Rockbox Technical Forums

Support and General Use => Hardware => Topic started by: AlexG on December 05, 2007, 08:52:24 PM

Title: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: AlexG on December 05, 2007, 08:52:24 PM
I love my iRiver but I am not a huge fan of moving parts so I wanted to see if I could replace the hard drive with flash drive.  I purchased a CF to 50 pin IDE adapter on ebay a while back to try and see if it was possible.

The adapter has a very large jumper on the front that is taller than everything else.  I am pretty sure I am going to have to trim that if this works

Side by side next to the broken drive i pulled out of my iRiver.  You can see the jumper in this picture on the front right edge.
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/asg1290/SideBySide.jpg)

More of the adapter/jumper from the side
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/asg1290/ThreeQuarterAnglewCF.jpg)

Here is another shot from the front with the CF card inserted
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/asg1290/SideBySide-ThreeQuarter.jpg)

Here is another side by side shot from the side.  You can really see how big that jumper is here.
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/asg1290/SideBySide-Side.jpg)

Another shot from the side
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/asg1290/Side-ThreeQuarter.jpg)

Here I laid the adapter on top of the broken drive.
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/asg1290/OnTop.jpg)


I cracked open the iRiver put the adapter and cf card on and turned the unit on.

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/asg1290/IMG_0719.jpg)

The drive came up as a usb device like it should!  so I started copying the rockbox files over

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/asg1290/IMG_0718.jpg)

This took a long time, but I'm using a crappy CF card for now as a proof of concept.  

Now for the moment of truth will it boot?

No :(

It froze at the bootloader screen and now the thing won't even turn on with the old hard drive :(  I'm not sure what happened but I'll see if I can break it from it's slumber but I'm not very happy right now...


Edit - Ok a reset of the device brought it back with the old Hard Drive still trying to get it to boot the flash drive

Edit2 - Swapping the CF card with anothter one fixed my problem and it booted!  
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Davide-NYC on December 08, 2007, 06:46:42 PM
Now that it has been a few days since your CF conversion I was wondering if you have noticed any problems? Does it 'work like a charm'? If so what CF card worked well? What were the specs? Thanks for trying this out!
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Chronon on December 09, 2007, 02:33:09 AM
Please post this information to the wiki so that others can find it easily.  Tutorials and other static information are better kept on the wiki.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on December 09, 2007, 01:36:14 PM
I have the exact same adapter in my gigabeat.  I used a 16gb A-Data cf flash card from NewEgg.com ($105).  It came up as a usb device and I was able to install rockbox by creating the required directories and coping over the software files.  I saved the system files from a working gigabeat OF and copied them over (only two files needed I think).

It seems to work, but sometimes I get disk read errors.  Did you comment out the sleep function in ATA.c?  This was required for iPod mini's using a CF card and I did that on my gigabeat.  I also set the spindown time to 254 seconds (I'd like to modify the code so it is NEVER).

Let me know if you decide to get that A-Data CF card (it's the cheapest 16GB I could find, and it worked great in an iPod mini.) Sometime next year they will have a 32gb model out (hopefully for under $200).  That would be nice...... :-)
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: adam917 on December 12, 2007, 04:36:27 AM
I have the exact same adapter in my gigabeat.  I used a 16gb A-Data cf flash card from NewEgg.com ($105).  It came up as a usb device and I was able to install rockbox by creating the required directories and coping over the software files.  I saved the system files from a working gigabeat OF and copied them over (only two files needed I think).

It seems to work, but sometimes I get disk read errors.  Did you comment out the sleep function in ATA.c?  This was required for iPod mini's using a CF card and I did that on my gigabeat.  I also set the spindown time to 254 seconds (I'd like to modify the code so it is NEVER).

Let me know if you decide to get that A-Data CF card (it's the cheapest 16GB I could find, and it worked great in an iPod mini.) Sometime next year they will have a 32gb model out (hopefully for under $200).  That would be nice...... :-)
32 GB is out now: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211244
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on December 12, 2007, 07:38:01 AM
Quote
32 GB is out now: http://www.newegg.com/Pro...aspx?Item=N82E16820211244
It shows as out of stock, which probably means this is just a product announcement.
It's also a bit expensive right now.  When the price drops below $150 and you can actually GET one I'll probably get one, though I may wait till someone writes a review on it saying it worked in an iPod mini.  (Can you imagine a 32GB iPod mini?)

