Any way to increase memory

[Robti]

Hi just wondering if there was anyway to upgrade/add memory to the box,reason for asking is that I have around 1.5tb of recordings and it takes a little longer to browse the files than it did from new, and I used to have a mk1 TiVo and an add on could be added with extra memory so just wondered if anyone had attempted anything like this with this box ?
Thanks

 

[Black Hole]

Take the lid off an have a look, or if you can't be bothered to do that see the photos in https://wiki.hummy.tv/wiki/Hardware_Information where you will see the principal components are labelled. It ain't like a PC where components are fitted in sockets (at greater expense and increased rate of failure)!

Interestingly, there is a spare footprint on the PCB that looks like it could accommodate another DRAM chip, but it would be an extreme challenge to actually fit one - they look like BGA (ball grid array, where the contacts are inaccessible underneath the chip and only solderable in a reflow oven). But even once fitted, you have no idea whether the operating system is set up to expand into it, or whether the performance would improve if it did.

(I could have just said "no".)

 

[Trev]

The more entries that you have in the 'root' of the video folder, the slower will be the response to the 'Media' button. Putting recordings into sub folders, as in series recordings, will speed things up a bit as there will be fewer entries in the 'root'

 

[Robti]

Take the lid off an have a look, or if you can't be bothered to do that see the photos in https://wiki.hummy.tv/wiki/Hardware_Information where you will see the principal components are labelled. It ain't like a PC where components are fitted in sockets (at greater expense and increased rate of failure)!

Interestingly, there is a spare footprint on the PCB that looks like it could accommodate another DRAM chip, but it would be an extreme challenge to actually fit one - they look like BGA (ball grid array, where the contacts are inaccessible underneath the chip and only solderable in a reflow oven). But even once fitted, you have no idea whether the operating system is set up to expand into it, or whether the performance would improve if it did.

(I could have just said "no".)

But then I wouldn’t have had a nice explanation, I mentioned a TiVo in my op and that had the same problem but they managed to do an add on that held a stick of ram and that could be connected onto the board, but as I said thanks for explaining

 

[Robti]

The more entries that you have in the 'root' of the video folder, the slower will be the response to the 'Media' button. Putting recordings into sub folders, as in series recordings, will speed things up a bit as there will be fewer entries in the 'root'

Thanks I have set up a few folders (drama,movies,music,sport,entertainment & lifestyle), that I move recordings into and keep the series in their sub folders in the main folders.
I just thought to ask if it was possible, thanks for taking the time to reply

 

[Black Hole]

But then I wouldn’t have had a nice explanation

...at considerable cost in time compiling references etc.

I mentioned a TiVo in my op and that had the same problem but they managed to do an add on that held a stick of ram and that could be connected onto the board

Did you actually do that, and did it actually help? Opinion seems to be divided.

 

[Trev]

rob You do realise that you can do two separate quotes in one reply don't you to save two replys? Just like this.

(I could have just said "no".)

Your reply to first post goes here

But then I wouldn’t have had a nice explanation,

Second quote reply goes here.
Use the '+Quote' button.

 

[prpr]

just wondering if there was anyway to upgrade/add memory to the box

No.

reason for asking is that I have around 1.5tb of recordings and it takes a little longer to browse the files than it did from new

What makes you think that it's short of memory or that it's the reason for it taking longer?
Have you measured the free memory?

 

[MikeSh]

Hi just wondering if there was anyway to upgrade/add memory to the box,reason for asking is that I have around 1.5tb of recordings and it takes a little longer to browse the files than it did from new, and I used to have a mk1 TiVo and an add on could be added with extra memory so just wondered if anyone had attempted anything like this with this box ?
Thanks

On a related subject I'm of the impression that attempting to access an extensive list immediately after start-up increases the risk of a freeze/crash. SWMBO's box is pretty full and she often complained about it rebooting when she tried to use it. I persuaded her to leave it a minute or two after coming out of standby - to sort itself out - and, touch wood, it hasn't done this to her since.
According to the crash loss both boxes still occasionally reboot themselves when I'm not looking, but only every few weeks, which seems to be normal for these units.

 

[Robti]

No.

What makes you think that it's short of memory or that it's the reason for it taking longer?
Have you measured the free memory?

Sorry don’t have an answer for that but just thought to ask, I know this is totally off base but I rebooted my TiVo last night with a full hard drive from around 4 years ago and had a play accessing the files and then removed my cachecard which holds the extra memory and noticed it slowed down accessing the files not by much but you noticed the pause,then wiped the drive and repeated and no noticeable pause so as a layman I can only assume that the slight delay in accessing 1Tb of files is memory related.

Anyway my op was answered that you can’t simply add to the memory,thanks for the replies

 

[Black Hole]

If you use the command line, you can do systemy things like measure memory usage.

 

[prpr]

Sorry don’t have an answer for that..

I know.
FWIW, the Humax T2 as designed is not running a virtual memory environment. It has 128MB of physical memory and that is it. If it runs out, it crashes. This is not like your typical PC operating system which will have a swap file and memory over-commitment. It's the swapping that makes it slower (amongst other things on your typical Windoze PC).
The customised firmware changes this somewhat, as installing the WebIf causes a swap file to be created, and used if necessary, but listing the contents of the disk is not an especially memory hungry activity as far as I can tell. It's just that the more files you have, the more it has to do, and the CPU is not very fast. Adding memory to a system which has enough is pointless (even if you could do it).
You would be better asking "how can I change the CPU for a faster one". The answer is still the same though.

Your question is kind of like "if I put a bigger fuel tank on my car will it get me to work any faster in the morning".

 

[MymsMan]

"if I put a bigger fuel tank on my car will it get me to work any faster in the morning".

Possibly if it avoids the need to refuel enroute

 

[Trev]

Ah, just like having a swap file in your car then?

 

[MartinLiddle]

Adding memory to a system which has enough is pointless (even if you could do it).

I thought Linux used spare memory for cache (https://www.thomas-krenn.com/en/wiki/Linux_Page_Cache_Basics) so I would have expected to see some benefit from extra RAM?

 

[Black Hole]

I don't know what these figures mean, but:



(Sorry about the image, but webshell doesn't provide an easy way to capture text in iOS)

The amount of RAM might be auto-detected, or it could be hard-coded.

 

[prpr]

I thought Linux used spare memory for cache

It does, but if it needs the RAM to run stuff in, then it chucks away buffers/cache which can be reloaded from disk.

so I would have expected to see some benefit from extra RAM?

I doubt you will see the benefit on a T2 most of the time.

I don't know what these figures mean

Mem: 122 is amount visible to the OS (122MB of 128MB). 116 of that is in use and 5 is free (allowing for rounding).
Of the 116 in use, 32 is for buffers and 35 for cache.
116-32-35 = 48 (rounding) which is the amount actually in use for running code etc.
5+32+35 = 73 (rounding) which is the amount that could be free if needed.
Swap: 127 is the size of the file. 0 is in use so 127 is free.

If you look on the Resource Monitor thingy on Windows you will see similar stuff with different names.