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#1
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
What's the largest size of a USB flash-drive (aka thumb-drive) that someone
has used successfully in a car deck with a USB port? And what was the make & model of deck & flash-drive? I keep reading about device errors above 2GB to 4GB but I was hoping to use 2X or 4X that capacity for MP3, WMA, etc.. An example would be the A-DATA PD2 16GB model for $200. Specs on various head units say a "USB mass storage device" w/USB 2.0 should be fully readable but I don't know what to believe. Thanks for any info. Tom |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
On Apr 21, 7:35 pm, Tom wrote:
What's the largest size of a USB flash-drive (aka thumb-drive) that someone has used successfully in a car deck with a USB port? And what was the make & model of deck & flash-drive? I keep reading about device errors above 2GB to 4GB but I was hoping to use 2X or 4X that capacity for MP3, WMA, etc.. An example would be the A-DATA PD2 16GB model for $200. Specs on various head units say a "USB mass storage device" w/USB 2.0 should be fully readable but I don't know what to believe. Thanks for any info. Tom I used a 2 gigabyte SD card before... worked most of the time, but some songs the head unit completely skipped over. When I plugged the SD card in the computer, it worked perfectly. So it must have been the head unit itself. But anyways, if you are going to buy a 16 GB flash card for around 200 dollars, you might want to consider buying a 30 gig iPod for 225 dollars instead with a good aux in with the head unit. |
#3
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
Mariachi wrote in
ups.com: On Apr 21, 7:35 pm, Tom wrote: What's the largest size of a USB flash-drive (aka thumb-drive) that someone has used successfully in a car deck with a USB port? And what was the make & model of deck & flash-drive? I keep reading about device errors above 2GB to 4GB but I was hoping to use 2X or 4X that capacity for MP3, WMA, etc.. An example would be the A-DATA PD2 16GB model for $200. Specs on various head units say a "USB mass storage device" w/USB 2.0 should be fully readable but I don't know what to believe. Thanks for any info. Tom I used a 2 gigabyte SD card before... worked most of the time, but some songs the head unit completely skipped over. When I plugged the SD card in the computer, it worked perfectly. So it must have been the head unit itself. But anyways, if you are going to buy a 16 GB flash card for around 200 dollars, you might want to consider buying a 30 gig iPod for 225 dollars instead with a good aux in with the head unit. Something tells me an SD card is not as electronically-adept for this purpose as a "thumb" drive but I have no evidence. The iPod angle may seem practical but I don't want to worry about keeping anything charged or deal with moving parts and finding a docking place. Solid state is the main angle. I also want something tiny that I can hide in the car. I like USB decks with rear cables so you don't have the flash- drive sticking out of the face. They could recess a front USB port so the stick barely protrudes. I'm not understanding why larger flash drives are harder to read, or why manufacturers remain vague about max. storage size (e.g. www.kenwood.com/usb/). FAT 16 & FAT 32 issues have been mentioned, but that Kenwood link doesn't list them as size limitations. With 2GB flash-drive prices under $35 it could be economical to get a handful vs. one larger stick. Surely someone has tested at least an 8GB flash-drive? Tom |
#4
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
I also want something tiny that I can hide in the car. I like USB decks with rear cables so you don't have the flash- drive sticking out of the face. They could recess a front USB port so the stick barely protrudes. I agree with you, I've always been a big fan of Alpine, but their usb adaption requires some extra hardware. -- John |
#5
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
On Apr 21, 11:19 pm, Tom wrote:
