Apple Video Ipod Modification With Compact Flash Storage

There are some enthusiasts that have able to crack open the Apple’s video iPod and innovatively replaced the original 1.8” HDD (hard disk driver) with solid state device. One of the recent success stories is a gentleman has able to fix a video iPod’s faulty hard disk with a new replacement of 4GB Compact Flash card. The solution of replacing the moving mechanism hard drive to a solid state compact flash has many advantages even when comparing to original solution offered by Apple Inc.
Image courtesy of Tarkan

Some of the benefits foreseen by using the Compact Flash as a replacement is the lower power consumption and better durability. Hard disk requires spinning mechanism that could draw up higher current and hence reducing the battery life time significantly. In terms of reliability, Compact Flash is said to be more durable over traditional hard disk drive due to its solid states and more advance technology being employed. Hard disk’s moving part mechanism also generates more noise which could potentially affect user’s experience while enjoying the movie or music streaming.

Nevertheless, there are some drawbacks especially on the cost per capacity. The Compact Flash is more expensive as compared to 1.8” hard disk. Furthermore, current market available Compact flash capacity is limited to 16GB only, which is sub below the maximum capacity that can be offered by current hard disk technology. Besides getting a suitable interface for this conversion, a perfect hand soldering skill is a must to ensure the neat work without further damaging the gadget.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 11th, 2007 at 12:07 am and is filed under Portable Media Player. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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