[QCK]

For those of you wondering if you can upgrade the hard drive the answer is yes. I put a 1TB 2.5" hard drive in one of my 630's today. It is a little taller (12.5mm) than the normal 2.5" hard drives but there is room for it with about 2 mm to spare.

For those wondering what drive I put in it was a SAMSUNG HM100UI. It gave me 140 hours of HD now.

 

[zbroke]

Way to go QCK!

Maybe you could report back in the 630 owner's thread after a while and let us know if it helped at all with some of the problems you reported with your 630 that has been upgraded... I assume you didn't upgrade all 4? You may be a perfect test case... I know that upgrading the HD on my 530 (along with a fan) completely stabilized my 530. Maybe there is hope here as well!

 

[smp01]

Nice.
was it a simple unplug/plug switch. Power up, reset.

 

[QCK]

zbroke, I just did the one receiver to see if it would work.

It is very simple to swap out the hard drive itself, just some screws and the hard drive cable connector to remove. When the receiver boots with the new hard drive you need to get into the settings menu and then enter 4-9-8-8 asap, as if you wait too long the receiver will re-boot again. Once inside that hidden menu you need to do a factory reset which includes erasing the hard drive. After a few minutes the receiver booted up fine. I just had to go online and do a few re-hits on the Shaw Direct website to get all of my subscribed channels restored and getting the advanced channel list back.

So far there has been no issues with it. If there are any issues I'll report back about them.

 

[lumpy]

Nice Job QCK

What model of hard drive is the original? and did you stick with that brand?
Did you use the same Motoralla bit/tool as the 530 to open the case?

 

[QCK]

Yes, you use the same bit tool that you would need for the 530 case. The hard drive that was in my 630 was a 320GB Seagate, so no I did not stay with the same manufacturer. There are not a lot of options for 2.5" hard drives once you go above 640GB and I got a good deal on the one I chose.

 

[mr weather]

Excellent job! Maybe with a few more details this could be a sticky?

 

[fatkev78]

How much did you pay for the HD?

 

[QCK]

$105.00 with free shipping.

 

[7ninty]

External Drive

Been running this setup since Sept 16 no problems. (Photo in Albums in my signature)

Totally disconnected stock harddrive, ran regular sata cable to motherboard of 630 from my harddrivedock dock which is self powered externally.

Seagate, PipelineHD 1T, same procedure as QCK outlined to format and setup.

Removed 630 cover, flipped it over, slipped end back into front of receiver, and put a couple of pieces of tape on for a little extra hold, Harddrive dock sits on this inverted cover just above the clock.

Flipping cover upside down creates a 3/4 inch gap on each end of receiver.
Plugged USB powered fan into USB port on front of receiver, with fan blowing in 3/4 inch gap on end of receiver. Air flows side to side, totally cool inside. Receivers small size is great.

Will try some other hard drive makes and sizes shortly

 

[frenchophile]

7ninty: can you take pictures of each step and put them up on flickr or similar photo sharing site?

 

[rdehaven]

Is the forced 're-hit' a required part of the upgrade? I do not have easy access to do that. Are 'hits' sent to all receivers on a regular basis (like once a day)?

 

[QCK]

Is the forced 're-hit' a required part of the upgrade? I do not have easy access to do that. Are 'hits' sent to all receivers on a regular basis (like once a day)?

When you do a factory reset you will have to have a re-hit. It is not done on a regular basis by SD. When the re-hit is done through their website it is sent to all receivers on your account. You can always call SD and thell them you are missing some channels and they will send the re-hit for you.

7ninty: can you take pictures of each step and put them up on flickr or similar photo sharing site?

There is no need for a step by step picture explaination, although I know it is nice to see pictures. I may post a few later, but it is really simple, just take the three screws on the back side out to take the cover off. Remove the single connector to the hard drive. Next, take out the screws to the bracket holding the hard drive. Take out the screws to the original hard drive. Then just do the reverse for the new hard drive and then do as I said above with a factory reset and send a re-hit or two to get your programming back.

 

[martinstraka828]

Do you think there would be any benefit to getting a higher rpm? or should I stick with 5400?

 

[QCK]

I have no problem at all with how fast the 5400 rpm drive responds, infact I'm really pleased with the response time. I doubt you will tell much difference between the two. A 7200 rpm drive may resond a bit faster but it will also run a little hotter too. IMHO I don't think you will see a benefit, if I thought there would be one I would have bought one that speed myself. By the way I have recorded many shows now on the 1TB drive and there are no issues at all to mention.

 

[frenchophile]

can you swap out the HD on a new 630 prior to initial activation?

 

[QCK]

There is no reason that I can think of why you could not do that. When I activated mine they did not worry at all about if they recored, only that there was a good signal on both tuners.

 

[Petee_C]

Good Job. I'll look into it in the future.

P

 

[takeaim]

i have a 1 tb wd green drive, if anyone is attempting or has attempted to put this into one of the 630's lmk how it worked out as if it helps with stability in the unit plus gives extra space for recording them i'm obviously all for it.

thanks

 

[SD 630 Support]

Hi Everyone,

Two quick notes:

1) Warranty
As per page iv of the Motorola User Guide provided with the receiver:

Service: Do not try to service this product yourself. If you open or remove the cover, you may be exposed to dangerous voltage or other hazards and will void the unit's warranty.

Second, be wary when using a "Green" drive. My understanding is that these will basically go into a sleep mode after a certain amount of time, resulting in missed recordings.