Mariachi wrote roups.com: On Apr 21, 7:35 pm, Tom wrote: What's the largest size of a USB flash-drive (aka thumb-drive) that someone has used successfully in a car deck with a USB port? And what was the make & model of deck & flash-drive? I keep reading about device errors above 2GB to 4GB but I was hoping to use 2X or 4X that capacity for MP3, WMA, etc.. An example would be the A-DATA PD2 16GB model for $200. Specs on various head units say a "USB mass storage device" w/USB 2.0 should be fully readable but I don't know what to believe. Thanks for any info. Tom I used a 2 gigabyte SD card before... worked most of the time, but some songs the head unit completely skipped over. When I plugged the SD card in the computer, it worked perfectly. So it must have been the head unit itself. But anyways, if you are going to buy a 16 GB flash card for around 200 dollars, you might want to consider buying a 30 gig iPod for 225 dollars instead with a good aux in with the head unit. Something tells me an SD card is not as electronically-adept for this purpose as a "thumb" drive but I have no evidence. The iPod angle may seem practical but I don't want to worry about keeping anything charged or deal with moving parts and finding a docking place. Solid state is the main angle. I also want something tiny that I can hide in the car. I like USB decks with rear cables so you don't have the flash- drive sticking out of the face. They could recess a front USB port so the stick barely protrudes. I'm not understanding why larger flash drives are harder to read, or why manufacturers remain vague about max. storage size (e.g.www.kenwood.com/usb/). FAT 16 & FAT 32 issues have been mentioned, but that Kenwood link doesn't list them as size limitations. With 2GB flash-drive prices under $35 it could be economical to get a handful vs. one larger stick. Surely someone has tested at least an 8GB flash-drive? Tom This past weekend I bought an in-dash system with USB port. I wanted to buy a 2GB flash drive and basically stick my whole cd collection on it and carry it with me wherever I go. The system also reads CD-R, CD +R so you can put MP3's on a disc, but you are limited to ~750 MB of space on a disc. Anyway, the owner's manual for mine states that for USB, the file limit is ~48,000 files. I don't think the mebabyte size is the issue, but the fact that there are too many files on a stick to process? But then, who has 48,000 music songs on a disc anyway? |
#6
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
You could get a 2.5 or 1.8 inch portable hard drive, mount it under the seat, and do the USB that way. That's what I'd do. -- flak_monkey |
#7
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
or install a laptop with full internet and video capability. oh yeah. -- Member02 |
#8
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
More research and actually trying it has answered my questions. As long as
you obey the allowable folder/file structure, the device should work. This is Kenwood's spec. from http://www.kenwood.com/audiofile: Maximum number of folder layers: 8 Maximum number of folders (per device): 500 Maximum number of files (per folder): 4096 Maximum number of files (per device): 15000 15,000 songs would fill 60-80gb in typical use! I'm sure flash will reach that capacity soon enough. I now have a 16gb 2.0 flash drive over 2/3rds full and it reads with no errors (except DRM files synced with Windows Media Player 11 get ignored). The flash drive takes about 15 secs to load on power-up. As long as you don't unplug it, the last song position is remembered after you turn off the deck. Very convenient to not walk through folders again. To be conservative, I'd group music into as few folders as possible. You can sort tracks in any order by naming them: 01 Song5, 02 Song3, 03 Song8, etc.. Folders help with category sorting and navigation speed if the deck lacks ID tag genre sorting. When the last file in a folder is reached, playback moves to the first file in the next folder, based on nesting levels and folder names. USB's main weakness is getting gapless playback to work outside a computer. For me there's no turning back to discs now. Tom |
#9
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
Tom;679585 Wrote: More research and actually trying it has answered my questions. As long as you obey the allowable folder/file structure, the device should work. This is Kenwood's spec. from http://www.kenwood.com/audiofile: Maximum number of folder layers: 8 Maximum number of folders (per device): 500 Maximum number of files (per folder): 4096 Maximum number of files (per device): 15000 15,000 songs would fill 60-80gb in typical use! I'm sure flash will reach that capacity soon enough. I now have a 16gb 2.0 flash drive over 2/3rds full and it reads with no errors (except DRM files synced with Windows Media Player 11 get ignored). The flash drive takes about 15 secs to load on power-up. As long as you don't unplug it, the last song position is remembered after you turn off the deck. Very convenient to not walk through folders again. To be conservative, I'd group music into as few folders as possible. You can sort tracks in any order by naming them: 01 Song5, 02 Song3, 03 Song8, etc.. Folders help with category sorting and navigation speed if the deck lacks ID tag genre sorting. When the last file in a folder is reached, playback moves to the first file in the next folder, based on nesting levels and folder names. USB's main weakness is getting gapless playback to work outside a computer. For me there's no turning back to discs now. Tom this is great to know. Were you to use a really fast flash drive, i bet that the media would access even faster. -- flak_monkey |
