One Xl-S memory question

[bairdjc]

I just got a refurb XL.S - I've had other Tomtom refurbs in the past and had no issues - saw a good price on this XL.S and bought it.

After plugging it into HOME and checking updates - the "old" maps of NA are ~ 900 MB while the "new" ones are 1.4GB. The device doesn't have enough memory, even if I wiped it completely clean, to *just* store the new map.

What gives?

I ended up sticking a 1GB SD card in the bottom and now it's happily d/l the map - but it seems really assinine to create a map package that doesn't even fit on the device without added memory!

 

[mvl]

As the capacity of tomtom's (and SD cards) have grown over time, tomtom has been making larger and larger maps.

Years ago when I got my LE, you could get really small "northeastern US" maps (<500mb), up to the best "USA and Canada" map at just under 1GB. The more expensive tomtoms came with larger memory, and you knew you had to get more expensive ones if you wanted an all inclusive map.

Now the same thing happens, but everything's been upped an order of magnitude.

The low-end devices have 1GB non-upgradeable memory and can only hold "USA and Canada" maps. The high end devices have 4GB builtin memory and hold the "North America" plus "Western Europe" maps combined, plus have an SD slot for further expandability.

When you get an older refurbished model, you have to face the fact that tomtom primarily focuses map development on its newer model customers.

 

[bairdjc]

Well I thought everything was going well but now after 4 HOURS OF WAITING it says it cannot install the map due to insufficient space, so evidently it does not include the SD card in its memory.

How incredibly stupid. So I can't upgrade the maps because it doesn't have enough memory? What's this thing look like on the inside (e.g. is the internal memory a SD card)?

 

[mvl]

From other posts, the internal memory is similar to SD ram, but soldered on. I haven't seen anyone actually attempt a modification.

I believe the XL is an either-or platform. That means you can use and SD card or the internal memory, not both. Once you plug in the SD, the tomtom ignores its internal memory.

Try copying all the files from your tomtom to the SD card (using an SD reader). Then delete the map folder on the SD. Then stick in the SD, and try to install your downloaded map.

You may find things are easier with a 2GB SD card, so you're not trying to squeeze in both a map and the program files onto 1 gig.

 

[Gilbert]

After plugging it into HOME and checking updates - the "old" maps of NA are ~ 900 MB while the "new" ones are 1.4GB. The device doesn't have enough memory, even if I wiped it completely clean, to *just* store the new map.

Pretty much all ONE models have 1GB of internal memory and think this is the very first time I read about someone being offered a map not intended for his TT device.

ONE models use the USA and Canada map which is different from the GO models' North_America map which is larger as you observed.

The ONE models, including the XL-S, should only be offered the USA and Canada map. The only explanation I might have is that you would have inputed the wrong model when shopping TT store or there's a new glitch that happened making your model wrongly identified.

ONE models also have a different characteristic when compared to GO models about handling internal memory or SD card: either internal memory is being used OR SD card. IOW, on ONE models, you can't use both at the same time.

 

[mvl]

Well, I just saw another post that links to someone attempting the soldering.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/poppap/sets/72157604869913140/detail/

I assume it was succesfull if they posted it.

If you have an sd slot, don't both with all the internal stuff and just use the slot.