Also (Holy Cow Batman!) The price on the 16GB CF has dropped to $85!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010070068+50002135+1053107923&name=Compact+Flash+(CF)

   
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: adam917 on December 12, 2007, 02:33:06 PM
Well 32GB flash MP3 players are out in Japan now. Creative was first to bring this out. I wouldn't be surprised if 32GB CF is out already.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on December 12, 2007, 03:09:44 PM
Just that NewEgg either sold out their first shipment, or pre-announced getting it.
Either way, they are out of stock at the moment.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Mikerman on December 13, 2007, 11:02:38 AM
Just fascinating stuff--congratulations on this.  Me, I'm waiting for the 64/128 gb flash drive players which I expect to come out in the next 1-2 years (I have enough space in my iRiver iHP-140 modded, now 60 gb, player to last me that long, I figure).  Of course, hopefully, creative companies will come out with some nice high-capacity, audiophile players by then (even the mainstream press is noting nowadays the dearth of those in the marketplace) ...
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: johnson4 on December 17, 2007, 02:20:08 PM
what are the odds of seeing a "flash drive"option in the config.cfg file?
It would really help if this conversion was available without using a custom build and would facilitate further development that would enhance player converted to flash drives.
Thoughts?
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: adam917 on December 17, 2007, 05:40:31 PM
what are the odds of seeing a "flash drive"option in the config.cfg file?
It would really help if this conversion was available without using a custom build and would facilitate further development that would enhance player converted to flash drives.
Thoughts?
Well, what would need to be changed in Rockbox to support flash drives/cards?
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: AlexP on December 17, 2007, 07:32:44 PM
Well, what would need to be changed in Rockbox to support flash drives/cards?

We clearly support flash drives just fine - look at the Nana, E200, C200, the flash Archos players that I have forgotten the name of.

According to a IRC discussion (IIRC), flash drives should be capable of sleeping just fine, the problem may well be that when we wake it up it is in a different PIO mode than the one we try to access it with, causing it to hang.  It is just all our other targets don't care.

I don't think a flash drive cfg option is the way to go, but fixing waking uo in the correct mode is the proper fix, that way it shouldn't matter what type of drive a player has.

Of course, someone with more knowledge correct me if I am wrong.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: johnson4 on December 18, 2007, 02:41:21 PM
ok I see,
ya I was just thinking of the models that don't have flash drives and are being converted to flash(gigabeat F) It's just really cool to see it happening.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on December 20, 2007, 09:06:22 AM
(Holy Cow Batman!) The price on the 16GB CF has dropped (again) to $80!
http://www.newegg.com/Pro...23&name=Compact+Flash+(CF)

These things keep getting cheaper!!!!!

Bring on those flash conversions!!!!

This card works VERY FB in iPod Mini's

Also the 32GB card is now in stock and the price has dropped to $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211244
(if it drops in price by another $50 I'm going to get one and upgrade my iPod mini or  see if it works any better in my gigabeat F10 conversion  (F32?))
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: LambdaCalculus on December 20, 2007, 09:15:10 AM
Quit tempting me, scharkalvin!  :P

Although the very thought of just getting a cheap mini off eBay and popping a 32GB CF card into it is indeed tempting...  ;D
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on December 20, 2007, 12:17:25 PM
Hey look at this!  It ain't cheap, but probably might work better than an unknown CF card and an adapter.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147021


You can find lots of ipod mini's that are "broken" and all that is wrong with them is a bad
hard disk or dead battery.  Either way, it's an easy repair, especially if you are going to pop a CF in there.  If the ipod shows the !folder icon then it is a dead HD for sure.  I bought one like that cheap on ebay and the HD wasn't even dead, just needed to be reformated.  It now has a 16gb CF in there and my wife is using it (as an iPod, not rockbox'd).
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: LambdaCalculus on January 02, 2008, 08:14:13 AM
Hey scharkalvin, Newegg has a New Year's surprise for you:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211244

Now $179.99! If it drops down by $30 more then I'm getting one. My sister gave me her old iPod 4G color (she got a Classic for Xmas), and I was thinking of installing a CF card into it.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 02, 2008, 08:58:50 AM
If it gets cheap enough, I'll replace the 16gb card in my Gigabeat with the the 32.  So far only one feedback on Newegg, I'd like to hear at least one success story there on that card working in an iPod, but from the specs I'm sure it will work.

After changing the spindown time to 254 seconds my CF Gigabeat seems to work much better, but it still locks up in USB disk mode whenever I plug it into my computer and I have to toggle the battery power switch to recover.  Losing the time of day on the clock seems the only problem with that though.  

The thought of a 32gb iPod mini is mind blowing, isn't it?  BTW the iPod mini is very easy to work on.  Use small blobs of hot melt glue and scraps of wood to pull the plastic ends off the ipod (then stick the wood scraps in the freezer and the glue comes off easy with a sharp knife).  A number 00 or smaller philips screwdriver and a small pair of needle nose pliers are needed to remove the two small screws and a spring clip that hold the chassis in the case, then it just slides out (after disconnecting the cable from the click wheel using a flat screwdriver to pry it off the pc board connector).  Use a small flat screwdriver to disconnect the disk from the connector.  Be sure to  replace the battery with a larger capacity one while you're in the neighborhood.  Use some double sided scotch tape to hold the new CF disk and the battery to the pc board.
I've repaired two of these already, and both have survived.

