[beyondwind]

hi Head-Fi'ers. i've thoroughly combed through this awesome thread and assembled my part list (Crucial 240gb mSATA SSD + mSATA > 40-pin ZIF adapter) when i realized that the iPod Video 30gb i was aiming to upgrade is actually the 5G—not the 5.5G w/64MB RAM... so now i'm concerned that it won't work well with only 32MB RAM and maybe it would be safer/better just to use the parts to upgrade my 160gb late 2009 iPod Classic (has Genius Mix feature). wondering what the experts here think...

i'm still re-ripping a number of CDs to lossless and presently have ~10k songs consuming ~110GB disk space. my music collection seems much smaller than many here; i'd estimate my total # of tracks will double—at most—when i'm done. (but i'm always buying more music, of course.) i'm a heavy iTunes user, and prefer sticking w/stock iPod firmware (no Rockbox). when i'm home/in office i listen thru Grado SR80i over-ears using AirPlay via gigabit Ethernet to Airport Express connected via optical to a Yamaha receiver.

this upgraded iPod will be 100% for on-the-go listening via 1) Shure SE425 IEMs and 2) connected via 30-pin to OEM Toyota Nav/"JBL Premium" stereo. any performance improvements (reduced latency) when connected to car stereo = major bonus. (as is, stock 160GB Classic is pretty laggy; problem is equally Toyota's janky interface, i'm sure.)

i understand the Wolfson DAC in the iPod 5G is widely preferred to the one in the Classic, but that the amp in the Classic is a bit more powerful for listening purely via line-out. if the consensus is that the 240GB SSD upgrade should be fine for my use in my iPod 5G, i don't mind also grabbing a FiiO E6 if it gives me the "one iPod to rule them all".

thanks for everyone's work creating this incredible resource, and thanks in advance for any opinions you may offer.

 
1. Right now mSATA will not work with iPOD classic, either stock firmware or rockbox, which I believe is limited by the hardware.
 
2. 32MB is not an issue with rockbox, because rockbox use most of the memory as audio buffer. 32MB will be an issue for stock firmware, more or less it will limit the number of tracks that can be loaded.
 
3. 10K songs will work on the stock firmware, but with stock firmware it will be booting very slow, took a few minutes. Rockbox does not have the issue.
 
4. mSTAT mod does not work well with stock firmware on iPOD 5G, that's why a patched rockbox firmware is created for the MOD.  With rockbox installed, you can still use iTUNE to sync music to mSATA moded  iPOD in disk mode
 
Hope this helps, and I personally prefer the "one iPod to rule them all" idea. Plus that the SSD mod will make the iPOD much more reliable than the standard HDD, so it will be truly portable.

 

[beyondwind]

  Quick question
 
Will this :-
 
" http://www.amazon.co.uk/mSATA-adapter-tohiba-hitachi-samsung/dp/B00IA1FNV2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394400275&sr=8-1&keywords=Mini+PCIe+mSATA+SSD+to+40pin+ZIF+adapter+card+%28as+tohiba%2Fhitachi%2Fsamsung+zif+hdd%29
 

Mini PCIe mSATA SSD to 40pin ZIF adapter card (as tohiba/hitachi/samsung zif hdd)"

 
work with the msata drive in the ipod 5th gen? 
 
Thanks

Looks from the picture it is the same version that many have used for the mSATA MOD.

 

[AudioPhilistine]

1. Right now mSATA will not work with iPOD classic, either stock firmware or rockbox, which I believe is limited by the hardware.

well that sucks. and here i was thinking i'd actually understood and retained what i'd read throughout this thread. i thought i'd read that it had been done and was working with stock FW. it's the same pata zif connector as the Video... plus the 7G Classic has a larger stock battery which you'd think would help support a hungrier mSATA drive's peak needs.

2. 32MB is not an issue with rockbox, because rockbox use most of the memory as audio buffer. 32MB will be an issue for stock firmware, more or less it will limit the number of tracks that can be loaded.

i considered that, and wondered if my collection's db would fit better within the 5G Video's 32MB RAM since it'll be more like 20k tracks... as opposed to some of the really massive collections modders are working with here on the forum.

3. 10K songs will work on the stock firmware, but with stock firmware it will be booting very slow, took a few minutes. Rockbox does not have the issue.

boot times don't bother me so long as it wakes from sleep the same.

4. mSTAT mod does not work well with stock firmware on iPOD 5G, that's why a patched rockbox firmware is created for the MOD.  With rockbox installed, you can still use iTUNE to sync music to mSATA moded  iPOD in disk mode

ugh. i'm really trying not to reinvent the wheel here. i've skimmed the Rockbox documentation and i'm loath to introduce an entirely new firmware when i'd really just like to upgrade my unit's capacity, performance, and reliability—in that order.

Hope this helps, and I personally prefer the "one iPod to rule them all" idea. Plus that the SSD mod will make the iPOD much more reliable than the standard HDD, so it will be truly portable.

it does help, thanks.

 

[zzffnn]

Reima/cmarti/DMinor/beyondwind,

Is this the exact ZIF adapter for 480GB mSATA SSD:
http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=321289663396
That eBay photo reads "JM20330", but beyondwind said to use "JM20030" (typo?)?

If not, what is the exact link/web page for purchase in USA? Thank you! Sorry if this has been mentioned before, I searched it but did not get a definitive result.

 

[DMinor]

Reima/cmarti/DMinor/beyondwind,

Is this the exact ZIF adapter for 480GB mSATA SSD:
http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=321289663396
That eBay photo reads "JM20330", but beyondwind said to use "JM20030" (typo?)?

