A.1 Using cards with more than 4 GB capacity 237
Appendix
A.1 Using cards with more than 4 GB capacity
Using very large memory cards can sometimes be necessary when doing
video or time-lapse work where the camera runs unattended, and it is in-
appropriate to change the card frequently.
The simplest option is to launch the CHDK manually after each camera
start with the function Firm update… as outlined in section 3.4. This should
work for most cameras.
The trouble begins, however, if you want to use the AUTORUN feature.
Partitions with more than 4 GB size MUST be formatted with FAT32, and
the CHDK does not boot from FAT32. The trick here is to run two partitions.
The first partition is formatted with FAT16 and is quite small: 2 MB is suf-
ficient. This partition only contains two files: DISKBOOT.BIN and PS.FI2. All
other files and folders are stored on the second partition that occupies the
rest of the memory card and is formatted with FAT32.
Unfortunately, only a few cameras support multipartitioned cards. For
supported cameras, you will find the two entries Create card with two parti-
tions and Swap partitions under
ALT > MENU > Miscellaneous Stuff. With
these menu functions, you can format a large card with two partitions
1
:
1. Install the CHDK on the card in the usual way. Load the CHDK with the
function Firm update… as outlined in section 3.4 and make a backup of
your card.
2. Now invoke the function
ALT > MENU > Miscellaneous Stuff > Create card
with two partitions. This will create a FAT16-formatted partition of
2 MB.
3. Copy the files DISKBOOT.BIN and PS.FI2 to this small partition.
4. Load the CHDK again using the function Firm update…
5. Invoke
ALT > MENU > Miscellaneous Stuff > Swap partitions to hide the
first partition and make the second partition visible.
6. Now format the card again. This will only format the second, large par-
tition. Because this partition is larger than 2 GB, it will be formatted
with FAT32.
1 The process reminds me a bit of the wolf-goat-cabbage-riddle: You have to
bring all three safely to the other shore, but your boat will only take one of
them.
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