The same CF adapter I used for the Gigabeat should work in the 4G color.  Might have to put some card stock between the adapter and the ipod pc board for insulation.  
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: soap on January 10, 2008, 07:22:13 AM
Although the very thought of just getting a cheap mini off eBay and popping a 32GB CF card into it is indeed tempting...  ;D
Every time a major blog/slashdot/make/hack-a-day mention CF in iPod Minis their price on eBay skyrockets.  Someone with insider information could make quite a killing in this market.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: LambdaCalculus on January 11, 2008, 05:49:26 PM
Every time a major blog/slashdot/make/hack-a-day mention CF in iPod Minis their price on eBay skyrockets.

Even broken minis are too expensive! But I would still love to work on this project one day.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Siar on January 13, 2008, 11:41:43 PM
Welcome to the club ;). I have exactly the same adapter and 8Gb of sloooow A-Data. After commenting "ata.c" and recompiling the source file, everything start working fine. The only bug I have - it gets stuck in a car mode. Probably, there is another "ata.c" bug is present.

BTW, how did you manage to close the device? I had to cut off the jumper to be able to do it.

In addition, 32Gb CF A-Data is 149$ now... ;D
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: petur on January 14, 2008, 04:11:58 AM
I have exactly the same adapter and 8Gb of sloooow A-Data.

I assume you're talking about the A-Data 'speedy' card (orange color). Is the slowness a problem? I have an adapter here but still looking to buy a good CF card.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 14, 2008, 08:12:44 AM
Quote
In addition, 32Gb CF A-Data is 149$ now..
Well actually it's only cents less than $150 and the 16GB card is now down to $70.

EGAD! seems the price is dropping faster than the price of gasoline is rising!
I think if it drops by another $25 I'm going to pull the trigger on this one and convert my converted F10 -> F16 gigabeat to an F32 (well F30 due to round off errors in base 16->base 10).

BTW I do seem to have a problem with the conversion in that the gigabeat gets locked in the disk mode after the usb cable is removed and the only way I can reboot it is to power cycle it (with the handy battery switch).  This doesn't seem to hurt anything except that I lose the time of day (and have to reset the clock) every time I download new music.

Quote
I assume you're talking about the A-Data 'speedy' card (orange color). Is the slowness a problem? I have an adapter here but still looking to buy a good CF card.
Well maybe (see above).  It DID take almost half an hour to download about 1GB worth of music files to my converted Gigabeat using the A-data 16gb card.  With the HD in there the transfer time would have been MUCH less.  I just use the "verbose" switch and the command line copy command so I can see that it hasn't hung up and is really just slow and I'm ok with that.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: petur on January 14, 2008, 09:12:31 AM
right...

I guess I'll spend a bit more and go for the faster 'turbo' card:
8GB (120X) - US$95.00
8GB (266X) - US$126.00

I wonder what the cheap 'speedy' cards have as specs, the a-data site doesn't mention anything other than PIO4 mode
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: bascule on January 14, 2008, 09:18:36 AM
BTW I do seem to have a problem with the conversion in that the gigabeat gets locked in the disk mode after the usb cable is removed and the only way I can reboot it is to power cycle it (with the handy battery switch).  This doesn't seem to hurt anything except that I lose the time of day (and have to reset the clock) every time I download new music.

Is that this problem? (http://www.rockbox.org/tracker/task/7184)
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 14, 2008, 11:45:22 AM
Quote
Is that this problem?
Code: [Select]
I'm running a Gigabeat F20 with the latest bootloader (21st April 2007) and whenever I use the bootloader USB mode (device off; plug in USB; power up device) I find it does not restart correctly.

Using either WinXP or Win2k, I do the 'Safely Disconnect' operation, which causes no change on the Gigabeat screen (but I don't know whether it should) and then when I unplug I just get blank screen with the backlight permanently on and no buttons functioning. It requires a battery switch-off to reset it.

Not quite.  First of all I enter the usb disk mode (not the bootloader mode) by plugging in the usb cable AFTER the gigabeat is up and running.  By the time I go to unplug the usb cable my backlight has timed out, but it does come back on if I press any button, however the usb icon remains on the screen.  If I hold the power button long enough the player does shut off, but then it won't power back on unless I toggle the battery switch.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Siar on January 17, 2008, 09:46:45 AM
I have exactly the same adapter and 8Gb of sloooow A-Data.

I assume you're talking about the A-Data 'speedy' card (orange color). Is the slowness a problem? I have an adapter here but still looking to buy a good CF card.

The card I bought is not available now on the newegg. However, given the speed, I would say that 40x could be too optimistic  ;D for it...
The speed is not a big issue, though. The only thing I might think is some problems with playing loseless ape files. I had never tried this format when my hdd was alive, so I don't know whether this is the issue with reading speed or cpu speed or something else.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: petur on January 17, 2008, 01:12:34 PM
The speed is not a big issue, though. The only thing I might think is some problems with playing loseless ape files. I had never tried this format when my hdd was alive, so I don't know whether this is the issue with reading speed or cpu speed or something else.

