Download mp3 onto player

WARNING: What we're about to show you WILL void your warranty, so before proceeding, make sure you understand once you start, you're leaving your warranty behind.

If you don't feel comfortable opening up a small device like an MP3 player, or don't have a burning need for more space on your Nomad, do NOT attempt these procedures.

Be advised that the hard-disk swap procedure for the Nomad Jukebox 3 is a VERY delicate procedure that could damage your device's LCD display.

We STRONGLY suggest reading this ENTIRE procedure before you work on your own Nomad.

We have done these hard-disk procedures ourselves, and they worked fine with only one hiccup, but we cannot absolutely guarantee that your outcome will be without incident. Forewarned is fair warned, so let's move on.

OK, call us curious. Call us dumb. Call us adventurous. Whatever, we decided to see if we could replace the hard drive in our Zen, and our Nomad Jukebox 3 to add more space for more music. And guess what? It worked. In this story we'll give you the details on what we learned, and pictures and instructions on how to do it yourself. This is not for the squeamish, but it is possible to add a bigger hard drive to your MP3 player.

It turns out the Nomad Zen is much more amenable to a hard-drive transplant procedure than the Nomad Jukebox 3. Having done both procedures, we have to advise against swapping the hard-disk on the Nomad Jukebox 3 (NJ3).

In the course of operating on the NJ3, we somehow damaged the LCD display such that it is no longer rendering a row or two of pixels. The player still works fine, and the display is legible, but the display now has a gap in it where those pixels aren't being drawn. The problem is one of motherboard layout, and two of the NJ3's hard-drive mounting screw holes (located on the motherboard) are perilously close to the LCD display's glass.

We were careful. We took our time. And we still damaged the unit. So for this reason, unless your current NJ3 hard-drive is dead or dying, or you just have to have more space and want to try the procedure anyway, do not try this at home. New 2.5" 40GB laptop hard-drives are currently priced at around $110-130, and 60GB drives are going for about $165. We have found a few 80GB laptop drives on the market, but they're priced at anywhere from around $260 up to $515.

To get an idea how much capacity a larger hard-drive will give you, let's take a look at some numbers: Capacity (GB) Minutes Hours Days Weeks Price 20 21,845 364 15 2.2 Check Prices 30 32,768 546 23 3.3 Check Prices 40 43,691 728 30 4.3 Check Prices 60 65,536 1,092 46 6.5 Check Prices 80 87,381 1,456 61 8.7 Check Prices This data is based on using a constant bit-rate of 128Kbits/sec, and for the sake of covering the sublime and the ridiculous we've converted the capacity into days and even weeks of playing time. Already with a 20GB drive, you got over two straight weeks of playing time, but a 60GB drive triples that up to six-and-a-half weeks.

Of course, the bigger drive also makes higher bit rates like 320Kbits/sec or even uncompressed wave files an option for better audio fidelity. Here's the storage capacity using uncompressed audio: Capacity (GB) Minutes Hours 20 1,997 33 30 2,996 50 40 3,995 67 60 5,992 100 80 7,990 133

Tools you'll need: Small Phillips-head screwdriver Flat-head jeweler's screwdriver A small finger bowl (a place to put the tiny screws while you're working) A clean table with good illumination so you can see what you're doing. A new 2.5" slim laptop hard-drive (9.5mm high).

Prepping the O.R. Be sure to download and install all of the latest firmware updates for your Nomad 3 or Zen before beginning this process. After you complete the hard-drive swap and close your Nomad back up, you'll need to re-install the latest version of the firmware, at which point, your new and improved Nomad should be good to go.

Also be sure to BACK UP the contents of your Nomad to your PC, so that you can run AudioSync and copy your entire library down to the player with its newer, bigger hard-drive.

If you have an anti-static mat, lay it out on the table as an extra level of precaution. For the NJ3, you'll also want a padded surface of some kind (we used a folded bandana), since to get the NJ3 open you'll need to remove screws from the bottom of the unit. While doing this, the padded surface will prevent the player's top-side buttons or the LCD display cover from being crunched.

Since the NJ3 uses removable Li-ion batteries, it's a good idea to remove the battery so that the patient doesn't inadvertently "wake up" in the middle of the operation. Here's how to open up each player, so you can get access to the hard drive Nomad Zen:

The back panel is fastened to the chassis by four tiny screws. Remove these four screws, and place them in the finger bowl. These screws are tiny, and very easy to lose, so wherever you put them, make sure you don't misplace them.

Next, gently lift the back panel off the back of the player, which will expose the hard-drive. You'll see a tear-away sticker, which once broken, will void your warranty. This is the point of no-return (as far as your warranty goes), so make sure you're ready, and let's move on.

Nomad 3

The bottom panel is fastened to the chassis by five tiny screws. You'll need to first remove the four rubber feet, which conceal these screws. The rubber feet can be removed with either a small flat-head screwdriver or even a butter knife.

The fifth screw is in the battery compartment, which should be open (you DID remove the battery, right?).

Once you've pulled the feet off, remove these four screws, and then holding the player like a sandwich, turn it over right side up. Now SLOWLY REMOVE the top cover from the player.

There's a thin aluminum clip that holds the hard-drive in place. Using the flat-head jeweler's screwdriver, gently release the clip's two latch points from one side of it.

Once those are freed, you can gently remove the other side's latch points by hand as you lift the clip away.

Using a small flat-head screwdriver, from the top side of the drive, GENTLY wedge the screwdriver between the drive and the Zen chassis, and lever the drive until you can get your fingers on it, and then lift it out topside first.

Be careful of the hard-drive's delicate ribbon cable, which is very thin.

You'll want to remove the light blue spongy material, as it will give you better access to the ribbon cable/hard-drive connector.

Now gently remove the data/power connector from the drive. Be sure that your thumb is right up against the connector, and that your index finger is on the back of the connector. Gently wiggle the connector until the drive comes free. This is where things get dicey with the NJ3. There are four hard-drive mounting screws that need to come off, and two of them are positioned dangerously close to the LCD display's glass.

Be VERY careful removing these two top screws, as this is where we got ourselves into a bit of trouble, and wound up damaging the LCD display.

Next up, remove the two motherboard brass mounting screws, which are located on the lower half of the motherboard.

You're now ready to remove the motherboard and hard-drive together. But before you do, be aware that there is a ribbon cable that's hard-wired to the bottom shell case, as well as a thin ribbon cable for the IR receiver.

When you remove the hard-drive, there are four spacer rings that maintain a gap between the hard-drive and the motherboard that will likely fall onto your table. Here's what they look like:

In addition, the power switch button will likely fall off. However it's easily put back in place when the time comes to re-install the motherboard/hard-drive.

Next, gently remove the hard-drive/motherboard from the lower case shell. Keep the motherboard in your hand, being careful not to strain either the power-supply cable or IR cable. With your other hand, grip the hard-drive, and GENTLY begin to wiggle it out of its connector socket in the direction the red arrow is pointing in this picture: Nomad Zen Remove the four small mounting screws that are in the old hard-drive. They don't actually mount the hard-drive in the Zen, but help to tighten up the fit to make sure the drive doesn't move inside the Zen's chassis.

Take the new hard-drive and first connect its data/power connector, making sure to place the drive in with the label side facing up.

Use the same grip on the ribbon cable as you used to remove it from the old drive. After you line up the pins, push the drive connector onto the hard-drive using your index finger.