microSD Card Multi-Partitioning For Use With SCSI2SD

           There are two methods. One is for S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 / SP‑700 / DJ‑70MKII   and the other is for  S‑550 / W‑30 / DJ‑70



Multi‑Partitioning For S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 / SP‑700 / DJ‑70MKII Only
SCSI2SD

ANIMSTAR Note: All references to the SCSI2SD Board apply only to a v5.0α SCSI2SD Board with v4.6 firmware installed. It is unknown if any other SCSI2SD board versions will work. The instructions detailed below are for Mac and LINUX. If you know of a way to multi‑partiton using Windows I am interested so please send me an eMail


Ray Bellis has generously made available a very useful Command Line script for Mac OS/X or LINUX and an XML file which will configure the SCSI2SD board and also multi‑partition a microSD card for use with a SCSI2SD and the S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 / DJ‑70MKII samplers. This is extremely handy because it effectively sets up a microSD card into four equal partitions. This enables each of the four partitions to hold the equivalent of one CD‑ROM *.ISO file. Loading CD‑ROM sample discs has never been easier!

When trying to use the Mac OS/X built-in GUI "Disk Utility" program, I've had zero success partitioning a microSD card into four equal sections and make it work with a SCSI2SD board. The Mac "Disk Utility" program has a mind of its own and will only create four equal partitions which are either too large or will start at the wrong sector(s). This Command Line utility script by Ray performs the needed magic. If you have some basic experience with using the Mac O/S Terminal, UNIX or LINUX, the commands are very simple to use and instructions are included in the readme file. The *.XML file also contains useful comments about advanced features when using it to configure the SCSI2SD board. Configure the SCSI2SD device as shown in the image below, then SAVE the configuration back to the SCSI2SD device. The key to this new configuration scheme is to configure the SCSI2SD device by turning off the AUTO Start Sector setting, use offsetting sectors for each SCSI device and then set a new size for each virtual CD‑ROM device (781.25 MB). Follow the instructions provided by Ray Bellis in his readme.txt file for copying CD‑ROM *.ISO images onto the new partitions using the "dd" utility

Note: If you receive a "Resource Busy" or "Device Busy" message when trying to partition the microSD card, you will need to use Disk Utility (Mac) or Disk Management (Windows) to unmount the microSD card before continuing


The setup is in three parts

To use this configuration, you must use a microSD card 4GB (or larger)

     Part 1 ‑ Create four partitions on a 4GB (or larger) microSD card using scsi2sd_4x800M.partitions.img with the "dd" command
SCSI2SD

                    (The microSD card should be plugged directly into the computer, NOT the SCSI2SD device)

     Part 2 ‑ Copy your CDROM *.ISO files onto the microSD card partitions using the built‑in "dd" command
                    (The microSD card should be plugged directly into the computer, NOT the SCSI2SD device)

     Part 3 ‑ Configure the SCSI2SD board by using the scsi2sd_4x800M.cfg.xml file and the scsi2sd‑util utility
                    (The SCSI2SD board should be attached to the computer via a micro‑USB cable)



I can't stress this enough ▻ ▻ ▻ It is very important to note that you must be absolutely sure that when using the "dd" command, choose the correct device for your microSD card. If an internal or external hard drive is associated with /dev/disk2, the example commands in the"readme" file will need to be changed or else you might accidentally erase the main hard drive on your computer!


         DOWNLOAD SCSI2SD and microSD Partitioning Configs by Ray Bellis (for S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 / SP‑700 Only)

To save time, you can load the scsi2sd_4x80M.cfg.xml configuration file contained inside the ZIP file

LOAD it into the SCSI2SD device using the scsi2sd‑util utility and then SAVE the configuration back to the SCSI2SD device

  • Configure up to four SCSI devices and set them up as shown in the image below
  •     Select a Device tab 1, 2, 3 or 4
  •     Place a checkmark to Enable SCSI Target
  •     Choose a SCSI ID from 0 to 6
  •     Device Type = CDROM
  •     SD card start sector (this varies depending on the Device#) = Device #1 = 63 / Device#2 = 1600063 / Device#3 = 3200063 / Device#4 = 4800063
  •     Auto = OFF
  •     Sector size (bytes) = 2048
  •     Sector count = 400000
  •     Device size = 781.25 MB
  •     The remaining parameters are arbitrary and may be left blank (Vendor ‑ Product ID ‑ Revision ‑ Serial Number)
SCSI2SD