I'd say this is unrelated unless you mean the playback problem is the music skipping from time to time
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Siar on January 17, 2008, 03:22:32 PM
The speed is not a big issue, though. The only thing I might think is some problems with playing loseless ape files. I had never tried this format when my hdd was alive, so I don't know whether this is the issue with reading speed or cpu speed or something else.

I'd say this is unrelated unless you mean the playback problem is the music skipping from time to time

It is not exactly skipping problem, but rather pauses during playback and pretty high CF reading activity (red diode turns on pretty frequently).

On the other hand, given pretty small size (only 8Gb in my case) usage of lossless formats is not that optimal...
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: petur on January 17, 2008, 07:30:48 PM
right, that would probably be caused by a slow card.....
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Siar on January 20, 2008, 08:13:49 PM
Aaaaa... A-Data 32Gb Newegg price - 131$ ;D
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 21, 2008, 08:46:42 AM
Quote
Aaaaa... A-Data 32Gb Newegg price - 131$
The price is rapidly converging on my impulse buying point.
It's almost as low as the price I paid on my first 16gb flash card
less than 6 months ago.  If it keeps dropping at this rate I will probably
buy one in a month.  BUT, it also means that the 64GB version can't
be far away!!!!

If you don't want to mess with adapters and don't mind the price here are some other
options:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2013240636+1421330853&name=1.8%22
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: LambdaCalculus on January 21, 2008, 08:52:23 AM
It's getting to the point that I'm just thinking of getting a cheap Gigabeat F on eBay and getting an adapter. Gigabeat F64? Hell yeah!  ;)
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 21, 2008, 08:56:37 AM
Quote
It's getting to the point that I'm just thinking of getting a cheap Gigabeat F
on eBay and getting an adapter. Gigabeat F64? Hell yeah!  Wink

Technically it would be an F60 due to the base conversion round off.....

I just checked and there aren't any 64gb CF cards available yet, maybe
in a few months.  BUT I think I will upgrade my gigabeat 16 CF conversion
to 32GB real soon now.  Maybe the 32GB card will work better than the
16GB (some issues with read errors on boot up and not disconnecting from
the USB disk mode when I unmount and remove the cable.... I have
to toggle the battery switch).  BUT seems solid once the unit is up and running
with music loaded.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: larry_llama on January 21, 2008, 12:44:24 PM
Hey guys,

I started researching CF conversions on a whim, because card sizes started climbing recently, and I remembered somewhere in my brain hearing that CF cards use essentially an IDE interface. I have had an H120 and more recently an H320 running rockbox for many years, however I am always very scared about even putting it on a table too hard because it seems like the older a hard drive gets the more likely it is to fail miserably upon a slight impact. So at first I considered putting a CF in the H320, but I have to say that I find the interface of the 320 kind of lacking. Rockbox seems to be very slow and unresponsive on it. Particularly when skipping tracks, it seems to take forever to respond. It's also really large by today's standard so I thought downgrading in size might be kind of neat :-)

So then I discovered that you could mod an ipod mini -- normally I am 100% dead set against ipods, but with rockbox, flash memory, and all metal body, I think an ipod mini with 32GB CF is a great idea.

Now I have just read about the gigabeat and I am interested in this idea as well.

My question is for anyone who has used any or all of these (iriver, toshiba,. mini) with rockbox... which ones have the fastest UI response? Will the mini respond to button presses faster than the iriver? Will switching from HDD to CF speed these up due to the elimination of drive spinup etc?

I guess I'm looking for guidance in regards to an upgrade... I think I could sell the 320 and get enough out of it to get a 32G CF card and a used (possibly broken) ipod mini. The gigabeat seems harder to find.

Any opinions about doing a CF upgrade to a mini versus a gigabeat?

Thanks!
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 21, 2008, 02:23:57 PM
The gigabeat player has the fastest cpu of the bunch (300mhz arm IIRC), and it is quite responsive.
The disk access time being the major drawback.  Note that the CF will improve seek time greatly,
but file read speed is slower with the CF than with the disk.  This doesn't cause skipping on playback
but WOW is file download from PC to player slow with CF!!!

I also converted an iPod mini for my wife and it is quite responsive as well.

Up until just after the holidays there were a ton of like new gigabeat players for sale on ebay.
I snatched up an F10 for about $70 in "A" condition and converted it to CF.

I also have seen "broken" iPod mini's on ebay from time to time.  Look for one with a "dead battery"
or "folder icon", these are easy to fix.  The iPod mini is very easy to perform surgery on, they open up
very easily.  They also don't need an adapter to use CF since they are set up for it by default.  The
A-Data brand CF cards work fine.  I haven't heard of anyone using the 32GB size yet, but as it has similar
spec's to the 16GB (which I've used) I suspect it will work fine.  Be sure to get a new battery for the iPod,
since it would be a crime not to replace the stock battery with a larger capacity one as long as you had
the patient opened up.  A tip .... use a small dab of hot melt glue and a scrap hunk of wood to pull the
plastic end caps off the mini without damaging the body.  Then when the glue cools it will just peel off
the plastic caps without leaving a mark.

