RNS-510 HDD replacement/SSD swap DIY

[johnc]

I guess you'll be pressing the Skip > button a lot then

I don't get this. Why would you skip tracks that you picked to load? Unless you have it set to "Mix", but even then, why would you put music on the unit that you disliked, and an even bigger question is, why do you own music you'd want to skip to put on the drive in the first place?

[Ryan_R]

If you've got 90GB of music there must be a lot of sub-great tracks on there (not saying he's filled it up though).

After I wiped my RNS when upgrading the firmware I stuck less music on it. The RNS is also really bad at Mix mode, always playing the same songs (doesn't remember what it's played).

[cktsi]

Hey Johnc,

I'm thinking of replacing the fan on my unit with one of those really quiet fans used in PC's. My fan can get pretty noisy at times (and makes me yearn for the whisper silence of the old rcd 210 unit I removed).

Your step 8 photo is very clear... it looks relatively simple to remove. Do you recall any potential difficulties? Is it as easy as it looks?

thanks!

CK

[johnc]

Hey Johnc,

I'm thinking of replacing the fan on my unit with one of those really quiet fans used in PC's. My fan can get pretty noisy at times (and makes me yearn for the whisper silence of the old rcd 210 unit I removed).

Your step 8 photo is very clear... it looks relatively simple to remove. Do you recall any potential difficulties? Is it as easy as it looks?

thanks!

CK

Hey CK. Yeah, it's easy to remove, but I recall Ben thinking the same thing about 6 months ago. He looked for a replacement that matched the same spec, and the one already in the unit seemed to generate the lowest noise reading.

The reason the fan kicks in so much is from the heat of the HDD. You never hear the fan with the SSD. And you don't hear the whirring of the HDD either. If you're going to go to the effort of pull it apart, I'd recommend taking those few extra steps for the full benefit of more capacity and quieter operation without replacing the fan.

[SuperMario]

Hey all...
I have RNS 510 unit B model running firmware 3970 and, i was wondering if can replace the HDD with 120 GB and will it make my unit faster. Does it work with fimware 3970?

Thanks

[johnc]

You can replace the drive in any model, so yes, but you need to use the right type of drive. I don't know of any 120GB drives, only 128GB. Check the first page for HDD specifications.

And no, it won't make the processor any faster, but it will improve the speed of the scrolling through the music menus. The speed of the unit is limited by the units processor, not the HDD.

Hope that helps!

[SuperMario]

Where is the HDD pic.. http://i44.tinypic.com/156wtvb.jpg

Thanks for a fast reply i appreciate it alot

[johnc]

Let me check. I will get back to you.

Edit: It should work, but it's not an SSD drive, and it's not a shock proof drive like the standard RNS-510 drives. I would advise against it, but it is your decision. It is more likely to fail due to vibration, and you won't see any of the speed improvements you would with an SSD.

[SuperMario]

Can you recommend a SSD drive?..
I'm going to take a chance with the old drive

[johnc]

Sure…

128GB KingSpec 2.5" PATA/IDE SSD Solid State Disk (MLC Flash)

Although I recommend the 64GB version of this model as it is better value.

[SuperMario]

Awesome thanks 64GB it is then

[thezoneR32]

Hi John, fantastic thread. Is the destination entry quicker with the ssd?

[johnc]

Thanks. I wouldn't think so, although I've never found its speed all that limited to be honest. Either via the keypad or voice control. That would be more processor dependent.

[mikinoz]

Exploded Component Overview:

It has been a while and I should say this unit is still going strong with the SSD in it. So thanks again John for the install.

[johnc]

Cheers Mick. Thankfully one of them is. Ben's unit it being a right ****. Funnily enough, it's the only unit I've done that doesn't have an SSD.