If not, what is the exact link/web page for purchase in USA? Thank you! Sorry if this has been mentioned before, I searched it but did not get a definitive result.

 
Yeah I bought the same adapter from the same ebay seller. Admittedly I didn't even pay attention to that JM# but it works.
 
BTW, has anyone tried this battery? The pic appears indicating 1300 mAh.

 

[iPaudio]

Hey, guys.  New poster here.  I've been trying to get my crucial 480GB SSD to work reliably in my iPod 5.5G with little success.  I'd prefer to use stock firmware but from what I'm reading it seems rockbox is the way to go.  My question is where can I find the modded rockbox firmware for mSATA drives?  The link posted a few pages back seems to be down.  Is there anywhere else to download it?  Thanks.

 

[cmarti]

Reima/cmarti/DMinor/beyondwind,

Is this the exact ZIF adapter for 480GB mSATA SSD:
http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=321289663396
That eBay photo reads "JM20330", but beyondwind said to use "JM20030" (typo?)?

If not, what is the exact link/web page for purchase in USA? Thank you! Sorry if this has been mentioned before, I searched it but did not get a definitive result.

I used this one:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009BA5JU6/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[cmarti]

 
BTW, has anyone tried this battery? The pic appears indicating 1300 mAh.

I personally don't believe in these capacity claims, I always wondered how is possible that they can increase the battery capacity without increasing the physical size of the battery.
 
edit: fixed grammar mistakes.

 

[cmarti]

  Hey, guys.  New poster here.  I've been trying to get my crucial 480GB SSD to work reliably in my iPod 5.5G with little success.  I'd prefer to use stock firmware but from what I'm reading it seems rockbox is the way to go.  My question is where can I find the modded rockbox firmware for mSATA drives?  The link posted a few pages back seems to be down.  Is there anywhere else to download it?  Thanks.

Tried to link you to beyondwind's site but it seems to be down.
 
I have uploaded the file here so you can access it now.

 

[iPaudio]

  Tried to link you to beyondwind's site but it seems to be down.
 
I have uploaded the file here so you can access it now.

Thanks!  I really appreciate it.  Looking forward to having a 480GB iPod.

 

[zzffnn]

Thank you DMinor and cmarti. beyondwind has confirmed, via PM, that it should be "JM20330" (he made a typo in his original web page and will be correcting it). In other words, the adapter that DMinor used is what beyondwind was trying to refer to:
http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=321289663396

cmarti, thank you - I could not see the JM number of that adapter at Amazon. I will buy the one used by DMinor since it is a bit cheaper and has been tested to work with 480GB mSATA SSD. 

 

[DMinor]

  I personally don't believe in these capacity claims, I always wondered how is possible that they can increase the battery capacity without increasing the physical size of the battery.
 
edit: fixed grammar mistakes.

 
Yeah I am with you and don't believe the mAh as claimed.
 
I need to mod a battery for the 5.5g.

 

[CptnDriveThru]

Hi everyone, new poster here. What originally started for me as ordering a screen replacement has become a "While I've got it open, what else can I do?" project. I've got a 60GB 5th generation iPod video (not 5.5) and I'd like to mod it with an SSD. I'm only going for a modest 120/128 GB SSD for reasons of cost and because I only have around 8K songs. I do want the extra space and more importantly the SSD's faster loading and non-moving parts. I've seen 1.8" SSD's in that size go for $70-$80 on Amazon. What concerns should I have? I realized the 60GB fat back was going to be an issue and I've actually purchased the back from a 30GB U2 edition iPod video with the etched signatures (along with the red click wheel). I should then be able to fit an SSD in there with no issue, right? I'd also thought of purchasing a new battery while I was at it. Are there any battery/power concerns I should have? Also, if I'm reading some recent posts correctly, it seems like there might be an issue with the amount of RAM in the 5th gen? Thanks, and I'm sorry if these are noob questions.

 

[beyondwind]

  Hi everyone, new poster here. What originally started for me as ordering a screen replacement has become a "While I've got it open, what else can I do?" project. I've got a 60GB 5th generation iPod video (not 5.5) and I'd like to mod it with an SSD. I'm only going for a modest 120/128 GB SSD for reasons of cost and because I only have around 8K songs. I do want the extra space and more importantly the SSD's faster loading and non-moving parts. I've seen 1.8" SSD's in that size go for $70-$80 on Amazon. What concerns should I have? I realized the 60GB fat back was going to be an issue and I've actually purchased the back from a 30GB U2 edition iPod video with the etched signatures (along with the red click wheel). I should then be able to fit an SSD in there with no issue, right? I'd also thought of purchasing a new battery while I was at it. Are there any battery/power concerns I should have? Also, if I'm reading some recent posts correctly, it seems like there might be an issue with the amount of RAM in the 5th gen? Thanks, and I'm sorry if these are noob questions.

If you've read my mod guide thick back is preferred because high battery capacities.
RAM is not a concern for Rockbox, plus that 60GB model have 64MB of ram, which is the maximum you can have.

 

[AudioPhilistine]

If you've read my mod guide thick back is preferred because high battery capacities.
RAM is not a concern for Rockbox, plus that 60GB model have 64MB of ram, which is the maximum you can have.

following up on my earlier questions, can i use stock iPod firmware if i get an 820-1975-A iPod 5.5G motherboard (comes with w/ 64MB RAM, if i'm not mistaken) and upgrade my 5G Video with that + the Crucial mSATA 240GB SSD? would i still get the same potential overheating and song skipping issues?

i've been leafing through the Rockbox docs and i'm just not that interested in it. i'm sure it's great, just not for how i use my gear.