[shortfuze]

without reading through the entire thread, I went ahead and ordered 2 240gb mSata ssd's and mSata to ZIF adapter cards. One for my 5.5g 80gb that works flawlessly, except that you only get 223gb of useable space, and the other for my 6.5g 120gb that doesn't work at all. Both drives tested fine in the 5.5. I'm assuming the 120gb has a hardware limit of 128gb. So I will be shopping around for a 160gb 7th gen to use the other 240gb drive in. I like the look and feel of the newer versions and since both are used as transports only in vehicles, the SQ isn't as much of a concern as functionality. Car headunits pull the digital stream so I'm getting whats truly there. I just wish I could have used the 240 in the 6.5g with rockbox to be able to use my FLACs and such. Just a device I can carry my entire library in.

 

[Noodles5666]

  without reading through the entire thread, I went ahead and ordered 2 240gb mSata ssd's and mSata to ZIF adapter cards. One for my 5.5g 80gb that works flawlessly, except that you only get 223gb of useable space, and the other for my 6.5g 120gb that doesn't work at all. Both drives tested fine in the 5.5. I'm assuming the 120gb has a hardware limit of 128gb. So I will be shopping around for a 160gb 7th gen to use the other 240gb drive in. I like the look and feel of the newer versions and since both are used as transports only in vehicles, the SQ isn't as much of a concern as functionality. Car headunits pull the digital stream so I'm getting whats truly there. I just wish I could have used the 240 in the 6.5g with rockbox to be able to use my FLACs and such. Just a device I can carry my entire library in.

 
You are able to bypass the 128GB limit on the 6/6.5g Classic with the use of Rockbox.  

 

[precisionmike]

So yeah, I am a newbie but jumping in deep.  I just ordered a pair of Noble k10 customs.  I have a 5th gen video ipod.  I am considering modding, using an external amp.  Would this sound better than a Fiio X5?

 

[shortfuze]

   
You are able to bypass the 128GB limit on the 6/6.5g Classic with the use of Rockbox.  

ok, I guess last night I was so frustrated trying to get the 240 to work, that I wasn't thinking clearly. I have successfully installed Rockbox finally. Now I can try to put the 240 ssd back in. Fingers Crossed.

 

[shortfuze]

Nope, It's still not reading the 240gb ssd. Rockbox is running fine on the stock 120gb drive, but booting RB with the 240gb it doesn't want to work. I tried starting over from the beginning of the RB install and it just freezes on the formatting screen. I can't get to the part to actually load the ipod6 file. after loading the UBI file it restarts and I select the RB to boot, but it won't. it say *PANIC* ATA: Error 80000000 while reading BBT (sector 0, count 1)

 

[DMinor]

  Nope, It's still not reading the 240gb ssd. Rockbox is running fine on the stock 120gb drive, but booting RB with the 240gb it doesn't want to work. I tried starting over from the beginning of the RB install and it just freezes on the formatting screen. I can't get to the part to actually load the ipod6 file. after loading the UBI file it restarts and I select the RB to boot, but it won't. it say *PANIC* ATA: Error 80000000 while reading BBT (sector 0, count 1)

 
You need the RB patch for msata provided by @beyondwind from here.

 

[AudioCats]

 
And we heard essentially the same thing in terms of the dynamics, the SDXC just seems a bit less lively, the mSATA (or CF in your case) punchier sounding without being aggressive or tonally objectionable. I also thought the bass was better in both quantity and quality, and thats kind of what gave it a grounded organic earthiness that I feel sounds more natural.
 
....

 
very interesting, so the different adapter/converter can color the sound.
 
Has anybody compare the mSata with a zif SSD (which doesn't require an adaptor)? any audible differences?
 
And is there any suitable zif SSD available? ( I know they are expensive, almost 4x the price of mSata).

 

[shortfuze]

   
You need the RB patch for msata provided by @beyondwind from here.

It's almost there. But as it's booting into the Rockbox (before the ipod reconnects itself to the PC) the disconnect sound goes off, and it is back to the white screen with the PANIC error again
 
pc:0805DF80 sp:00009E3C
       A: 0805DFE0
       A: 0805E258
       A: 0800484C
bt end
 
that's everything that is on the screen and it is not connecting to the PC. tried 5 times to connect and reload everything

 

[shortfuze]

I'm through messing with it. There is some reason why this version of ipod and ssd aren't working together. Maybe it's that it's a MyDigitDiscount 256gb (240GB) mSata, and not a better version like the Corsair of the Samsung. Maybe it's that the 120gb just doesn't want to accept something about it all. I can always use this as a medium sized drive for only a limited amount of files that I keep in my truck, and I'll be on the lookout for a 160gb 7th gen very soon to drop this ssd into.
 
while swapping back and forth I noticed one thing that was odd. When I had the stock hdd in and loaded RB the boot screen was pretty, with snowfall. While the ssd was a very plain blue with no real background. I can admit to not being the most technically gifted person in the great state of Texas. My hands sometimes twitch while working with small objects, the little screws holding the sd to the green board are sometimes blurry because they're so small, but I don't see any way possible that with all the time swapping drives back and forth, there could be any way that the ssd wasn't seated correctly, while every single time I put the hdd back in it worked perfect. I blame the hardware. absolutely has to be an issue there. But I give up!!

 

[elfary]

 
The 2000mAh battery will fit using a thick back cover with either a CF adapter, or mSATA.
 
Using either of the above runs you into other considerations however. The CF cards are just too expensive in the high capacities, at least here in the U.S. they are. So out goes your "cheap" requirement.
 
