Thanks for the replys.
Probably 32GiB, I don't think the question has ever arisen before but we conducted experiments on UPDs (USB Pen Drives) for use with the HD-FOX and 32GiB was the smallest that would work
Good to hear, I have a 120GB sitting spare.
The jury is out over whether an SSD is a good idea - I wore one out in about 12 months IIRC (although it was an early model), but others say the write cycle specifications for current models should withstand PVR use with TSR buffer etc for a significant time.
Endurance has been good for a while now so I'm not concerned. I wouldn't throw a low capacity QLC based drive in there though, a higher capacity maybe but it would be wasted space.
I can't help thinking you will find even 256GB limiting. Yes, it should be possible with rigorous housekeeping (and is what I aspire to without actually achieving), but there have been plenty of stories of filling the space up and fitting a bigger drive.
It's just a backup box, I do all my recording on a PC, this box will sit next to it so I can watch TV while at the PC and record when the PC is off (rarely). Anything that does get recorded on it will be offloaded onto the PC so space won't be an issue. I can probably hear it more than if it was accross the room but even then I'd still put an SSD in it TBO.
Is silence worth the cost premium and capacity limitation? The HDR-FOX can never be totally silent, it still needs an air flow to keep the internal temperature down. An HDD need not be noisy, especially if you deaden the contact between the HDR-FOX and the shelf.
Doesn't need to be silent but honestly I've got a lot of HDDs and this thing is loud. It being right next to me doesn't help either.
Any adapter will do, it will simply fit into the existing drive+fan caddy.
3.5" drives have 3 mount holes on each side, some adapters are shorter and only have 2 closer together so they wouldn't all line up. Securing it with just one screw on each side would probably be enough to secure it, but I'd prefer to just get a full length one and not worry about it coming lose, dropping onto the MB and all that fun stuff.
Also, see your excellent disassembly guide, the slot on the fan caddy for the HD fan/power connector is narrow, not all adaptors have the drive mount points to the side to line up with that slot in the caddy, some are offset towards the middle slightly or just all the way over in the middle. You wouldn't be able to plug int the cables then as the connectors on the drive would be hidden by the caddy.
@Daza It's not the fan you are hearing is it? (As it's been warm of late.)
Unfortunately not, the fan doesn't come on until the drive hits 55C, I double checked it wasn't spinning. I then removed the drive and connected it to my PC via an external HDD dock. The rotational noise of the platters is loud but also the seek noise is the loudest I've heard for a ~5400RPM disk. It's probably mostly caused by age.
I would say more noise comes from the fan that the HDD, given a reasonable non-resounding surface on which the unit is mounted.
The fan appears to exist primarily to keep the HDD cool, so if there is no HDD, do you need the fan to run much, or at all?
Now there is an interesting test, especially with the current weather.
32GB is the minimum because 20GB of it gets hived off for the TSR facility, and you can't do that with a 16GB SSD.
When the fan first kicks in their both as bad as each other TBO, just different types of noise but both intolerable when right next to them. This drive is probably a lot louder than when it was new. Thanks to the custom firmware I've already tamed the fan, if it's going to be quiet enough when an SSD is in there or as you say needed at all we shall see.
Will throw a 120GB SSD in tomorrow and see what's what. Thanks for your help.