I’m so happy about this added functionality! I want to publicly thank Zoom for such a great free update.
The Zoom H1 makes super high quality recordings, and now also serves as a high quality digital audio mic while connected to a Linux computer.
Performing the Zoom H1 version 1.x to 2.0 upgrade in Linux
In short, this fails.
Something about writing the H1MAIN.bin to the Fat32 file system in Linux causes the very brittle upgrade process to fail. It will notice the file and begin the process, and end with “WRITE ERROR”. Thankfully it doesn’t brick the device.
The solution is to:
- copy your recordings off the device
- format the card inside the device: hold the Trash button while turning it on, then confirm the format by pressing the Record button
- copy the H1MAIN.bin file to the root of the device’s filesystem using a Windows computer (download Zoom H1 System Software Version 2.0 and unpack)
- initiate the upgrade: turn on the device while holding the Play/Pause button, then confirm the upgrade by pressing the Record button (twice)
Once upgraded, the mic functionality is detected and works automatically in Ubunutu (and presumably other Linux distros), and shows up in PulseAudio as both an Input and an Output. This means you also now have two audio outputs.
It even works in the Luz Spectrum Analyzer. 
Enjoy!
Does copying the firmware work with mtools?
You may need to set the FAT filesystem option that causes it to write proper short names. Linux currently works around a patent on the “micros~1″ approach to generating short names from long names by instead sticking garbage in the short name field, but you can tell it to do otherwise, or to support short names only.
Shame the firmware is not open source
It looks like a tazer.
My solution:
Just rename the firmware H1MAIN.bin to all uppercase.
Obviously, the following doesn’t work:
/media/ZOOM-H1$ mv H1MAIN.bin H1MAIN.BIN
mv: `H1MAIN.bin’ and `H1MAIN.BIN’ are the same file
This works:
/media/ZOOM-H1$ mv H1MAIN.bin H1MAIN.BIN2
/media/ZOOM-H1$ mv H1MAIN.BIN2 H1MAIN.BIN
Unmount, disconnect, then procede the upgrade process.
donE
still don’t working, only speaker work
no in-put devices…
ok i get it, it works but not with all, when i go to sound settings and switch to in-put -> and close window and show me some error.
Uppercase worked! Thanks alot.
Uppercase worked for me, too. Almost too easy!
Using Debian 6.0.1 Zoom H1 connects fine no problem.