktop machine for that purpose. That's where the complexities seem to lie.

But... the good news:

I took your suggestion of using the Welcome Wizard to do the setup for iPhone/iPad, told it to turn on the server, and voila! Stanza on the iPhone now sees the server and the books, and I can download and read them! Problem is, I have no idea what specific settings caused the problems in the first place.

Georgebosky · 01-16-2011, 11:06 AM

As my name inplies I am brand new to this game and a bit lost as well. I have a BeBook Neo and the manual was written by someone who never saw the actual reader. References to parts, pieces, buttons and knobs that perhaps are part of the Edsel he/she drives.
Issues I have are frustrating as I bought a 32 gb SDHC card but the system doesnt recognize it and the internal memory is only 640mb. That is more than enough to keep me reading on a 10 day cruise but why bother making it available if it cannot work. I know I am spoiled by the ease of computer use but why can the inventors of these eBook readers stop trying to reinvent the wheel just to be different.
The BeBook uses open source software and they sure missed the mark. Sure I can read every form of electronic items but the unit itself is a terrible disappointment.
Cheer up; alll the failed atempts will perhaps disappear from this new readers delight and only the real inventors/thinkers making a workable product will survive.
I certainly didn't help you one bit but at least I feel better even though I feel as if I wasted $300 on this particular reader. I love the concept so will have to fork out some more of my pension money to stay in the game. I plan on taking this BeBook to my workshop and introduce it to my metal cutting bandsaw. The remains will be mailed to the Netherlands,where it came from, with a friendly note which will include a suggestion they try their hand at something else.

Manichean · 01-16-2011, 11:30 AM

Might I suggest posting this in a forum where it has some connection to the topic discussed? This has nothing to do with either Calibre or the original topic of this thread.

Georgebosky · 01-21-2011, 02:35 PM

Manichean I stand corrected. Thanks for your guidance.

09-04-2010, 08:39 PM	#1
m9k Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: iPhone, iPad	Help!!! Newbie!! I have struggled with Calibre and Stanza off and on for days now and am not making much progress. I am trying to get ePub format books/magazines/newspapers that are in Calibre on the Mac desktop onto my iPhone for reading with Stanza. I have searched a ton of forums, how-tos, and am just not getting it working. I kind of feel like somebody who's never driven a car before and is put in the seat and told all the rules of the road and how this and when that... but what I need to know first is "the right pedal makes it go, and the left pedal makes it stop, and the round thing in front of you makes it turn." I think some of the confusion comes from what I am guessing are changes in the UI for both Calibre and Stanza since these howtos were written. The howtos refer to screens and buttons on both apps that don't exist anymore or are renamed or moved. For example, there seems no way to add a Catalog to Stanza anymore (there's no "plus sign" at the bottom right of that screen). And looking at the "Shared" tab in Stanza shows my Mac's Calibre content server running, but no books show up and it times out, saying "Catalog Error: The request timed out". The Mac Calibre content server is running and I can see it from my Mac through a web page using 127.0.0.1:8080 and various forms of names as well. I can even get a telnet connection on the Calibre server from another machine on the network. Using the nifty iNet app on the iPhone, I can see the Stanza-compatible server running on the Mac from my iPhone, on the right port (8080) . But heck if I can get anything showing up in Stanza on the iPhone. I have been able to sync to iTunes OK, but those are then only readable (I think) from iBooks. So: at a very, very simple level, how do I go from an ePub library in Calibre on the Mac, to reading those in Stanza on the iPhone/iPad? Nothing fancy, no special options, just so it works. Thanks...

01-16-2011, 11:06 AM	#6
Georgebosky Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Alberta Canada Device: BeBook Neo	Frustration at work. As my name inplies I am brand new to this game and a bit lost as well. I have a BeBook Neo and the manual was written by someone who never saw the actual reader. References to parts, pieces, buttons and knobs that perhaps are part of the Edsel he/she drives. Issues I have are frustrating as I bought a 32 gb SDHC card but the system doesnt recognize it and the internal memory is only 640mb. That is more than enough to keep me reading on a 10 day cruise but why bother making it available if it cannot work. I know I am spoiled by the ease of computer use but why can the inventors of these eBook readers stop trying to reinvent the wheel just to be different. The BeBook uses open source software and they sure missed the mark. Sure I can read every form of electronic items but the unit itself is a terrible disappointment. Cheer up; alll the failed atempts will perhaps disappear from this new readers delight and only the real inventors/thinkers making a workable product will survive. I certainly didn't help you one bit but at least I feel better even though I feel as if I wasted $300 on this particular reader. I love the concept so will have to fork out some more of my pension money to stay in the game. I plan on taking this BeBook to my workshop and introduce it to my metal cutting bandsaw. The remains will be mailed to the Netherlands,where it came from, with a friendly note which will include a suggestion they try their hand at something else.

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09-04-2010, 10:49 PM	#3
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	What theducks said. Down with slushboxes. As for calibre, I got a little lost in what you're trying to do there. Hopefully the following will help you some; if not, rant in my general direction and I'll try to be less confusing. Mind you, this is from the point of view of a person who is using a Sony 505 and a mouse with multiple buttons, so your mileage may vary. Import your books into calibre. You'll find a button for this. Use the setup wizard to make sure your proper target device is selected. Pick the books you want to transfer, select them, right-click, and click "send to device:. They should be where you sent them. If this doesn't work, either I haven't explained myself very well, or I don't know jack about iAnything. Or both.

09-04-2010, 11:25 PM	#4
Diana495 Connoisseur Posts: 80 Karma: 8320 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: Ipod Touch	In Stanza, on the Shared tab, at the top there should be an Edit button. If you tap that you can manually add a book source. But I have no idea why you're getting an error. Hopefully someone more tech savvy than me will be able to help.

09-04-2010, 11:30 PM	#5
m9k Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: iPhone, iPad	Thanks WW, but AFAIK working with the iDevices is different from other devices because you can't just ship the files over to them. You have to go through some Apple-controlled intermediary (iTunes) or set up the reader on the iDevice (Stanza for example) to pull them down in some way -- in this case Calibre sets up a WWW server on the desktop machine for that purpose. That's where the complexities seem to lie. But... the good news: I took your suggestion of using the Welcome Wizard to do the setup for iPhone/iPad, told it to turn on the server, and voila! Stanza on the iPhone now sees the server and the books, and I can download and read them! Problem is, I have no idea what specific settings caused the problems in the first place.

01-16-2011, 11:30 AM	#7
Manichean Wizard Posts: 3,130 Karma: 91256 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Germany Device: Cybook Gen3	Might I suggest posting this in a forum where it has some connection to the topic discussed? This has nothing to do with either Calibre or the original topic of this thread.

01-21-2011, 02:35 PM	#8
Georgebosky Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Alberta Canada Device: BeBook Neo	Manichean I stand corrected. Thanks for your guidance.

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