The mSATA cards are more reasonably priced, but depending on how diligent you are in monitoring the battery level, you can end up with corruption issues, they aren't the most stable choice. I've had good luck with using the 2000mAh battery and the BP4e 480GB card. But I'm simplifying that scenario, bottom line is the mSATA option while attractive has it's quirks and drawbacks, it's a bit more of a high maintenance relationship, but quite rewarding if you put in the effort.
 
That might bring you back to SDXC in terms of your specifically stated aims. There is unfortunately, no easy or clear cut answer to your battery question. Everyone wants that easy answer, but it doesn't exist. Your run time with an 850mAh battery and SDXC will vary, depending on how often you illuminate the display, how often you navigate menus or browse album track lists, advance the track, and even right down to what kind of files you have. For instance, AIFF playback uses more battery than ALAC, which uses more battery than MP3, etc...
 
The best anyone can do to half figure what kind of run time they might get is to take a look at Tarkan's page on run time shootout, so far the most detailed battery comparison I've seen. You'd still then have the added variable of which exact battery you choose, whether or not it is of good quality, or a fleaBay pack of lies in terms of the stated capacity. Cheapest is definitely not best in terms of battery selection.
 
If you purchase a Tarkan adapter, I'm sure he'd be willing to point you in the direction of a U.K. available battery of known quality, even if it is sourced from eBay, he seems to know who the reputable sellers are.

 
What's this treacherous scenario with mSATA you're describing. Is it not an stable mod? One would want to just stuff in the pieces and be good to go for a few years. Is that possible at all with mSATAs?

 

[MikeyFresh]

   
What's this treacherous scenario with mSATA you're describing. Is it not an stable mod? One would want to just stuff in the pieces and be good to go for a few years. Is that possible at all with mSATAs?

It's been described in various posts on this thread. The mSATA cards are quite sensitive to battery depletion, and can become corrupted if you allow the battery to die. Others have also reported heating issues during file transfer/write cycles, though I did not have that problem.
 
That doesn't happen with CF or SDXC.
 
This battery depletion can even happen while plugged in to the computer, during file transfer. The mSATA cards consume much more juice than either CF or SDXC.
 
I'm not sure there is a simple, easy, concise answer to your question about putting the mSATA pieces together and being good to go for a few years, it would depend on which exact pieces. While it's safe to say this thread is large, the mSATA posts are only of recent vintage, shouldn't take too long to re-read and digest.
 
I haven't had too much trouble at all with a BP4e 480GB mSATA card in a Gen 5.5 Video, though it did make the unit shut down while the icon showed 50% battery when I was still using the original 7 year old battery.
 
I switched to the 2000mAh battery and things are better, there was no corruption with the BP4e on that one shut down but others were not so lucky.
 
So if I were to try to summarize it for you it would go something like this:
 
1) Use the Tarkan mSATA adapter, it seems to address the heating issue effectively through throttling of write speeds.
 
2) Use the 2000mAh battery, it offsets the extra power consumption of the mSATA cards.
 
3) Monitor the battery for depletion during extended write cycles, don't let it go much below 50% for best safety.
 
4) Use computer USB ports that actually put out 500mA, and/or a dual headed USB/FireWire iPod sync cable if possible (FireWire AC adapter for power and USB for data). Unplug other USB devices during extended write cycles as they also consume power.
 
5) If using Rockbox, use Beyondwind's mSATA patch.
 
6) And maybe a few more that I've either forgotten or didn't come across in using a 480GB BP4e in a Gen 5.5 Video.
 
No, mSATA is not as stable as the CF or SDXC alternatives.

 

[davidcotton]

I emailed Tarkan about the best battery to buy and this is what he said :-
 
"
If you are using SDXC I would personally stick to the standard slim battery. For the mSata drives I would suggest at minimum the 850mAh thick battery or the Chinese 2000mAh on the iPod Video's.
 
It all depends on what you are trying to achieve in terms of runtime, my personal 1Tb 7g run on the slim battery it gives me more than a days use, and it sits on a dock at home, so it is always charged and ready."

 

[dajeff]

I'm getting ready to start my own rebuild using the following:
tarkan mSATA adapter
my digital bp4 256gb ssd
ipod model a1136
2000 mah battery
 
will i need to format the ssd before installing it in the ipod? i've read conflicting posts about this on different forums
if I initialize the ipod on one OS can i transfer songs using another? (i.e. initial boot and transfer on mac, can i later use win8.1 itunes to transfer songs and vice versa?)
 
Thanks

 

[MikeyFresh]

.

 

[dajeff]

 
I used the Tarkan mSATA adapter with a BP4e 512GB card in a Gen 5.5, and it did not need any pre-install formatting, the formatting was done in the iTunes Restore process and went off error free and fast.
 
You can't do the initial iPod Restore and format on a Mac and have it work on a Windows machine.
 
However you can do the opposite, i.e. the initial Restore and format on a Windows machine results in an iPod that is FAT32 formatted, which is compatible with both Mac and Windows.
 
I'm not sure why you'd really want to do that however just from a software standpoint. Although a FAT32 (MS-DOS) formatted drive is compatible with both Mac and Windows from a hardware perspective, it may not be the best scenario with the iTunes software itself, meaning I'm not sure how the software(s) would behave if you tried to pair the iPod with two different iTunes libraries. It may be fine, but I've never tried it.

Thank you!
 
I mainly use win8.1 as i'm not really a fan of OSX, but I was offered a barely used Macbook Air at a price that was too good to pass up. The scenario im trying to avoid is setting it up on mac, having that comp crap out on me, then not being able to sync my ipod (because it's unlikely i would buy a new mac). So, ill probably go with windows then and just not use it with my MBA.
 
I tore the lock button cable, so i'll be twiddling my thumbs for a few days anyway while waiting on an ebay replacement.