I like both of these players.  I think the gigabeat has a better user interface than the iPod (IMHO).  Also the
color screen is nice ... I have converted some utube videos to mpg for use on the player.  BUT the iPod is a bit
smaller and lighter weight (for those with small pockets).   Cases for the gigabeat are hard to find, but for the
iPod they are a dime a dozen (almost).  The iPod comes in more colors.  The gigabeat battery lasts longer.
So it's 6 of one and 1/2 a dozen of the other.......

Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: larry_llama on January 21, 2008, 03:26:17 PM
Great! thanks for the replies. I think I was searching ebay completely wrong for the gigabeat. I was searching gigabeat F and gigabeat X when I guess I should hav eput the drive size in there as part of the model number.

I just buy-it-now'd a working ipod mini for $50, and will resell the drive once I get a CF card in. It will probably end up going to my girlfriend. If I like it, I'll get my own or maybe try the gigabeat.

The H320 is nice but it's really kind of huge, and I find the buttons to be a bit crumby.

I will keep my old h120 for recording purposes though :-)

Thanks for the tips; I'll be sure to report back with any new info/successes once this new project is underway. Man.. 32GB (soon 64gb?) with rockbox in an ipod mini sized form factor... killer!
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 22, 2008, 07:42:58 AM
I don't think I've EVER seen a Gigabeat "X" for sale on ebay.
I think they were only sold in Europe and "oz".
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: larry_llama on January 22, 2008, 08:03:59 AM
So is the official model name (for searching) "gigabeat f10" (f20 f30 f40 etc)?

By the way, I have found that when searching for ipod minis, you can often find working ones for the same money as broken ones (or less). That's the route I went, and I guess I'll try to sell the functioning drive to offset the CF card purchase ;-)
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: AlexP on January 22, 2008, 09:41:50 AM
I don't think I've EVER seen a Gigabeat "X" for sale on ebay.
I think they were only sold in Europe and "oz".

Australia and Asia
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 22, 2008, 10:17:38 AM
Quote
So is the official model name (for searching) "gigabeat f10" (f20 f30 f40 etc)?
That should do it.  Gigabeat F10, F20, F40 and F60, though I've NEVER found any
F60's for sale.  They probably didn't make many of them.

BTW if you are doing a flash conversion just look for a good F10, no sense paying more for
the HD that you will be removing anyway.  The F10 and F20 machines are about 3mm thinner
than the F40/F60, though the difference is only in the back cover (to make room for a thicker
hard disk).  The only advantage of converting an F40 would be that you MIGHT be able to
fit an extra battery in there next to the CF adapter.   If you get the cradle note that the
F10/20 cradle WON'T fit the F40/60 players (there are TWO sizes of cradle).  You don't really
need the cradle, though it does provide a line out function for playing the unit through an
external amp (maybe a better impedance match than using the headphone jack.)  I'm not
sure if the player volume control varies the line out level. (haven't tried this yet)

To open the player up to swap out the HD just pop off the bottom plate, remove two screws and
then slide the back down and lift off (it has a bayonet like latch holding it on).  The HD is wrapped
in a soft rubber jacket that holds it in place.

Here are two F10's on ebay now
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270205522252&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170187486427&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: johnson4 on January 23, 2008, 11:03:40 PM
how is the gigabeat's response to rockboy doom and mpegplayer? is it noticable in any way to using a HD?
thanks
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 24, 2008, 08:02:47 AM
Quote
how is the gigabeat's response to rockboy doom and mpegplayer? is it noticable in any way to using a HD?
thanks
I haven't tried putting any videos on my converted player yet.  Maybe I'll get to do that over the weekend.
I have a few youtube videos (bugs bunny cartoons!) converted to mpegs on my HD F40 I can transfer to the
"F16"

BTW the CF card on the gigabeat needed to have scandisk run on it as the directory got corrupted yesterday and my config file disappeared.  (scandisk fixed this, but then I had to rebuild the database.  don't think I lost
any music files though).  Does linux FSCK work like scandisk with fat32 file systems? (ie: can you USE fsck with a fat32 file system?)
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: GodEater on January 24, 2008, 08:51:26 AM
Does linux FSCK work like scandisk with fat32 file systems? (ie: can you USE fsck with a fat32 file system?)

You'd use "fsck.vfat"
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: larry_llama on January 28, 2008, 01:34:24 PM
Cool, thanks for the tips re: toshiba. I got the mini on Friday and with the original 4gb drive it's snappier with rockbox than the h320. The gigabeat looks great but it's physically comparable in size to the h1x series irivers... I like the idea of the metal body and size of the mini. I hate ipods but this form factor is pretty slick I have to say.

The only problems so far with the mini have been related to booting it. It's very awkward to get it to boot into disk mode, maybe I'm off with my button timing. And if I boot into rockbox while it's plugged into USB, it just repeatedly reboots.... weird. Occasionally it doesn't recognize me hitting the play button to start it up and i have to do a two-finger salute (reset) to get it to power on.

