Rockbox Technical Forums

Support and General Use => Hardware => Topic started by: stevenspruce on December 06, 2018, 03:31:41 AM

Title: 500gb msata in an IPOD 5.5 gen
Post by: stevenspruce on December 06, 2018, 03:31:41 AM
Good morning all.

I do realise there a plenty of posts regarding msata but some are quite old and honestly, I'm struggling to see the wood through the trees.

I have a 5.5 gen ipod, a Samsung 860 evo 500gb msata card and a board from iflash.

It was all going so well; Rockbox installed and I could see the 480gb (ish) in the settings menu.

However when I loaded up a few files and then booted up rockbox I had several errors (11 and 32 I think).

Is my combination of gear a lost cause?  I understand there may be 'patches' but I don't know whether a) they will fix my problem and b) how to actually apply a patch.

Any help or advice would be appreciated as I would love to get this up and running.
Title: Re: 500gb msata in an IPOD 5.5 gen
Post by: saratoga on December 06, 2018, 09:12:26 PM
You can search the forums and see if anyone has tried that combination of hardware before, but in general adapters often do not work correctly with the existing storage drivers.
Title: Re: 500gb msata in an IPOD 5.5 gen
Post by: LambdaCalculus on December 07, 2018, 09:18:20 AM
Speaking from personal experience here: I also tried one of those iFlash mSATA adapters out in an iPod Video, with a 128GB SSD. While installation isn't so bad, I've had nothing but pain and suffering trying to get Rockbox working on this combination. Some of the issues I've experienced include:


I finally gave up on getting the iFlash to work after a while and decided to pick up a 128GB SSD I found on Amazon for pretty cheap: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TPLKQLS/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_10?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I went with this SSD for two reasons: one, it's the correct size and connector for the iPod Video (and the Classic, in turn!), and two, since it's a proper PATA device, it'll function just as a hard drive should. And sure enough, it hasn't given me one lick of trouble at all since it's been in my iPod Video. I do get improved battery life and the peace of mind that my iPod has no moving parts in it anymore, and I also get expanded capacity for music, and Rockbox happily functions with it in place. If anything, an SSD like this is a far more viable option for those wanting to make their iPods solid state, since you're ensured better compatibility and it's good for those on a budget.
Title: Re: 500gb msata in an IPOD 5.5 gen
Post by: Bilgus on December 08, 2018, 03:38:30 AM
LambdaCalculus Great Advice!
I quoted you in the stickies for the iFlash adapters
Title: Re: 500gb msata in an IPOD 5.5 gen
Post by: stevenspruce on December 09, 2018, 04:20:25 AM
Interesting comments.  Sounds like I have made a mistake going for the msata option.
Title: Re: 500gb msata in an IPOD 5.5 gen
Post by: LambdaCalculus on December 10, 2018, 09:07:27 AM
Don't consider it a complete bust. Keep the mSATA SSD for another device that can make use of it and just get the SSD I recommended. Yeah, you won't have the massive storage option, but at least you'll have an iPod with no moving parts in it and better guarantee of compatibility.
Title: Re: 500gb msata in an IPOD 5.5 gen
Post by: cereal_killer on December 10, 2018, 12:28:26 PM
I can confirm that a 256GB Super Talent DuraDrive ZT3 also works with an iPod Video. But as far as I know they are hard to find today. There is also a 256GB ZT4 which also has a ZIF connector, but I don't know if this works.
Title: Re: 500gb msata in an IPOD 5.5 gen
Post by: stevenspruce on December 13, 2018, 06:47:14 AM
Hi, a question for LambdaCalculus.  Did you use an Iflash adapter to connect your SSD to the ipod?
Title: Re: 500gb msata in an IPOD 5.5 gen
Post by: LambdaCalculus on December 13, 2018, 08:59:40 AM
The SSD I have is a PATA device with a ZIF connector on it. No adapters needed; just swap drives, restore in iTunes, and you're ready to install Rockbox.