SD Card - Is there a limit?

[keiron99]

4000 isn't the limit. 30000 is the limit

What model Comand do you have?

I have yesterday had the firmware on my NTG2.5 updated to what the dealer tells me is the latest firmware (version 07/51/09/29/00).

Whilst it now recognises my 32gb card (previously it would not recognise more than 2gb), it does not read all the folders and files - it stops at the 256th folder. So, I am stuck with a 256 albums limit.

 

[wilsodg]

You have to build a multi-level folder structure.
up to 256 top level folders, with albums (no more than 256) in each of these iirc.

As I put in an earlier post, life's too short. Much as I loathe Apple, I gave up and plugged an ipod classic into the media interface and it just.. works. I just update it periodically with new music - it has my entire 30k tracks collection on it all searchable (through command) by artist, song, album etc. with playlists. I also tried with a 1.75" (200gb) hard drive whcih worked fine but was not searchable. I don't need that many tracks, but I can't be bothered to decide before I leave what I might or might not want to listen to in the car. This is almost zero maintenance.

 

[keiron99]

You have to build a multi-level folder structure.
up to 256 top level folders, with albums (no more than 256) in each of these iirc.

I did try that. I created a folder called "A-G" and put the first 256 in there, then a second folder "H-M" with a similar number, but Comand doesn't even recognise the "H-M" folder.

As I put in an earlier post, life's too short. Much as I loathe Apple, I gave up and plugged an ipod classic into the media interface and it just.. works. I just update it periodically with new music - it has my entire 30k tracks collection on it all searchable (through command) by artist, song, album etc. with playlists. I also tried with a 1.75" (200gb) hard drive whcih worked fine but was not searchable. I don't need that many tracks, but I can't be bothered to decide before I leave what I might or might not want to listen to in the car. This is almost zero maintenance.

I would do this in a heartbeatr (my previous car had an Alpine unit that worked in exactly the way you describe) but to add the media interface and then the iPod connection would cost in excess of £500!

 

[wilsodg]

I would do this in a heartbeatr (my previous car had an Alpine unit that worked in exactly the way you describe) but to add the media interface and then the iPod connection would cost in excess of £500!

Ouch. Sorry - for the cost of the iPod it's easy to justify - but I had not realised you would have to shell out for the media kit too. Now I appreciate why you are trying so hard.

 

[keiron99]

wilsdog - I have been playing around cretaing partitions (as opposed to simple folders) without much success! I used some free software called minitools and it appeared to create partitions but I coudn't see them in windows explorer.

Could you please advise how to do this?

 

[keiron99]

Just for info. I got a 64gb card (mainly for use on my video/media player) but my NTG2.5 reads it.

I still have the "problem" with the limit on folders and tracks, but I guess one benefit is it will let me rip higher quality/larger giles.

 

[keiron99]

[FONT=&quot]I need to slightly revise my comment on the 64gb card. When playing around with it on my PC late last night I noticed that in Windows Explorer it was only showing 32gb capacity! [/FONT]

 

[@MARK]

[FONT=&quot]I need to slightly revise my comment on the 64gb card. When playing around with it on my PC late last night I noticed that in Windows Explorer it was only showing 32gb capacity! [/FONT]

You didn't buy it from eBay did you?

 

[keiron99]

You didn't buy it from eBay did you?

No. I bought it from a big seller on Amazon (Komputerbay) with good feedback. I have been trying to establish whether it's a limitation of my card reader or PC but with no success.

 

[timdoyle91]

Just thought I'd weigh in as I've been having similar problems and found a solution recently (at least for my E-Class with NTG4.7).

There is a limit of 8 levels of hierarchy, no more than 255 items in each (items are folders or files). (255 x 255 = 65,025 items max.)

What I have done is divide my music up into folders with no more than 250 files in each.

I have approx. 5700 tracks, COMAND was only reading around 4700 previously but since I've split them into these folders it reads the whole lot. I've attached an image of how the root of my USB stick is now structured.

Hope this helps.

 

[sunnydude959]

Thanks for your reply guys.
Sorry for the delay in my reply, I was pretty busy.

I've concluded that it only takes FAT32, which in itself limits it to:

Max Drive Size: 32 GB when formatted on Windows computers using its in-built utility
Max File Size: 4 GB

However, it can be formatted with other tools - such as FAT 32 Format https://fat32-format.en.softonic.com/ and get bigger

In theory, I've also thought of a way to speed up COMAND reading the media - by trying to fiddle around with the allocation unit size.
This is basically the size of each 'block' of memory, or the little boxes that are put onto the USB drive/SD card when it gets formatted. Data from a file (say an mp3 song file) then gets spread and put into these boxes. The bigger the boxes are, less boxes need to be 'visited' by COMAND to get all the data together to play the song, so in theory its quicker. The downside of course is that the final box won't be filled up all the way, so a box that has 64kb of space might only have 3kb of data in it, creating a wastage of 61kb in this case.
However, given that on average (say that on average half of the final allocation unit is wasted) 32kb is wasted, 32kb is nothing compared to a 4 or 5 MB mp3 file, and is worth the trade off.

I am going to test my 128 GB SD card formatted in FAT32 with a 64kb allocation unit in my COMAND 3.5 system. I shall report back with my findings.

 

[sunnydude959]

I have tried it with 50 mp3 files and it works.

I have now copied the 60GB music folder on my computer to the SD card and I will see how that works in the car once the transfer has completed.


But it does recognise the formatting now at least!

 

[Falcon45]

I have a 64gb USB key on my audio 20 C204 and it works perfectly. I cannot see why the 'superior' command system will have any problems with sd cards.

My 2011 E250 CDI Cab recognises 2nd partition but not first???... Oops, just recognised 1st partition incorrectly formatted as ExFat... MUST BE FAT32 TO WORK

 

[BoristheBounce]

No. I bought it from a big seller on Amazon (Komputerbay) with good feedback. I have been trying to establish whether it's a limitation of my card reader or PC but with no success.

Don't assume because it came from Amazon is pukka.
Last year I bought an Ultra-High Speed card for my professional SLR camera, this was from Amazon not one of their suppliers, because I know what I was buying; on receipt I noticed immediately it wasn't right and sent pics off to the US manufacturer who came back within the hour to confirm it was counterfeit.
Not good I'm afraid!