I am going to test it out with my 512 CF card this week and if all goes well, I'll try to get a big kahuna CF (32 or if I can't find it, 16).

Newegg doesn't ship to Canada unfortunately. However I am going to vegas in a week and a half, incidentally does anyone on here know of a store there where I might find one (save myself some tax and shipping). It's a long shot but it can't hurt to ask!
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: AlexG on January 28, 2008, 06:56:49 PM
Welcome to the club ;). I have exactly the same adapter and 8Gb of sloooow A-Data. After commenting "ata.c" and recompiling the source file, everything start working fine. The only bug I have - it gets stuck in a car mode. Probably, there is another "ata.c" bug is present.

BTW, how did you manage to close the device? I had to cut off the jumper to be able to do it.

In addition, 32Gb CF A-Data is 149$ now... ;D
I just bent the jumper :)   Here is a picture of it booted with a 4gb CF card and re-assembled
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/asg1290/IMG_0739.jpg)
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: AlexG on January 28, 2008, 06:58:55 PM
It seems to work, but sometimes I get disk read errors.  Did you comment out the sleep function in ATA.c?  This was required for iPod mini's using a CF card and I did that on my gigabeat.  I also set the spindown time to 254 seconds (I'd like to modify the code so it is NEVER).

I've just swapped the disks, I haven't recompiled anything.  I do use the REP build of rockbox and gave it a field run.  The show I recorded had no issues.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 30, 2008, 01:32:34 PM
Quote
I do use the REP build of rockbox
What's the REP build?

BTW, someone left a review on newegg for the 32gb A-data CF that they tried in an iPod mini, and it worked!  So it's looking good!!!

The price keeps on a dropping!.  I will pull the trigger soon.

Quote
In addition, 32Gb CF A-Data is 149$ now... Grin
It's now done to $135
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211244
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: AlexP on January 30, 2008, 01:48:08 PM
What's the REP build?

http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=2513.0
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: davidc on January 30, 2008, 03:09:58 PM
Intresting stuff this.  Been looking at replacing my iriver for awhile now but nothing really grabs me.  Little confused over the adaptor used for this project though. Would something like this :-

http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=11521

be ok to use in the 120?  (I know that the player uses the single platter toshiba drives).  If not what would be ok?  Don't use ebay, though I suspect that may be my only choice.

Also how difficult is a project like this?  Complete beginner at things like this and don't have any soldering experiences.  Quite fancy the idea of a 30 gig (given the price is right)flac  playing iriver.  Would save having to convert a load of stuff over when I want to listen to  stuff at work!

One other quick question would there be room in there to put a larger capacity battery whilst the player is open?  My irivers a few years old now...

Cheers...
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: LambdaCalculus on January 30, 2008, 03:28:50 PM
Hi davidc, that adapter you linked to won't work on the H120. But it will work on some other DAPs, like the H10, Dell DJ, and Rio Karma.

Since the H120 has a vertically-oriented Toshiba hard drive, you need an adapter that fits that form factor. Some of the guys here may be able to point a good one out to you.

But thanks for that link; I'll be purchasing a couple for my Dell DJ and Rio Karma. ;)
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on January 30, 2008, 04:13:33 PM
Quote
Would something like this :-

http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=11521

be ok to use in the 120?
So long as the width of the card and CF do not exceed the width of the player
that card should work.  I might be wrong but on a Gigabeat the card might have
to mount upside down (flash side facing inside the player) since IIRC the #1
pin side of the HDD connector on the card is backwards from what's in the player.
This card mounts the CF sideways in the player instead of in the same axis as the original HD.

E-GAD they also have a zif format hdd/cf flash adapter!  That would work in the
newest ipods!  Price looks a bit higher than on ebay, if my Euro to $$ translation
is right.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: PouncePony on February 04, 2008, 08:01:58 AM
I put a 32GB CF from A-Data in my 2nd Gen IPod Mini a week ago:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f15/my-32gb-flash-ipod-mini-290743/

I upgraded to a 850mah battery that I bought off of eBay (hopefully it's 850mah).  I did a battery benchmark with a playlist of 50+ 192VBR MP3s and got 18hrs of playback time.

-Pony
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: larry_llama on February 04, 2008, 02:25:20 PM
CHeck it out... CF to 1.8 adapter for $6 and free worldwide shipping!
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10886~r.95998535

I'm going to try that out for my girlfriend's h120. I'm still looking for a source to ship a 32GB cf card to Canada.

Although I may bite the bullet and get a 16GB for now, only $60 at a local shop www.canadacomputers.com
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on February 04, 2008, 02:54:10 PM
Quote
I put a 32GB CF from A-Data in my 2nd Gen IPod Mini a week ago:
Did you recompile rockbox with the patch to ata.c to remove the reset?

