Cowon J3/D2+/... with 64gb+ (micro)SDXC card

[Kizune]

Great news for memory junkies who own a Cowon J3: Earlier today, Anything But iPod member kp-j3 confirmed that 64gb microSDXC cards work perfectly fine with the DAP.

Originally Posted by kp-j3, anythingbutipod.com

SUCCESS!

(Your mileage may vary)

Using firmware 2.26, and a SanDisk 64GB Mobile Ultra MicroSDXC Class 6 card.

I formatted it in fat32, and loaded up approximately 6000 songs on it. I was using sleep mode, so the manually initiated database rebuild attempt did not work, it just blew out the old database for my 32gb card. Turned sleep mode off, shut down. Started and database built with no issues.

Went from approximately 5800 songs with 32gb internal 32gb external to almost 9000 songs with a 32gb/64gb combo.

It seems a little slower starting song 8890, but I guess it's because it's at the end of the card.

Update, 2011-12-08:

Another user from iAudiophile.net, quokka, confirmed that a 128gb SDXC card works with his Cowon D2+.

It might be possible that all newer Cowon players which have a SD/microSD card slot support the new (micro)SDXC cards at least up to 128gb memory.
However, only SDXC cards are supported that follow the SD 3.0 specification since its interface is identical to the SD 2.0 specification.

SD article on Wikipedia:

Originally Posted by Secure Digital, Wikipedia

Compatibility with SDHC
SDXC host devices will accept all previous families of SD memory cards. Conversely, SDHC host devices will accept SDXC cards that follow Version 3.0, since the interface is identical,[27] but the following issues may affect usability:

• SDXC cards that follow Version 4.0 will use the exFAT file system, which the host device might not support.
• An SDHC host device will not test the capability bits newly defined for SDXC cards. It will therefore not be able to use the new features of SDXC, such as transfer speeds above UHS104.[28]

Anything But iPod member razorblader explained another difference between SD 3.0 and SD 4.0 which makes it impossible to use SD 4.0 cards on Cowon's current players:

Originally Posted by razorblaider, anythingbutipod.com

[...] Future SDXC cards which conform to SD v.4 standards will have an extra contact pin and will be incompatible with the current SDHC slots but the current bunch of SDXC cards conform to the v.3 standard and are essentially SDHC cards with higher capacities than 32 GB.

In order to make 3.0 SDXC cards work on your player, all you need to do is formatting the card with FAT32.

Please note that there is no way to distinguish SD 3.0 and SD 4.0 cards except you count the pins, so unless there is a remark about the used SD specification, it's risky to buy SDXC cards just to use them on your J3/D2+/...

[Urne]

Original Post:
http://anythingbutipod.com/forum/sho...57&postcount=8

This is great news IMO. Looking very forward to get one of these microSDXC cards myself. ^^

[marcusgi]

Yeah, but does it work on the C2?

[Peaceful1]

it's like you're telling a religious person that it's all about evolution

Someone has to tell these guys @www.sdcard.org about this.

[Urne]

Originally Posted by marcusgi

Yeah, but does it work on the C2?

If the Cowon C2 also features an SDHC slot, the current batch of 64gb microSDXC cards based on the SD 3.0 specification most certainly works from a technical standpoint. The only thing that can prevent the C2 from possibly recognizing the full card space would be the firmware. But so far the microSDXC cards have been proved to work on a Cowon D2 and a Cowon J3, so it wouldn't surprise me if the C2 was no different.

[quokka]

I recently got a Lexar 128GB SDXC card for my Cowon D2+. After reformatting the card it worked perfectly. I now have 150GB+ storage capacity on my D2+.

[Kizune]

Thanks for your confirmation, quokka, I have updated the news article.

[Urne]

Kizune, I belive the D2+ makes use of 128gb SDXC cards and not microSDXC cards. As far as I know, 128gb microSDXC cards isn't in production yet (probably held back until enough 64gb microSDXC cards has been sold..).

Thanks for giving out this info quokka, I suppose the 3.0 specifications is used for all current SDXC and microSDXC cards then but I'm not sure if this will be the case in the future. Thanks for reporting back though

[Kizune]

Urne, read the first post again, especially this part:

"Another user from iAudiophile.net, quokka, confirmed that a 128gb SDXC card works with his Cowon D2+."

[Peaceful1]

QUOTE from helpdesk@sdcard.org

Dear Sir or Madam,

Thank you for contacting the SD Association. We appreciate your interest in SD technologies. After reading the thread at http://iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=40113 it seems that certain Cowon devices are SDXC-enabled(). SDXC-enabled devices will be compatible with standard SD, SDHC, and SDXC Cards. Devices which are not SDXC-enabled, such as standard SD or SDHC devices, will not be compatible with SDXC Cards. You might check with Cowon to confirm what types of SD Cards are compatible with their devices( ya sure they will respond). Please note that formatting an SDXC Card from the exFAT file system to the FAT32 file system may effect the card's performance as well as compatibility with SDXC devices. If you have any questions regarding this message or need further assistance please do let us know.

Best regards,
nothing more to add

[Urne]

If you think twice it makes a lot of sense why they don't tell people that the new microSDXC cards work in SDHC slots. The manufacturers within the SD Association makes money on the cards and the readers, so of course they are interested in getting people to consume new devices that has these SDXC card readers implemented just so they can go buy a new SDXC card too. There is also reason to that they hold the 128gb, 256gb, 1tb and 2tb SDXC cards back. I'm pretty sure their strategy is to make consumers to buy as many cards as possible overall.

The FAT32 file system does indeed effect the card's performance just like putting an SDXC card inside an SDHC reader limits the speed.

My point is that all this is unofficial stuff and I would personally suggest that people try not to make the SD Association too much aware. This just might speed up the conversion to SD 4.0 which the current manufacturers is currently going through. Cards living up to the SD 4.0 specification will not work on the Cowon J3 or any other device with a microSDHC reader.

You know, I'm probably just worrying too much, but it's best to be on the safe side u know.

[Enzyme]

My point is that this is unofficial stuff and I would personally suggest that people try not to make the SD Association too much aware. This just might speed up the conversion to SD 4.0 which the current manufacturers is currently going through.

know what your saying but they'll have the marketing strategy laid out two generations in advance, and there will always be an array of oem producers waiting to roll out the 3.0 cards at a greatly reduced price.

the issue may be that they adapt production somehow in order to disable the current compatibility, probably by producing crippled 4.0 cards under the 3.0 label, which in turn would get a whole big argument going amongst users as to if it works or not, newer users all confirming that it doesnt.
although thats a huge extra cost so i doubt it will happen anytime soon.

[Peaceful1]

The SD Association (Toshiba, Panasonic, and Sandisk) +Lexar (Micron) have the highest technology.
They make money by producing the highest capacity (right now 19-20 nm technology) that's how they made microSD 64GB or SD 128GB. & the fastest.
also you don't have to forget the reliability & security (micro controller generation & other factors has a high effect on the result & ...).
Other company have to buy their nand technology from these sources for their devices.
This is how they make money most companies can't catch up to these companies so they have to provide their needs from these few companies.

these four companies won't never thing of such things. in the 3 Trillion dollar market of nand memories such thoughts that you mentioned they really don't make sense.

[Enzyme]

lols sounds like the masons in tech form

[nieh]

Has anyone tried it with the D3 yet?