#10
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
On 28 May, 18:07, Tom wrote:
More research and actually trying it has answered my questions. As long as you obey the allowable folder/file structure, the device should work. This is Kenwood's spec. fromhttp://www.kenwood.com/audiofile: Maximum number of folder layers: 8 Maximum number of folders (per device): 500 Maximum number of files (per folder): 4096 Maximum number of files (per device): 15000 15,000 songs would fill 60-80gb in typical use! I'm sure flash will reach that capacity soon enough. I now have a 16gb 2.0 flash drive over 2/3rds full and it reads with no errors (except DRM files synced with Windows Media Player 11 get ignored). The flash drive takes about 15 secs to load on power-up. As long as you don't unplug it, the last song position is remembered after you turn off the deck. Very convenient to not walk through folders again. To be conservative, I'd group music into as few folders as possible. You can sort tracks in any order by naming them: 01 Song5, 02 Song3, 03 Song8, etc.. Folders help with category sorting and navigation speed if the deck lacks ID tag genre sorting. When the last file in a folder is reached, playback moves to the first file in the next folder, based on nesting levels and folder names. USB's main weakness is getting gapless playback to work outside a computer. For me there's no turning back to discs now. Tom Hi Tom, I'm new to this group, and found your research very interesting. I'm currently looking for a head unit that has both inbuilt DAB and a USB port, and I didn't even think that USB Drive size would be an issue. I've got an old 40G 2.5" drive in a USB enclosure that I was thinking of putting in the glove compartment, then taking the lead out the back of the GC and then round into the back of the head unit. Note, I'm NOT talking about what I'd call a USB thumb drive - this is an old laptop drive. From your research, do you foresee any problems with this setup? Cheers shug |
#11
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
Shug;679609 Wrote: On 28 May, 18:07, Tom wrote: More research and actually trying it has answered my questions. As long as you obey the allowable folder/file structure, the device should work. This is Kenwood's spec. fromhttp://www.kenwood.com/audiofile: Maximum number of folder layers: 8 Maximum number of folders (per device): 500 Maximum number of files (per folder): 4096 Maximum number of files (per device): 15000 15,000 songs would fill 60-80gb in typical use! I'm sure flash will reach that capacity soon enough. I now have a 16gb 2.0 flash drive over 2/3rds full and it reads with no errors (except DRM files synced with Windows Media Player 11 get ignored). The flash drive takes about 15 secs to load on power-up. As long as you don't unplug it, the last song position is remembered after you turn off the deck. Very convenient to not walk through folders again. To be conservative, I'd group music into as few folders as possible. You can sort tracks in any order by naming them: 01 Song5, 02 Song3, 03 Song8, etc.. Folders help with category sorting and navigation speed if the deck lacks ID tag genre sorting. When the last file in a folder is reached, playback moves to the first file in the next folder, based on nesting levels and folder names. USB's main weakness is getting gapless playback to work outside a computer. For me there's no turning back to discs now. Tom Hi Tom, I'm new to this group, and found your research very interesting. I'm currently looking for a head unit that has both inbuilt DAB and a USB port, and I didn't even think that USB Drive size would be an issue. I've got an old 40G 2.5" drive in a USB enclosure that I was thinking of putting in the glove compartment, then taking the lead out the back of the GC and then round into the back of the head unit. Note, I'm NOT talking about what I'd call a USB thumb drive - this is an old laptop drive. From your research, do you foresee any problems with this setup? Cheers shug That would be best suited for decks like the JVC KD AVX33 that have rear usb. Make sure your dash isn't in the sunlight, that heat will cook a hard drive. Or at least shorten it's life. This is what I'll be doing, like you, with the portable drive. I am going to cushion it and put it under the seat, run the cable under the carpet, and see how long it lasts. That is, when I get the aforementioned JVC. -- flak_monkey |
