iRiver iHP-140 with 128GB SSD

[geokite]

I would not use the nightly builds of rockbox.  Verion 3.3 works great; there was some messages in the forum at rockbox about the later version of rockbox not working too well with CF mods.
 
I flash RAM and ROM by the method at http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/IriverFlashing .  Just following directions, I have a loose idea of what I'm doing
 
Now my question is how people are fitting SSD drives with adaptors inside the H1X0 series, as can be read http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=42704.30  From what I measure, 2" SSD and 62mm long adaptor wouldn't fit.  Maybe something can be folded....
 
Steve

 

[geokite]

Ok, I had no idea how small the SSD drive is.  The SSD goes on top of the adaptor.  Thanks to michaelbowe over on the rockbox forum for explaining it.
 
Steve

 

[aos]

I have installed the bootloader from the exact same page last week and I just installed the 3.3 version. It still behaves like before. I suspect my CF adapter does not work well with my CF card or the CF card itself is not compatible. I'll try to buy another adapter, at least they are cheap.
 
I didn't replace the iRiver bootloader in the rom, that's too risky for me but I don't think that would make the difference. Anyway I suspect hardware and will try that first.

 

[geokite]

  I can report success with version 3.3 Rockbox on the 128GB KomperBay CF card in an H120.  Paired with a 2200mAh battery, it was a tight fit.  I had to shave/sand down the tallest part of the CF adapter.  
 
aos, I would try version 3.3 of rockbox.  Might need to do some massaging of things; ROLO, reflash the bootloader, reflash RAM/ROM.  I did something and got it to work.  Never could get 3.13 to work.
 
Steve

 
Well, after some time with it, somewhat success.  The card hangs up sometimes, and I can not duplicate it.  Sometimes I think it is a particular directory, or using the remote, or just clicking to fast.
 
I might try going back to an even earlier version of rockbox, but 3.3 has always worked perfectly using a pretec 65gb card I have in another H120 (used daily at work).  
 
Steve

 

[davidcotton]

Have you tried formatting the card with  http://www.tarkan.info/20140310/tutorials/prepare-sdxc-exfat-for-use-with-the-ipod regards to that?  May or may not help. FWIW I used that 128 gig card in a ipod mini build and whilst it worked in itunes and rockbox it was very unstable.  As an aside I used a kingspec 128 gig ssd in my 120 build that worked flawlessly with rockbox.

 

[nmatheis]

Thinking about modding an IHP-140 to increase storage. Would using the CF card mod with an SD card adaptor increase the battery life much compared to using KingSpec SSD?

 

[ScoopLV]

I registered just to reply to this. Sorry for the long wait. I don't think about my iRiver very much. (It's always there when I need it.)
 
 
Yes, CF has a much lower draw than SSD. The problem with CF is the various permutations of flash cards and adapters. Some combinations work. Others don't. And you'll need to update the bootloader. If I had to do this again (if a player died for instance), I would go on eBay and buy two or three different CF adapters. Those things are dirt cheap -- a couple bucks from Hong Kong.) With a more robust battery and CF, I can use my player continuously for days on end. I haven't ever timed it. But I don't bother to bring a charger on vacation because I never need it.
 
I have done this with three H100 series players now -- one for me. One for my wife. And a spare, just in case. I try to buy iHP-110s instead of iHP-140s because the player doesn't matter once you replace the drive. The smaller size of the 110 is actually an advantage, because securing the adapter card so it doesn't loosen during normal use is one of the big considerations. (I've had to re-seat a loose adapter several times. It's not something you want to have happen on vacation.)
 
Replacing the battery is considerably trickier than a drive swap. And I always do so while I'm in there anyway. The battery plug is in a very inconvenient spot, and I'm always worried about damaging the socket when I try to remove the plug (which has almost zero clearance). I have yet to destroy an iRiver by replacing the battery -- but it's very easy to do so. Takes a lot of force on tiny components which don't want to move.

 

[nmatheis]

Thanks ScoopLV. I've got it in my head now to throw in a large mSATA drive. A few people on the RockBox forums have done this with up to 1TB Samsung Evo mSATA drives :blink:

 

[ScoopLV]

Having just looked at the specs of mSATA, I'd certainly try this first. The additional space can't hurt and it looks like the power draw is even better than SD.
 