Note: The same scsi2sd_4x80M.cfg.xml configuration file can also be used to setup four 600MB virtual Hard Drives
Simply change these three parameters when using the scsi2sd‑util utility and then SAVE the configuration back to the SCSI2SD device
  •     Device Type = Hard Drive
  •     Sector size (bytes) = 512
  •     Sector count = 1600000
The size of each partition on the microSD card will still be 781.25 MB, just like a CD‑ROM
However, the sampler just ignores any extra space and treats the partition as a 600MB Hard Drive which is the maximum allowable size


Notes And Miscellaneous Info (S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 / SP‑700 / DJ‑70MKII Only)

❶ When using the Ray Bellis Command Line script for Mac OS/X or LINUX, it is possible to use the four new partitions on the microSD card as four 600MB Hard Drives ‑or‑ mix and match CD-ROM partitions with 600MB Hard Drive partitions (S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 / SP‑700 / DJ‑70MKII Only). To mix and match, use the Ray Bellis Command Line script, then use the"scsi2sd‑util" program and manually setup each of the four SCSI2SD devices to be a CD‑ROM or a Hard Drive. After doing so, use the "dd" utility to copy the CD‑ROM *.ISO files or Hard Drive image files over to the appropriate partitions. If you don't have any Hard Drive image files to copy... no problem! Just leave the partitions blank and then use the S‑7xx sampler's O/S to format the new "Hard Drive(s)" on the microSD card. If you use several microSD cards, I suggest numbering each one and keep a text file to track the partitions on each card. I have more than 25 microSD cards now and that's the only way I can remember the data on each card

❷ It is important to note that when using these four new partitions, the very first device on the SCSI2SD board starts with an offset of 63 sectors. This differs from the standard sector setting of "0" which is normally used when a microSD card uses only one giant partition. If you make any changes manually to the SCSI2SD board by mixing and matching SCSI devices, ensure that the first SCSI device always starts at sector 63

❸ When using this four partition setup, it is optimal to use a 4GB microSD card. Larger microSD cards may be also be used (I've tested microSD cards up to 64GB). Of course, any extra space on larger cards will not be recognized by the sampler's O/S. 2GB microSD cards will also work but the maximum number of SCSI devices you can use on the SCSI2SD will only be two

❹ For those of you who are curious to see what the microSD card partitioning looks like visually on a Mac when configured for the S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 / SP‑700 / DJ‑70MKII
               ● Insert the microSD card into the Mac. A pop‑up window will appear. Choose "Ignore"
               ● Run the "Disk Utility" program & click on the microSD card shown in the left window pane (Mine reads "Apple SDXC Reader Media")


SCSI2SD
The screen looks like this immediately after partitioning a microSD card using Ray's configuration files and running the "Disk Utility" program
SCSI2SD


This is what the default SCSI2SD utility microSD partitioning looks like compared to the multi‑partitioning method (4 x 700MB CD-ROM setup)
SCSI2SD

 
 
Multi‑Partitioning For S‑550 / W‑30 / DJ‑70 Only
SCSI2SD

ANIMSTAR Note: All references to the SCSI2SD Board and Utility Software apply only to the v5.0α SCSI2SD Board and the "scsi2sd‑util" Utility v4.6. It is unknown if any other board or utility versions will work

Based on the SCSI2SD and microSD Partitioning Configs provided by Ray Bellis for S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 / DJ‑70MKII samplers (shown above), similar scripts for Mac OS/X or LINUX can be used to partition a microSD card into four equal parts for use with the SCSI2SD and S‑550 / W‑30 / DJ‑70 samplers using the scsi2sd‑util utility. Configure the SCSI2SD device as shown in the image below, then SAVE the configuration back to the SCSI2SD device. The key to this new configuration scheme is to configure the SCSI2SD device by turning off the AUTO Start Sector setting, use offsetting sectors for each SCSI device and then set a new hard drive size for each one (80MB). Follow the instructions provided by Ray Bellis in his readme.txt file for copying Hard Drive disk images onto the new partitions using the "dd" utility. Note: This is slightly different from the process used for the S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 / SP‑700 / DJ‑70MKII samplers as shown above because the larger CD‑ROM *.ISO images will not fit onto an 80MB virtual hard drive for use with a S‑550, W‑30 or DJ‑70. This process will only work with 80MB Hard Drive image files


