iRiver iHP-120 with 1 TB mSATA SSD drive

[bpfiguer]

The Samsung 840 EVO MZ-MTE1T0BW 1TB mSATA SSD drive works without any issues with the iRiver iHP-120 player using Rockbox. You need two adapters: 1. mSATA to ZIF. 2. ZIF-Toshiba CF 50pin.

[cholero]

really cool. Now you can carry around  a full lossless music collection in a very small, reliable and audiophile player

[wavecrest]

I really like this combination. Could you please specify which parts did you use exactly?

Best
Thomas

[bpfiguer]

I really like this combination. Could you please specify which parts did you use exactly?

Best
Thomas

For the mSATA drive mod you need:

1. IDE to ZIF (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-8-40pin-ZIF-HDD-SSD-to-Toshiba-CF-50pin-adapter-for-laptop-PDA-ST4062B-/171075194447?pt=US_Drive_Cables_dapters&hash=item27d4e04e4f) or the more expensive version (http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZIF-HDD-SSD-to-1-8-inch-TOSHIBA-type-converter-zender-/281099104230?).

2. ZIF to mSATA (http://www.ebay.com/itm/mSATA-SSD-to-40-Pin-ZIF-Adapter-Card-as-Toshiba-or-Hitachi-ZIF-HDD-/290933759001?pt=US_Drive_Cables_dapters&hash=item43bd00dc19).

3. mSATA/USB enclosure which is recommended but not necessary (http://www.ebay.com/itm/External-mSATA-SSD-to-USB-3-0-Super-Speed-Converter-Adapter-Enclosure-Case-/371079615041?pt=US_Drive_Cables_dapters&hash=item5666119241).

4. mSATA drive was described above.

For more datails you can read this post (http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php/topic,42704.0.html)

[DTSyX]

Hello,

I did this mod, too. It works. Thanks for the ground work!

I recognized that the battery is drained quite a lot. But I guess that drain mostly happens when turning the player on.

First I noticed that the batterie level just after booting the player was much lower than after maybe 1-3 minutes later (idle or playing some music). That behaviour is present with a hdd as well but not as stark.

In this case the battery level was 84% just after booting, after a few minutes it was "back" at 96%.

I checked the power consumption of the ssd using an external sdd case. When powering up it's somewhere between 2 and 2,5W. After the drive is recognized by Windows (in idle mode) the power consumption goes down to 0,75W.

Judging from the temperature of the ssd I guess the most of the power consumption comes from the ssd not from the external case's controller.

I for one couldn't transfer all the files to the ssd (installed in the H140) unless I had a fan cooling the drive. Otherwise it would freeze the transferring process. So I guess it's about the temperature of the ssd.


I haven't yet tested long playing runs. I suspect that in playing mode the battery consumption is or might be lower than with a hdd. But for now I also think it's fact that the booting process consumes mor power than with a hdd. I had the player with the same battery running with a Toshiba MK2431GAH for the last 4 years, so that's my comparison.


Has anyone else observed a similar change of power consumption using the Samsung mSATA-SSD 1TB?

Cheers,

Mike


[Edit 1]

I did some more monitoring. I transfered some more files. It took about 2,5 mins. Before the transfer the battery level was about 74-75. At the end of the transfer process it was 31! After a few minutes it was back to 70.

I also observed that while playing the level dropped from 70 to 64. Then it stayed there quite long. That's only to show my obeservation that the level stays a long time at the same number, then drops 4-5 points and stays there quite a while.

I haven't done specific observtions while using the hdd, but I always thought the battery level was dropping quite evenly.

Switching of at 64 and switching back on a few hours later the first number for the battery level after booting is 46 and rises back to 60 while playing .flac within 5 minutes.

Again, this happens with a hdd as well, but not to these extremes, as far as I can recall.

Btw: Samsung states some 3,84W as max. power consumption for this 1TB mSATA-SSD. So, this supports my findings.

FYI: The Toshiba MK2431GAH hdd, measured using an external adapter with the pc, needs some 1,87W on startup and 0,65W in idle mode.

Seems like the cool 1TB-H140 comes at a price, namely reduced battery life.

[/Edit 1]

[Edit 2]

Now that the first full cycle is done (battery completely emptied), I can report the following:

Two more battery level observations:

Boot to level 9, then within the first 30 sek -> 7 -> 5 -> 3 -> 2 -> 1. Within the next 3-5 minutes recovery to level 28. Maybe 1,5-2h of playing (.ogg) before shutting down (by user).