#12
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
On 28 May, 22:42, flak_monkey flak_monkey.2rb...@no-
mx.forum.carstereos.org wrote: Shug;679609 Wrote: On 28 May, 18:07, Tom wrote: More research and actually trying it has answered my questions. As long as you obey the allowable folder/file structure, the device should work. This is Kenwood's spec. fromhttp://www.kenwood.com/audiofile: Maximum number of folder layers: 8 Maximum number of folders (per device): 500 Maximum number of files (per folder): 4096 Maximum number of files (per device): 15000 15,000 songs would fill 60-80gb in typical use! I'm sure flash will reach that capacity soon enough. I now have a 16gb 2.0 flash drive over 2/3rds full and it reads with no errors (except DRM files synced with Windows Media Player 11 get ignored). The flash drive takes about 15 secs to load on power-up. As long as you don't unplug it, the last song position is remembered after you turn off the deck. Very convenient to not walk through folders again. To be conservative, I'd group music into as few folders as possible. You can sort tracks in any order by naming them: 01 Song5, 02 Song3, 03 Song8, etc.. Folders help with category sorting and navigation speed if the deck lacks ID tag genre sorting. When the last file in a folder is reached, playback moves to the first file in the next folder, based on nesting levels and folder names. USB's main weakness is getting gapless playback to work outside a computer. For me there's no turning back to discs now. Tom Hi Tom, I'm new to this group, and found your research very interesting. I'm currently looking for a head unit that has both inbuilt DAB and a USB port, and I didn't even think that USB Drive size would be an issue. I've got an old 40G 2.5" drive in a USB enclosure that I was thinking of putting in the glove compartment, then taking the lead out the back of the GC and then round into the back of the head unit. Note, I'm NOT talking about what I'd call a USB thumb drive - this is an old laptop drive. From your research, do you foresee any problems with this setup? Cheers shug That would be best suited for decks like the JVC KD AVX33 that have rear usb. Make sure your dash isn't in the sunlight, that heat will cook a hard drive. Or at least shorten it's life. This is what I'll be doing, like you, with the portable drive. I am going to cushion it and put it under the seat, run the cable under the carpet, and see how long it lasts. That is, when I get the aforementioned JVC. -- flak_monkey- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Thanks for your response flak_monkey. That unit looks fantastic, but it's probably a bit out of my price range - I can spend only about £250 on this unit. Also, I don't need it to play DVDs etc, which that one does, and I'd rather have the DAB functionality built in, rather than needing an additional unit. (Re the USB drive - I was planning to store that in my glove compartment - I've already tested leaving it there for longish periods, and the case never seems to get too hot.) Are there any other sub-£250 head units with integrated DAB and a rear USB port? Cheers Shug |
#13
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
Shug wrote in
ups.com: I'm new to this group, and found your research very interesting. I'm currently looking for a head unit that has both inbuilt DAB and a USB port, and I didn't even think that USB Drive size would be an issue. I've got an old 40G 2.5" drive in a USB enclosure that I was thinking of putting in the glove compartment, then taking the lead out the back of the GC and then round into the back of the head unit. Note, I'm NOT talking about what I'd call a USB thumb drive - this is an old laptop drive. From your research, do you foresee any problems with this setup? As long as the folder and file structure obeys your Mfr's spec, it should work. I'd definitely check the heat rating of any hard-drive. I've seen some that can only handle 95 degrees F when powered on. You may feel cool with A/C, but if that drive is tucked away or has roasted all day, watch out. I picked flash memory because of its toughness and claimed 10-20 year data retention (Fowler-Nordheim!) Hard drives made specifically for cars should be OK in theory (e.g. PhatNoise cartridges). I personally don't like the idea of any moving parts in a tough environment. 16gb flash has been more than enough to hold decades worth of favorite songs at an (averaged) bitrate of about 160kbps. Tom |
#14
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
flak_monkey wrote in