The setup is in three parts

SCSI2SD
To use this configuration, you must use a microSD card 4GB (or larger)
  • Part 1 ‑ Create four partitions on a 4GB (or larger) microSD card
    • Use scsi2sd_4x800M.partitions.img with the "dd" command
    • (The microSD card should be plugged directly into the computer, NOT the SCSI2SD device)

    Part 2 ‑ Copy *.IMG files onto the microSD card partitions using the "dd" command
    • (The microSD card should be plugged directly into the computer, NOT the SCSI2SD device)

    Part 3 ‑ Configure the SCSI2SD board by using the scsi2sd_4x80M_S‑550_or_W‑30_ONLY.cfg.xml file and the scsi2sd‑util utility
    • (The SCSI2SD board should be attached to the computer via a micro‑USB cable)



I can't stress this enough ▻ ▻ ▻ It is very important to note that you must be absolutely sure that when using the "dd" command, you must choose the correct device for your microSD card. If an internal or external hard drive is associated with /dev/disk2, the example commands in the "readme" file will need to be changed or else you might accidentally erase the main hard drive on your computer!


         DOWNLOAD SCSI2SD and microSD Partitioning Configs by Ray Bellis (for S‑550 / W‑30 / DJ‑70 / DJ‑70MKII Only)

To save time, you can load the scsi2sd_4x80M_S‑550_or_W‑30_ONLY.cfg.xml configuration file contained inside the ZIP file

LOAD it into the SCSI2SD device using the scsi2sd‑util utility and then SAVE the configuration back to the SCSI2SD device

  • Configure up to four SCSI devices and set them up as shown in the image below
  •     Select a Device tab 1, 2, 3 or 4
  •     Place a checkmark to Enable SCSI Target
  •     Choose a SCSI ID from 0 to 6
  •     Device Type = Hard Drive
  •     SD card start sector (varies depending on Device#) = Device #1 = 63 / Device#2 = 1600063 / Device#3 = 3200063 / Device#4 = 4800063
  •     Auto = OFF
  •     Sector size (bytes) = 512
  •     Sector count = 163840
  •     Device size = 80 MB
  •     The remaining parameters are arbitrary and may be left blank (Vendor ‑ Product ID ‑ Revision ‑ Serial Number)
SCSI2SD


Notes And Miscellaneous Info (S‑550 / W‑30 / DJ‑70 Only)

❶ When using the Ray Bellis Command Line script for Mac OS/X or LINUX to partition a microSD card, use the "dd" utility to copy Hard Drive image files over to the appropriate partitions. If you don't have any Hard Drive image files to copy... no problem! Just leave the partitions blank and then use the S‑550 / W‑30 / DJ‑70 sampler's O/S to format the new "Hard Drive(s)" on the microSD card. If you use several microSD cards, I suggest numbering each one and keep a text file to track the partitions on each card. I have more than 25 microSD cards now and that's the only way I can remember the data on each card

❷ It is important to note that when using these four new partitions, the very first device on the SCSI2SD board starts with an offset of 63 sectors. This differs from the standard sector setting of "0" which is normally used when a microSD card uses only one giant partition. If you make any changes manually to the SCSI2SD board by mixing and matching SCSI devices, ensure that the first SCSI device always starts at sector 63

❸ When using this four partition setup, it is optimal to use a 4GB microSD card. Larger microSD cards may be also be used (I've tested microSD cards up to 64GB). Of course, any extra space on larger cards will not be recognized by the sampler's O/S. 2GB microSD cards will also work but the maximum number of SCSI devices you can use on the SCSI2SD will only be two

❹ For those of you who are curious to see what the microSD card partitioning looks like visually on a Mac when configured for the S‑550 / W‑30 / DJ‑70
               ● Insert the microSD card into the Mac. A pop‑up window will appear. Choose "Ignore"
               ● Run the "Disk Utility" program & click on the microSD card shown in the left window pane (Mine reads "Apple SDXC Reader Media")


SCSI2SD
The screen looks like this immediately after partitioning a microSD card using Ray's configuration files and running the "Disk Utility" program
SCSI2SD


This is what the default SCSI2SD utility microSD partitioning looks like compared to the multi‑partitioning method (4 x 80MB Hard Drive setup)
SCSI2SD

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