Quote
CHeck it out... CF to 1.8 adapter for $6 and free worldwide shipping!
http://www.dealextreme.co...s.dx/sku.10886~r.95998535
That looks exactly like the one I got off ebay for twice the price.  Guess this particular card has become an off the shelf item.  Nice!
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: PouncePony on February 04, 2008, 08:07:53 PM
Did you recompile rockbox with the patch to ata.c to remove the reset?

No, I did not.  I've been using it for about a week and for the first time I had a couple of freeze ups.  I wouldn't guess it had to do with the ata.c sleep issue.  Information provided on the A-Data card states "Fully compatible with PC Card ATA specification"

Maybe this negates the requirement for the patch ??

Pony
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: davidc on February 05, 2008, 05:30:08 PM
Sorry to be a pain about this but just want to make sure I get the right one!

Had another look round that site, and think that this :-

http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=11861

is the one that I need to get, yes or no?

Also with the lower capacity cards does it matter which brand/make to use?  Was thinking about getting a cheap inexpensive one first (typically compact flash is the one type of brand that I don't have lying around the house!) to make sure that it all works before getting a bigger capacity card.

Cheers.

PS Can someone confirm that there is no soldering involved in this project before I begin please?  It'd be the one thing to put a stop on it!
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on February 05, 2008, 06:55:37 PM
Quote
is the one that I need to get, yes or no?
No image on the site for that one, can't tell.  If it is a 50pin male hdd connector, then
it should be correct.

Quote
Also with the lower capacity cards does it matter which brand/make to use?
Many of the smaller CF cards were not IDE compatible.  I'd avoid anything smaller than 4gb, though some reported success with 512mb through 2gb cards.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: larry_llama on February 06, 2008, 08:24:22 AM
Sorry to be a pain about this but just want to make sure I get the right one!

Had another look round that site, and think that this :-

http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=11861


Hard to say.. but I'm sure this one is right, and it's cheaper - and supposedly free shipping with no minimum order. I don't know how they do it but my roommate ordered from them before and they shipped free to Canada from I guess China:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10886~r.95998535
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Jeff on February 11, 2008, 10:34:00 PM
I'm cross posting this in hopes of a LOT of assistance.


Just purchased and received this adapter: (as mentioned above)

http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=11861


and this CF Card: (Transcend 32GB 133X)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208389&Tpk=CF

Was able to format the card and load content onto it including .rockbox.

When booting the player I get the first two lines and then the following:

ATA error:  -80


Any suggestions or assistance would be GREATLY appreciated.  If I need to modify the ata.c code then i'll need MAJOR help as I don't even know what it is or where it is.


Jeff
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: GodEater on February 12, 2008, 02:48:31 AM
Stupid questions first :

Are you running a recent current build Jeff ?
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Jeff on February 12, 2008, 03:20:01 AM
Stupid questions first :

Are you running a recent current build Jeff ?
Yes, the newest build available
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: GodEater on February 12, 2008, 05:18:41 AM
That's pretty curious - I'm looking in ata.c at the moment, and can't see anywhere obvious that a -80 result would be returned from.

I'll attempt to attract some ATA black belts to take a look in IRC.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: scharkalvin on February 12, 2008, 07:58:15 AM
I'd try the following things first....
ONE: run scandisk or fsck on the disk, and see if that solves the problem.
TWO: comment out the reset code in ata.c as was needed (sometimes) for the ipod mini.  Look for the ifdef NANO section, that's what you want to remove.

I've seen some disk errors from time to time with rockbox on my flash converted gigabeat.  Usually when this happens during start up it will fail once or twice and then start ok on the next try.  I had some problems with missing configuration data, this went away after running scandisk.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Jeff on February 12, 2008, 02:07:10 PM
I've run scan disk but as far as commenting out lines in ata.c, I don't even know where ata.c is or how to go about it.  A walk through would help greatly.

Edit:  after scanning the CF card, error: -80 still pops up when trying to boot into Rockbox.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Phobia on February 12, 2008, 02:34:52 PM
Jeff : I read either here or on MisticRiver that the Transcend cards had given other folks issues too - something about them not meeting the full IDE standard. Could that be the reason you are getting an error?

This is a very exciting development - I never thought I would be able to get my H120 beyond its 20gb ... if/when the 32gb+ CF units improve in performance, its a real option!

-- Phob
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: petur on February 13, 2008, 02:35:36 PM
A-Data 8GB 266x also gives ata -80 in my h320 :(
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Davide-NYC on February 13, 2008, 02:57:54 PM
A-Data 2GB give the same ata error -80 on my H120.   :(

I put up a wiki page. Please fill it with your findings!  ;D

http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/CFModGuide

Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Arni on May 17, 2008, 04:55:57 PM
I just succeeded doing the CF-mod on my rockboxed iHP-120! 