: this is great to know. Were you to use a really fast flash drive, i bet that the media would access even faster. It's USB 2.0 and so is the deck. The only lag is when it initially loads for about 15 seconds; same as on my PC. After that it responds quickly enough. RW & FF on my deck is silent, and for some reason the remote only lets you skip whole tracks. Small price to pay for this new convenience. The toughest part is deciding how to group 3,000+ tracks logically. I downloaded an app called "Directory Lister" that helps you make custom printouts of file and folder names. Save as HTML for best (vertical) text density, then paste into a word processor and use columns and a small font. Folder names alone are a good reference if you forget what song you're after. Tom |
#15
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
flak_monkey wrote in
: That would be best suited for decks like the JVC KD AVX33 that have rear usb. Make sure your dash isn't in the sunlight, that heat will cook a hard drive. Or at least shorten it's life. This is what I'll be doing, like you, with the portable drive. I am going to cushion it and put it under the seat, run the cable under the carpet, and see how long it lasts. That is, when I get the aforementioned JVC. I picked rear USB on purpose also. I like to cover up my stereo and a thumb drive sticking out wouldn't work. Unplugging it each time is more of a hassle than people might think, plus you lose the last-played position (maybe not on all decks). A good hiding spot is under the dash near a fuse- box that already has a removable panel in front of it. Avoid getting road dust on the connection and you're good. Tom |
#16
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
Shug wrote in
oups.com: Are there any other sub-£250 head units with integrated DAB and a rear USB port? A rear-cable model by Kenwood can be had online for under $150 USD, and same goes for a 16gb flash stick. I'm not sure why some 16gb flash memory is more costly. Speed hasn't been a problem but I can't personally vouch for more than 2 weeks' reliability (not that I'm worried). They say always back up your music collection on something else. Tom |
#17
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
Tom Wrote: More research and actually trying it has answered my questions. As long as you obey the allowable folder/file structure, the device should work. This is Kenwood's spec. from http://www.kenwood.com/audiofile: Nice find. -- Lee ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lee's Profile: http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb3/member.php?userid=1 View this thread: http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb3/sh...d.php?t=265448 CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over TWO million posts online! -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#18
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
I just picked up the Blaupunkt St Louis model with the rear USB port and front SD card reader and connected a 20GB USB drive to it and mounted it in the glove. Evereything works perfectly. My only complaint is a slight humming noise coming from the speakers when listening to songs on the USB drive. This noise gets drowned out if I turn the volume up slightly. -- jz1276 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ jz1276's Profile: 46237 View this thread: http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb3/sh...d.php?t=265448 CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over TWO million posts online! -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#19
Posted to rec.audio.car
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Max. size of USB flash-drive for car decks?
On May 28, 12:07 pm, Tom wrote:
More research and actually trying it has answered my questions. As long as you obey the allowable folder/file structure, the device should work. This is Kenwood's spec. fromhttp://www.kenwood.com/audiofile: snip When the last file in a folder is reached, playback moves to the first file in the next folder, based on nesting levels and folder names. USB's main weakness is getting gapless playback to work outside a computer. For me there's no turning back to discs now. Tom Yeah, the reason why I went with a usb port in-dash stereo was to get rid of the dependence on burn CDs. Mine plays mp3's from CDs as well, but you will have to make a new cd everytime you want to add or subtract songs. With the flash drive, I just hook it up to the computer and add or subtract songs quite easily. And forward and reverse traversing of songs is a lot quicker than a CD. My USB port is in the front, which I don't mind. I plan on getting a 2GB flash drive that is small so it won't seem noticeable. Chris |
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