upgrade mp3 harddrive to compact flash

Java The Hut · February 02, 2009, 08:11:51 PM

hey all I just posted this over at AnythingButIpod.com and thought I would share with you guys also http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33193 I mean who dos not like looking inside your favored gadgets

This mod should also work with harddrive biased Ipods and maybe a few of the newer netbook computers....

My Mp3 player is a 30gb Creative Zen Vision:M, that started to have harddrive problems (The Click of Death)
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A few mounts ago I posted about an adpter that lets you replace the hardrive with a compact flash card

I have since had time to gather all the parts and try it out..

Step one opening the zen...
see http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/2006/02/how-to-disassemble-the-creative-zen-vision-m.php
on how to get it open

Step 2 do you have a Zif harddrive or a Ide harddrive (mine was Zif)

My zen with the back removed

front cover Harddrive and back cover with battery

close up on harddrive and ribbon cable release

close up on harddrive motherboard plug

Side "A" of harddrive ribbon cable

Side "B" of harddrive ribbon cable (note white triangle points to pin one)

32Gb Compact flash found on e-bay for $50

Zif harddrive to compact flash adapter found on e0bay for $9

Zif harddrive to compact flash adapter with compact flash installed

close up of adapter (note white triangle points to pin one and must match pin one on harddrive ribbon)

faceplate , compact flash adapter , back plate

the compact flash adapter does not fit as snug as hardrive, I used some duct-tape to keep things from moving around to munch

compact flash adapter sitting on top of tape and harddrive plunged into motherboard

compact flash formatted and ready to go

me playing one of my favorite podcast

I test this for about a week everything seams to be working
total cost for upgrade about $70 us

Dangelus · February 02, 2009, 11:21:12 PM

Cool. I love mods like these.

M-5 · February 03, 2009, 01:06:38 AM

That's really cool! I got a Creative Zen laying around here somewhere. ;)

billybob476 · February 03, 2009, 03:53:26 AM

Duct tape is kinda like the force, it has a light side, a dark side and it binds the universe together.

Great mod! I wish I had the patience to figure out things like this!

Feathers · February 03, 2009, 05:08:36 AM

I love this sort of stuff too.

There were a whole load for adding big batteries into the old Palm T3 but I never dared try it. Flash for Disk replacements always seem like a good idea - they must add a little more robustness too. They've got to survive a drop better.

billybob476 · February 03, 2009, 05:11:50 AM

Only problem with flash is that it has a finite number of writes until it dies. Though for an application such as this that isn't a huge deal as it is read substantially more then it is written to.

Feathers · February 03, 2009, 06:09:03 AM

Quote from: billybob476 on February 03, 2009, 05:11:50 AM
Only problem with flash is that it has a finite number of writes until it dies. Though for an application such as this that isn't a huge deal as it is read substantially more then it is written to.

While this is true, I've yet to meet someone who's aowned a FLASH device that's been written to death.

billybob476 · February 03, 2009, 06:19:42 AM

I think the downfall would be if it were used as a system drive, with regular writes, logging, swap file writes etc I could see the technology hit it's limit. I'm not sure how solid state drives are made but I don't think it's with conventional flash tech.

As I said, for uses like this (music players, etc) I don't foresee a problem unless you cause writes to the device continuously for years on end.