I have a spare iHP-110 that I never did anything with. (Bought it with a dead HD for like $20.) Maybe I'll drop an mSATA into it and use it as my car audio server.

 

[nmatheis]

ScoopLV: Here's the RockBox Forums thread on this matter. It's got instructions and links to components.

LINK

 

[ScoopLV]

I read that thread while I was looking up "mSATA." (See what happens when I don't google iRiver in a couple years?)
 
 
Rather than thread hop -- is the iRiver still the king of the hill in DAPs? I haven't heard of anything new on the DAP front in a very long time.
 
I still have the first iHP-140 that I bought all those years ago. (I was one of the early purchasers. I never liked the iPod. And the multi codec and optical jack sold me.) To say I've received my money's worth out my little iRiver is the understatement of the day. I'm getting to the point where I'm worried that nobody will ever make a DAP that is so feature rich. You would think after a decade, something better would have come along by now.

 

[nmatheis]

ScoopLV: Depends on what you want out of a DAP. A lot of current mid and high level DAPs have analog and digital line outs, as well as more powerful amp stages. IHP series have pretty weak amp stage, so if you're using HP / UEM with low impedance + high sensitivity you're ok. If you want to drive HP / IEM with high impedance or low sensitivity, IHP series will need an amp to bring out their best. Of course if you're using your IHP as a transport, then you don't worry about the amp anyways.

I used to have minidisc players and then tried the Rio Karma and then picked up a couple IHP-120 (black and silver) for their recording capability to replace my minidisc recorders. Unfortunately I dropped them and damaged their original hard drives before I found out about how to repair then, and they made their way to the landfill (takes a moment to shed a tear in memory). Then I got an iPod 5.5 gen with Wolfson DAC. Then iPhones.

Then I discovered that Chinese companies are producing some pretty wicked DAPs and picked up a few from Fiio and iBasso to try out. My current go-to DAP is my Fiio X5. It's got a powerful amp section and two micro-SD slots. I've currently got 256GB capacity in the X5 loaded up with a (mostly) FLAC library.

I really dig the IHP, though! With a large SSD and RockBox, it's a great solution for a large lossless library and has recording capabilities well beyond using my smartphone or breaking out my lone remaining minidisc recorder (Sharp DR7). And I'm a sucker for the IHP's remote!

Suppose I should stop rambling now...

 

[Rooster81]

Got my H115 booted up with a 256GB SD card via a compact flash adapter.
 
Here's the card:  http://www.amazon.com/PNY-Elite-Performance-256GB-Speed/dp/B00FF90EZM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1444263477&sr=8-2&keywords=256+gb
 
Here's the CF adapter:  http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Fi-Compact-Adapter-Professional-Digital/dp/B001DKO7R8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1444263557&sr=8-9&keywords=compact+flash+reader+sd
 
Plus the standard adapter to attach a cf card to the player.
 
Using the standard rockbox install (version 6 bootloader) I could use up to 128GB of the card just fine.  If I went over 128GB it became really finicky and would lock up / not allow any more files to copy over.  After installing the 7pre4 bootloader and flashing to both RAM and ROM it appears to be working fine.  Currently have 140GB on it, been playing it most of the day with no issues.

 

[gussuk]

I realize this thread is now 5 years old but just want to ask about the ihp120 firmware. the SSD doesn't work with it? rockbox is required?

 

[raptus]

Originally Posted by Ditch46uk /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
The case opening and battery change instructions at http://www.pdainternalbattery.com/iriverinstall.html have the info about opening the case and stripping down the player to get at the battery.

 
Hi, fellow DAP dinosaurs, I'm a happy owner of a 10+-year old irver h140 and just about to upgrade this fabulous piece of electronics thanks to this great thread. I've bought the 128 GB KingSpec SSD and thought I'd give a shot at replacing the battery as well to make the mod complete but all the instructions links I could find on the Internet are gone, along with the one posted by Ditch46uk (quoted above).
 
Do you happen to know about any video or photo instructions still live? I'm not desperate to change the battery because it still holds a few hours, never really checked how many exactly, but it would be nice to charge less frequently than every few days. I'm scared though to do this surgery as I'm not really a patient person when it comes to precision jobs and I would jump off the balcony if I destroyed a working h140, especially just after upgrading to SSD.
 
Cheers!