External Hard drive music collection for RCD 510

[Corey_R]

The RNS510 also has a 32GB SDHC limit. But that's the SDHC specification...

[gavs]

Ok, update.

I loaded 25 GB onto the hard drive, plugged it in and it worked no worries

I then loaded another 10GB on and.... It still worked.

So I loaded all of my mapping stuff on too and..... no joy. I then moved the mapping stuff into it's own folder and it worked again!

Seems that it doesn't like mixed file types in with the music, especially *.flac audi files, that was the problem. One 6 minute song was 34MB!

[Corey_R]

That's good news gavs.

Btw, dArK5HaD0w made this post which extracts part fo the RNS510 manual to explain some of the limitations. This includes folder depth, as well as file name/folder name length limitations like I expected.

So it could still be that one of those things you moved around were breaching the limitations:

as corey_r already mentioned, you can store MP3s on you rns510 hdd.
u can also store WMA files on it.

u just gotta make sure u meet the requirements for the MP3 data and data carrier:-
• CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW with a capacity of 650 MB and 700 MB.
• 4.7 GB DVDs and up to 8.5 GB Double Layer DVDs.
• The CDs/DVDs must correspond to the ISO 9660 Level 2 standard as well as the Joliet data system (single and multi-session).
• Data names must be no longer than 64 characters.
• The list structure is restricted to a depth of 8 list levels.
• The name of the artist, the album and the title of the reproduced MP3 data can be shown as ID3 tag, providing this information is available. The list and data name will be displayed if there is no ID3 tag.
• WMA data (Windows Media Audio) can also be played even if the copyright is additionally protected by the DRM procedure (Digital Rights Management). Such WMA data is not supported by the unit.
• The operation and behaviour of playable WMA data conforms to the MP3 data and will not be described further.

Bit rate (data flow per time unit)
• The system supports MP3 data with bit rates of 32 to 320 KB/s as well as MP3 data with variable bit rates.
• The indicated playing time data with variable bit rates is not reliable.

[gavs]

Yeah, indeed I did read that, but interestingly enough, the exert regarding "mass storage devices" does not specify any limit. Why? Because it can only be accessed through the MDI input, all other formats are plugged directly into the RCD 510 itself The MDI reads the mass storage device, then works out what files have music in them and lets you access them.

So, for anyone else out there, for $50, you can pick up a 320GB portable hard drive, plug it into the MDI port of your RCD / RNS 510 and take your whole music collection with you, just don't include *.flac files with *.mp3's!

[Spydar]

There appears to be limits to how many files it can read in a folder.
I am using an old 160 gig hard drive in the car and some folders which have like over 2000 songs in will only read to around the first 600-700or so files. I have had to split some of these large folders so there are less songs in them.