Boot to level 7, then within the first 30 sek -> 3 -> 2 -> 1 -> 0 -> [no number]. Within the next 3-5 minutes recovery to level 13. While playing (.ogg) it stayed at 13 for at least one hour before going down to 8 in (most probably) one step.

Total playing time for the full load of the battery until the player shut down because battery was "empty", with maybe 12 (20 at the most) (re-)boots, playing .ogg and .flac files when switched on, was 18h 41m.

I'm not sure if this is still the original battery that came with the player about 10 years ago or if the iriver service changed it in 2007 when I sent it in to get something else repaired. In any way, the playing time is about the same as with the 240GB hdd (somewhere between 16-18h, can't remember more specifically). The player is used on an almost daily basis - I'd say 1h a day on average. So, the battery has been used quite a lot.

I'd say, depending on how often one is used to reboot the player, the 1TB-SSD mod has a shorter or longer, respectively, battery life compared a conventional hdd. When playing continuously with one charge the battery life should be exeptionally long, I suspect.

[/Edit 2]

[nmatheis]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forums but have used RockBox on and off on various DAPs for years. This mod caught my eye, as I recently picked up a used IHP-140. The mod looks pretty straightforward, but I do have a couple questions...

Is there any advantage to using the more expensive IDE to ZIF adapter?

I've already Rockboxed the IHP-140. Is the standard install from Rockbox Utility fine, or do I need to install a different version?

Also wondering if recording capabilities are uncompromised with mSATA mod?

Thanks,
Nikolaus

[michaelbowe]

Hi Nikolaus
I guess that you thinking of the Zender ZIF adapter available on eBay? The biggest advantage of this adapter, even though it is moderately expensive, is that it lets you fit a 1.8" ZIF HDD into the same space as the original IDE Toshiba drives found in the iRiver iHP 100 and H300 series. However, the mSata to ZIF adapter that is required to mount the SSD is much smaller than the original hard drive so it should be possible to use just about any of the other ZIF to IDE adapters.

Regards
Michael

[nmatheis]

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it! It sounds like there's no really good reason to go for the more expensive Zender adapter, then. Thanks for saving me some cash 

Do you know if I need to install anything other than the stock Rockbox install I have on my IHP-140? I understand I'll need to copy the Rockbox folder on the IHP to my computer and then back to the mSATA after formatting to FAT32, but do I need to do anything else? I ask because I've seen references to needing an alternate bootloader and would need to figure out where to obtain it and how to install it before I feel comfortable purchasing the components.

Thanks again,
Nikolaus

[michaelbowe]

Hi Nikolaus
I ran my iHP 140 using smaller SSDs than the 1TB mSata (256 GB Toshiba and 128 GB Samsung) using the standard install utility. The firmware I pointed it to was the latest Korean version available from the iRiver website. No problems encountered - I am running with optical out and it works fine.
Regards
Michael

[monoid]

I ask because I've seen references to needing an alternate bootloader and would need to figure out where to obtain it and how to install it before I feel comfortable purchasing the components.

Standard, official bootloader will not work with SSD (or at least it did not in my case). You need modified bootloader 7pre4 (or at least that is what I use and works with my 120 GB SSD). I downloaded it from somewhere, but do not have a link anymore....

[nmatheis]

monoid: Thanks for the tip. I found the link to the 7pre4 boot loader on the iriver_flashing page. Instructions seem pretty straightforward except the part about flashing to RAM vs ROM vs both. Seems like ROM is least resource intensive. Any reason not to just go that route?

michaelbowe: Nice that the 256GB SSD worked for you with standard install, as most info I've read indicates standard install only works with 128GB or smaller HDs.

[monoid]

I did the mod 2.5 years ago, maybe the instalation has changed since then. But that time standard instalation did not work with my 120 GB SSD. RB booted only one of three, four trials. (But my SSD is 50pin IDE, so it was connected directly without any adapter. Adapter may change the things to better in some way. Maybe....)

A did not put RB in ROM. But the reason was, I was affaid that something might go wrong. And simply I was so happy to make H-120 work with bought SSD after several unsuccessful trials, that I did not want to take a slightest risk...

[nmatheis]

monoid: So you flashed 7pre4 but left original iRiver bootloader in place - correct? Any weird issues with 7pre4 I should be aware of, or is it stable?

[nmatheis]

monoid: Did you install a KingSpec SSD? I wish KingSpec offered a ~250GB 50-pin IDE SSD. 120GB feels cramped for my ever-growing lossless collection!

[monoid]

No, it is Mach Xtreme 120 GB.

Something like this, but probably older modell. I bought it in 2012. That time it cost 130 EUR + VAT.
http://www.mx-technology.com/en/product/ssd2.php?sid=5#fragment-10