[DigitalFreak]

Why does Apple make it so hard to backward engineer a better mousetrap. I'm starting to understand why some people avoid Apple like the plague.

 

[icefalkon]

NP...we're here to help each other
 

 

[DMinor]

Quote:

NP...we're here to help each other
 

Exactly.
 
BTW, is the iFlash adapter available from the US or only available from Tarkan in UK?

 

[no_eye_dear]

Hi guys, just came across this thread, great work on the SSD's, lots of helpful info.
 
OK, just to clarify, if anyone wants to have a portable solution with an internal amp you can fit a FiiO E5 PCB in there.
Not the greatest amp by any means but a very capable amp that can take high impedance phones.
 
If you do the CF mod you have plenty of room in there, just strip out the PCB, take off the unwanted connectors and bypass the input caps C2/8 with a couple of Elna Silmic II caps.
You can remove the input filters as well to further improve the sound. Use the ipod battery for power or stick the FiiO's to the back as well.
You do need to use a dremel to put  the button holes in the rear casing but it's not too daunting a task.
After that you could put the output to the HP connector or use a LOD adapter.
 

is the iFlash adapter available from the US or only available from Tarkan in UK?

 
Use Tarkan's, it's the best 

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

Why does Apple make it so hard to backward engineer a better mousetrap. I'm starting to understand why some people avoid Apple like the plague.

 
On the other hand there aren't many other portable music players (nevermind seven year old portables) that people are still avidly seeking out and modding. On the whole I suspect Apple's neither better nor worse than their competitors when it comes to moddability, at least in the realm of portables. Once you're talking about tiny, complex devices like iPods, everybody's whacking everything-they-can onto a single board with as few discrete components as possible. It's not just for cost savings, it's for saving space too. That people have reverse-engineered the 5G to the point of designing circuit bypasses and SMD mods means, among other things, that the stock unit was good enough to be worth tweaking like this.
 
The problem you're having with hard drive replacements is that it's hard to find a drive you want that's both a significant improvement and meets your budget. You might just be up against the wall in that regard. The 6G was a relatively short-lived transitional unit, and it changes hardware specs depending on drive size.
 
What I did when I was researching drive upgrades is make a short list of the minimum specs necessary:

1. Power requirements
2. Form factor and case thickness
3. Connection type

Then added to the list what I capacity I wanted, and my budget. Any drive under consideration had to meet the first three specs otherwise it was removed from consideration; the remaining two were a little more flexible
 
It didn't take long to have a short list and some general prices for them, and after that it was mostly a matter of prowling around to find the best price. For example, check Amazon's Warehouse subsite; it's where they sell returns and refurbs. I got my iPod's hard drive there at about $40-50 less than the best price I was seeing elsewhere, and Amazon's more legit than a lot of the smaller too-good-to-be-true shops running random webstores or selling on Ebay.

 

[icefalkon]

Tarkan only I believe...it's his.
 

 

[DeStRuCtEd]

Quote:

Exactly.
 
BTW, is the iFlash adapter available from the US or only available from Tarkan in UK?

The iFlash adapter can also be purchased in the US and Canada from iDemiGods. http://www.idemigods.com/iFlash_Video_iPod_Compact_Flash_Adapter_p/iflsh_v2.0.htm

 

[zzffnn]

Quote:

Hi guys, just came across this thread, great work on the SSD's, lots of helpful info.
 
OK, just to clarify, if anyone wants to have a portable solution with an internal amp you can fit a FiiO E5 PCB in there.
Not the greatest amp by any means but a very capable amp that can take high impedance phones.
 
If you do the CF mod you have plenty of room in there, just strip out the PCB, take off the unwanted connectors and bypass the input caps C2/8 with a couple of Elna Silmic II caps.
You can remove the input filters as well to further improve the sound. Use the ipod battery for power or stick the FiiO's to the back as well.
You do need to use a dremel to put  the button holes in the rear casing but it's not too daunting a task.
After that you could put the output to the HP connector or use a LOD adapter.
 
 
Use Tarkan's, it's the best 

^ Welcome the wizard who created the Capacitor-Fiio E5-Mod for iPod Video! As you can see, we have been talking about your creation behind your back

 
Please allow me to greet you with two questions

:
 
1) Do you think your E5 mod can fit along with a SSD into an iPod Video 80GB?
 
Fitting a mSATA 1.8'' SSD along with a mSATA-ZIF adapter will be ideal (since ZIF SSD with >240GB is still very expensive currently). The following may work:
256GB Crucial M4 mSATA (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148613&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA) and this adapter (http://www.amazon.com/Micro-SATA-Cables-Adapter-Toshiba/dp/B009BA5JU6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354716013&sr=8-1&keywords=msata+zif).
 
