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Subject: RE: A question about swapping memory in a memory based MP3 player

RE: A question about swapping memory in a memory based MP3 player

From: VanBaren, Gerald (AGRE) <"VanBaren,>
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 14:27:18 -0700

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-rockbox_at_cool.haxx.se [mailto:owner-rockbox_at_cool.haxx.se]On
> Behalf Of Elliott, Tim
> Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 3:31 PM
> To: 'rockbox_at_cool.haxx.se'
> Subject: A question about swapping memory in a memory based MP3 player
>
>
> Today I got bored so I took my memory based MP3 player apart.
> I started doing searches on the various chips in the device
> and found the
> memory chip.
> It is this chip..
> http://www.toshiba.com/taec/components/Datasheet/TC58128AFT-01
> -5-30.pdf
>
> The unit is a 128MB thumb drive with onboard mp3 player. I
> got it for $50
> and it is a decent unit for such a cheap knockoff. It must
> have been made in
> deepest china though, because no searches on the model number
> or name turn
> up anything.
>
> What I would like to know, is if I got one of these chips...
>
> http://www.toshiba.com/taec/components/Datasheet/Th58100FT-01-3-5.pdf
>
> Could I just swap them out and instantly upgrade to a 1GB thumb drive?
>
> I have checked and all pins are the same between the two
> chips, and every
> thing looks to be exactly the same, even the size and pinout
> is exact. Is
> there something else that is controlling where to stop
> writing the data to?
> Much like the firmware on an HDD? I know that just adding
> bigger disks to an
> HDD would not give you more storage space on the drive.
>
> I found a place that would send me one of the 2nd chips if I
> asked for it.
> www.denali.com Pretty cool place by the way. This is where I
> found the info
> on my chips.
>
> Thanx
> Tim

Maybe, but probably not. If you look at the ID Read Operation Timing Diagram (page 14), you will see the chip has a manufacture code which will be the same for both chips, and a device code. There are three possiblilities:
a) If the player firmware ignores the chip ID, it will work.
b) If the player firmware recognizes the bigger chip's (e.g. it is in a configuration table), it will work.
c) If the firmware authors did not include it in their configuration tables, it won't recognize the chip and probably will refuse to work at all.

Odd are quite good (probably >75%) for (c), which is bad for you.

gvb



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Received on 2003-12-19

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