iPod 5.5G 80GB (refurbished and upgraded by IpodZens.com): Rockbox compatible?

[epithetless]

Hi, fellow Rockboxers. I've come across a site, IpodZens.com, which sells 80GB 5.5G iPods that they've refurbished. Among them is a "slim" version in which the original two-platter 80GB hard drive has been replaced by a newer, slimmer single-platter 80GB hard drive, allowing the internals to be squeezed into a 30GB iPod shell. The product page for it can be found here.

Before I commit to a purchase, I'm hoping some of the more hardware-savvy among you might be able to discern whether or not any of IpodZens.com's updates may have broken Rockbox compatibility. When I asked an IpodZens.com rep if the unit was still Rockbox compatible, he replied: "As I am not readily familiar with Rockbox, I cannot tell you one way or another if this model is supported or not. I can tell you we did have a customer that attempted to use this model with Rockbox and was unsuccessful in getting it to work properly. This is a question that you would need to take up with the makers of Rockbox in order to definitively know if they support this drive’s specs."

Here's what the rep had to tell me about the unit's internals:

- The original hard drive has been replaced with a Samsung HS081HA 80GB hard drive.
- It uses the stock Gen 5.5 main boards that support the 80GB capacities, therefore, the buffer is the same as on the standard 80GB.
- Besides the new hard drive, the only other parts that are different are the back cover (which is the standard 30GB back cover), the headphone jack assembly (which, I believe, is the 30GB model's headphone jack assembly), and the battery. Everything else is the same as the standard 80GB.

Can anyone see a reason why this can't be Rockboxed (apart from user error)?

[LambdaCalculus]

As long as it's a proper iPod video (the 5G and 5.5G), Rockbox will work on it.

[epithetless]

As long as it's a proper iPod video (the 5G and 5.5G), Rockbox will work on it.

I'm sorry, I don't quite follow. I know unmodified 5G and 5.5G iPod videos will work with Rockbox. In this case, the core of the iPod is still the same (5.5G 80GB main board), but there have clearly been some changes -- namely, the addition of a Samsung HS081HA 80GB hard drive, a new battery, and the use of the headphone jack assembly/hold switch designed for the 5.5G 30GB iPod video model. (I don't know if the headphone jack assemblies for the two versions differ in any appreciable way besides shape, however...I was hoping to get an indication of that here.)

These "slim" 80GB 5.5G iPod videos apparently perform flawlessly with the original Apple firmware, if that says anything about whether they're "proper" iPod videos or not...

[isanggon]

It will work. And if you change "MAX_PHYS_SECTOR_SIZE" to 4096, you will get more disk apeed on 512byte access than original 80g. See this.
http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/DiskSpeed

[epithetless]

It will work. And if you change "MAX_PHYS_SECTOR_SIZE" to 4096, you will get more disk apeed on 512byte access than original 80g. See this.
http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/DiskSpeed

Thanks, isanggon. I see here that I "would need to download the source code, modify the value, then compile [my] own build" to change "MAX_PHYS_SECTOR_SIZE"...Is this something that must be done (the changing of "MAX_PHYS_SECTOR_SIZE" to 4096) in order for Rockbox to work, or will it work with the above-mentioned hard drive (the Samsung HS081HA) as is, just with slower read/write times?

[isanggon]

As you see on "http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/DiskSpeed", there "are" result with Samsung HS081HA 80GB hard drive on 5.5th 80g ipod.
Without modify, it will work. But without modify, 512 byte file transfer speed will only 20kb. This is so annoying problem. I sold original 80gb by this problem. This problem cause slow playlist creating, slow db creating, sometimes cause sound delay, etc.
But if you compile yourself, these problem will gone. It's simple change. You can do it.
See this if you use windows.
http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/CygwinDevelopment
http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/CygwinInstallWithScreenShots

[epithetless]

As you see on "http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/DiskSpeed", there "are" result with Samsung HS081HA 80GB hard drive on 5.5th 80g ipod.
Without modify, it will work. But without modify, 512 byte file transfer speed will only 20kb. This is so annoying problem. I sold original 80gb by this problem. This problem cause slow playlist creating, slow db creating, sometimes cause sound delay, etc.
But if you compile yourself, these problem will gone. It's simple change. You can do it.
See this if you use windows.
http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/CygwinDevelopment
http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/CygwinInstallWithScreenShots

Again, thank you for your help, isanggon! I'm sure I can learn to compile if I need to...(though I haven't settled on the purchase at this point...)

Any thoughts as to whether this sort of improved drive compatibility may ever make its way into the regular builds? (Please note I'm not asking for a time-line or a commitment or anything "un-Rockbox-ish" like that -- just wondering if anyone's come across or been involved in any discussions on the matter.)

[Zardoz]

As you see on "http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/DiskSpeed", there "are" result with Samsung HS081HA 80GB hard drive on 5.5th 80g ipod.
Without modify, it will work. But without modify, 512 byte file transfer speed will only 20kb. This is so annoying problem. I sold original 80gb by this problem

Did your original ipod have this same Samsung HS081HA 80GB drive - I thought the original drive was Toshiba? I only ask because I experience 'sluggishness' in some respects and I thought it might be improved by applying the "MAX_PHYS_SECTOR_SIZE" change to 4096, that you mention. Is this (forgive my ignorance!) only supported in certain hardware? I'm thinking it is looking at the data. (sorry for hijacking the thread by the way)

[isanggon]

I used original 80g and it's harddisk was toshiba mk8011gah. I think that reading problem occur by large physical sector size. I think that problem will not occur when harddisk have 512 byte sector size(like mk8025gal, mk8009gah, etc). Ipod 5.5 30g have not this problem because they use 512 byte physical sector size hard disk.

[Zardoz]

So it won't make any difference if i compile a build with the change "MAX_PHYS_SECTOR_SIZE" to 4096, because I need a hard drive that supports it? (I have an ipod 5.5 80gb with the original toshiba drive as far as I know)