What did I do on my iHP-120:

(0. Order the CF-to-IDE-adapter => ebay)

1. install the latest H120 rockbox-build from today

2. download the necessary "7pre4"-bootloader for the H120 here:
http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/viewfile/Main/IriverFlashing?rev=1;filename=bootloader_h120_7pre4.zip

3. copy the "7pre4"-bootloader to your H120´s harddisk(root directory)

4. FLASHING:
First Initialize your player as follows: (Stop audio playback).

Set "Show Files" to "All" in General Settings.
Enter the File Browser through the Files entry in the Rockbox menu.
Then I navigated to "bootloader.iriver".
I placed the cursor over "bootloader.iriver" and LONG pressed joystick, (navi), then I selected "Open with...".
From the list of plugins, select iriver_flash and execute.
If the requirements are met, a confirmation message is displayed,
Press PLAY to confirm, the firmware flashing starts, (rockbox now overwrites iriver firmware).
If everything went fine, you should see, "Success" and the player will return to the file browser.

5. Copy the complete rockbox directory to your PC

6. Put your CF-card into the iriver by using the CF-to-IDE Adapter mentioned in this thread on page 1.

7. Bend down the adpater´s jumper, otherwise you´ll run into issues later on

8. Copy the folder from your PC back to the CF-card

9. Fix the 8 torx screws and you are DONE!




I use a SANDISK 8GB extreme III CF-card, which has ONLY 133x speed(about 20MB/s read and write).

No errors on boot-screen.

NO SOUNDS of my former harddisk anymore too HAHA!

System/Rockbox-Info shows 7.xx GB as supposed to.

here some pics from my "challenge":

My 8GB CF card put into the ebay-Honkong-"CF-to-IDE adapter" : You can see how I needed to bend down the blue jumper.

(http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/5083/cfmodh120007as7.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)

(http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/4083/cfmodh120008sn5.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)

(http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8466/cfmodh120006om1.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)



 
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Rapide_23 on June 06, 2008, 11:19:22 PM
I'm about to plunge on a 32GB Cf card for my H320. Which ones are known to work with the H320, as I don't want to order it, than find out that it doesn't work...

I'm thinking of getting a Ridata one, but are there any others that are known to work?

EDIT: This is the one I'm going to get http://www.apahk.com/bbs/redirect.php?tid=2887&goto=newpost&sid=3SriCq

The wiki isn't exactly user friendly...
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: MarcGuay on June 07, 2008, 12:15:47 AM
Check out the CFMod page in the wiki.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: petur on June 07, 2008, 08:39:58 PM
so far all cards work, there is no reason to assume yours won't, and if it doesn't, there's no reason to assume it can't be fixed ;)

You need to flash the bootloader that's on the wiki page (upgrade firmware in the iriver firmware) before swapping out the harddisk!

good luck ;)
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Rapide_23 on June 08, 2008, 07:05:17 AM
Rightio. Fingers crossed than.

Petur, what do you mean by "no reason to assume it can't be fixed"?

Which brands were the ones that caused most people headaches? Was it the Transcend cards?
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: petur on June 08, 2008, 08:36:10 AM
Petur, what do you mean by "no reason to assume it can't be fixed"?
Well, if there is an issue, we can look into it and fix it :)
You might be asked to give some info and get some test build to try. But I really think the card will just work, all cards have, so far...

Which brands were the ones that caused most people headaches? Was it the Transcend cards?
hard to tell, it was a mix of cards from different brands, but that was all solved.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: Rapide_23 on June 12, 2008, 02:47:25 AM
EDIT: Just put my 32GB CF card into my beloved H320. It works a treat!!
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: LurkAzusa on July 10, 2008, 12:35:55 AM
If I update my bootloader to 7pre4 which overwrites the iriver firmware, is there any way to get the iriver firmware back or is it permanently gone?
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: LambdaCalculus on July 10, 2008, 07:47:48 AM
Before flashing Rockbox, go to System > Debug > Dump ROM Contents, and that'll give you a backup of the original iriver firmware. You can then proceed with the flashing afterwards.

(Note: The iriver firmware will appear in the root folder of your iriver's hard drive. Copy it to a safe place!)
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: LurkAzusa on July 10, 2008, 11:38:11 PM
Thank you.  It looks like a 32 Gb A-Data is in my future.
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: dr.pheel on November 10, 2009, 06:19:03 AM
hi!

i also intend to put a cf card into my h120 - i just ordered the adapter (which i haven't received yet)

i found the cf mod guide page, but i just can't quite figure out what i really have to do with my boot loader...
where can i find this "V7-pre4" -version, or is it now already implied in the latest boot loader or build?

and: will a x266 cf card still be noticeable slower that my current hard drive? (when copying files from pc to iriver)


thanks phil
Title: Re: iRiver H120 CF Mod Attempt - Success!
Post by: littlenick on March 02, 2010, 02:45:53 PM
Quote: "where can i find this "V7-pre4" -version, or is it now already implied in the latest boot loader or build?"
Yes this also a question I got.
http://www.rockbox.org/tw...bootloader_h120_7pre4.zip doesn't work.

Has anyone tried a 128GB CF card successfully in an iriver h120?

Thanks 
Tom