Current state of CF support for h1xx?

[animatorgeek]

I'm considering doing a CF mod on my h120, but looking at the wiki, it seems that the CF mod page hasn't been updated in a while.  There's a note that says that most of the test results listed are from before CF support was integrated into the main Rockbox code base.

So my question is, what's the current state of CF support?  Can I expect most CF cards to work correctly?  The A-Data 32GB card (which seems to be a compatibility favorite) doesn't seem to be in production any more, so I'm not sure which card to go with.

Is the 7pre4 bootloader still required?  Is CF support ever going to be integrated into the non-beta bootloader?  Does the USB-mode problem that requires a hard reset still exist?  In planning my mod, is there any way to avoid that?

I guess what it comes down to is this: can anyone recommend the safest route to take in performing the CF mod in terms of introducing as few problems as possible?

-David

[mikinvs]

Well, I've just completed a mod of my H140 using the following CF card (Kingston Elite Pro 32Gb):

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=210728700&listingid=39938766&dcaid=17902

In a nutshell, I carried out the following steps:

1) Installed Rockbox 3.2 on my H140 hard drive (previously having version 3.1 installed, along with bootloader 6).
2) Followed the instructions here to get bootloader 7pre4 installed: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/IriverFlashing.

NOTE: It is important to carry out the sections on flashing ROM and RAM in addition to adding the flashing the new boot loader. Doing so deletes the original iRiver firmware, but it is a necessary step in order to get the above card working, otherwise all you'll see is an ATA error: -80.

3) Followed the Bootloader configuration steps from the link above and selected to boot from ROM. Set this to the default.

4) Installed rockbox 3.2 on the CF card, copied over my music from the drive to this disk and installed the CF card inside the unit (with the required adapter).

5) Switch on the iRiver and watch that baby fly ! It's lighter, faster and absolutely silent !

The USB mode bug (ATA error -80) is still a problem but I was able to simply switch the unit off and back on again. I didn't need to reset the unit.

Of course, I'm not claiming any responsibility in the event you brick your unit, but I hope this helps with your decision to give it a go.

Mike.

[animatorgeek]

Thanks for the response.  Unfortunately I didn't see it until I had already finished my mod.  Not a problem, though.  I had complete success (as I said in my other post).  It's interesting that we seem to have used the same card for our mods -- the Kingston Elite Pro --  though mine was technically branded as Topram (still a bit confused about that).

-David