DockEllis in this thread (post#577 on page 39) got the above adapter to work with a 128GB Crucial M4 mSATA SSD in a 30GB 5.5gen, although he had heat issues.
 
2) Do you think your E5 mod hisses less than the stock headphone jack of iPod Video?
I could not find out if E5 hisses with balanced armature IEMs, but I am guessing your E5 mod should hiss less than the stock headphone jack. The following review said that Fiio E6 hisses, only at high volume, with Shure SE530 (119dB/mw and a 1kHz impedance of 36 ohms):   http://www.head-fi.org/t/596482/the-sub-100-portable-amps-shootout-8-1-amps-compared 
 
Thanks so much!

 

[DMinor]

Quote:

The iFlash adapter can also be purchased in the US and Canada from iDemiGods. http://www.idemigods.com/iFlash_Video_iPod_Compact_Flash_Adapter_p/iflsh_v2.0.htm

Thanks for the info.

 

[no_eye_dear]

Quote:

^ Welcome the wizard who created the Capacitor-Fiio E5-Mod for iPod Video! As you can see, we have been talking about your creation behind your back

 
Please allow me to greet you with two questions

:
 
1) Do you think your E5 mod can fit along with a SSD into an iPod Video 80GB?
 
Fitting a mSATA 1.8'' SSD along with a mSATA-ZIF adapter will be ideal (since ZIF SSD with >240GB is still very expensive currently). The following may work:
256GB Crucial M4 mSATA (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148613&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA) and this adapter (http://www.amazon.com/Micro-SATA-Cables-Adapter-Toshiba/dp/B009BA5JU6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354716013&sr=8-1&keywords=msata+zif).
 
DockEllis in this thread (post#577 on page 39) got the above adapter to work with a 128GB Crucial M4 mSATA SSD in a 30GB 5.5gen, although he had heat issues.
 
2) Do you think your E5 mod hisses less than the stock headphone jack of iPod Video?
I could not find out if E5 hisses with balanced armature IEMs, but I am guessing your E5 mod should hiss less than the stock headphone jack. The following review said that Fiio E6 hisses, only at high volume, with Shure SE530 (119dB/mw and a 1kHz impedance of 36 ohms):   http://www.head-fi.org/t/596482/the-sub-100-portable-amps-shootout-8-1-amps-compared 
 
Thanks so much!

That's buddy
In response to your 1st question... it may be possible, difficult to tell what the total thickness of the combo would be... certainly enough room to do the DIYMod
But then, if he got it to work in a 30GB then it must fit in an 80GB, you'll need to consider a heatsink pad though.
On your second question... well I did it for two reasons, one for a better HP out but also to act as a buffer for my car's head unit.
In the car there is no hiss at all and I've not noticed any on my headphone's... but they are not as high a load copared to some.
NwAvGuy didn't measure any hiss on his [size=13.142857551574707px]Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 Pro’s, in fact he was rather impressed with the E5[/size][size=13.142857551574707px].. as am I.[/size]
... and before anyone jumps in having a go at him (I know he's upset a few guys on this forum in the past), he has all the data posted, so you make your own mind up.

Laters

 

[Simon91]

Just a quick question from me, hope that someone can help me:
I'm planning to mod my Ipod Video 5.5 (80gb) with an SSD (from MX-Technologies) and I was wondering if it would be possible to swap the thick backplate with a thinner one (from a 30gig device). I'm pretty sure that the SSD is thin enough to fit the slim backplate but I'm not sure whether there is another "obstacle" in the way (like the battery?).
 
Greetings from snowy Vienna,
Simon

 

[ardgedee]

You will also need to replace the battery.

 

[Simon91]

Thanks for the quick response!
Can I simply use a battery intended for the 30gig version? Are those 900mah batteries from ebay recommandable (in general)?

 

[DockEllis]

Quote:

 
DockEllis in this thread (post#577 on page 39) got the above adapter to work with a 128GB Crucial M4 mSATA SSD in a 30GB 5.5gen, although he had heat issues.
 

Just to clarify, the heat issues are not inherent to the ZIF to mSATA version of the mod.  Something about the slim back from the 30GB model was causing the battery to short.  Now that I have the fat back in place there are absolutely no heat or battery issues.  I was also able to use the battery and headphone/hold switch assembly from the 30GB without any significant problems (the headphone jack and hold switch are slightly recessed due the the curvature that makes them flush with the slim back.)  I mounted the battery and secured the hold switch assembly using a small layer of foam to compensate for the added thickness.  I think it's safe to say that the Crucial M4 128GB + ZIF adapter is tentatively a success, I say tentative because I have yet to confirm whether or not Rockbox works.

 

[cmarti]

Thanks for the quick response!
Can I simply use a battery intended for the 30gig version? Are those 900mah batteries from ebay recommandable (in general)?

They all work fine, I got one from China and works as good as the original one.