PCMCIA Multicard readers - Page 2

Fingerlickin_B · 27 May 2008, 03:10

Yeah, I've got one of those in my A600 box.

Problem is that when using it no other devices can be used on the same IDE bus, which then limits me to two other devices...no good when I've also got DVD, ZIP & HDD.

Thanks for the suggestion though, it is still a good idea if you can afford to dedicate a bus to the one device

PZ.

Amiga1992 · 27 May 2008, 03:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fingerlickin_B

Problem is that when using it no other devices can be used on the same IDE bus, which then limits me to two other devices...no good when I've also got DVD, ZIP & HDD.

Why?
Did you change the jumper so you have it as slave or master?

Fingerlickin_B · 27 May 2008, 03:38

Yeah, I tried every possible jumper configuration, but it just wouldn't let another device work.

I read in another post somewhere that this is a common problem.

Anyway, I'm already thinking of wonderful ideas revolving these readers you are testing

PZ.

cane · 27 May 2008, 20:13

@Akira
Great that it works

I ordered one multicard reader last week, can't wait to see will it work. Off course I'll report if it works or not.

Amiga1992 · 03 June 2008, 17:41

Kick ass, Cane.
Report here

These are very useful.

One 2GB SD card can be found for 9 euro! :O

cane · 05 June 2008, 15:16

My PCMCIA multicard - SM, SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro - reader arrived today, and guess what - it WORKS.
I tried it with SanDisk MicroSD 256Mb card (using micro to normal SD adapter) and PQI 2Gb SD card and they work fine. Sadly I don't have any other type of cards at home, but I'll try to find some and see if they work. But I don't see any reason why they shouldn't.
Quick search on ebay shows that it's pretty common. But I got it from dealextreme for only $9.73 shipping included.

And here are some pictures of it, first the box:

Specs from box:

And the card itself:

Zetr0 · 05 June 2008, 15:31

Nice

!

Amiga1992 · 05 June 2008, 21:31

Amazing!
Keep these reports coming. This is a very useful thing!
I don't like to be stuck with CompactFlash, it uses to be much more expensive!

Amiga1992 · 13 June 2008, 21:34

The card I bought can be found in the UK in any Maplin store.
I just came from one and saw it there!

Calgor · 14 June 2008, 15:43

Been doing some research on these multi adapters, and have found it is common for some to only support up to 1GB in some formats (i.e. SD), and up to 128mb on others (i.e. MMC/SM). Mine is Sandisk 6-in-1 and has many limits. Biggest I have seen actually specified on any multi adapter is 4GB.

When the card is bigger, it seems to show up fine and as its size (e.g. 2GB), but on closer inspection, some of the files aren't listed. Alternatively, the card does not show up at all.

Also, some have maximum speed of 16MB/s, others I think are much much slower.

Unfortunately, barely any of them seem to state their specifications.

Now I know why my 1GB XD card could not be read in it, because it handled 512MB XD max!

@Akira

Does your 4GB memory stick pro duo actually still show all the files once it is filled to full?

Amiga1992 · 15 June 2008, 04:10

I dont know, it's not full. it would just not show up.

Calgor · 16 June 2008, 17:17

This site tells you a few things about card readers with heaps of test results, be warned your head might explode:

http://www.hjreggel.net/cardspeed/

Apparently the max transfer 16bit PCMCIA is capable of is 20Mbytes/sec (though I somehow doubt that the A600/1200 could do that on their slots, does not seem right):

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/10...mcia-bandwidth

Does anyone know of a pcmcia multi reader that has high transfer rate and handles large memory cards?

I imagine most multi readers are pcmcia adapters (esp the cheap ones) which should probably all work in amigas, with others being cardbus adapters and expresscard ones out now too.

Magic · 17 June 2008, 05:13

@cane
Thanks I just ordered one!
-Jeff

22 June 2008, 16:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by cane

My PCMCIA multicard - SM, SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro - reader arrived today, and guess what - it WORKS.

Hi Cane (and hi all guys)!!!

I've received on friday EXACTLY the same card (from DX too!!!) and I was trying to understand what kind of driver it requires to work...

Could U descibe pls, step by step, what's needed to be done to install/use it on a common A600 with KS 2.05 (37.300)?

Thx a lot!

(I've tried a couple of drivers from AmiNET but with no luck... this is the first time I try to using something different from a floppy on Amiga

)

Amiga1992 · 22 June 2008, 17:11

You only need the CFD driver and the FAT95 s filesystem.
CFD already brings a mountlist using the FAT95 filesystem.
Install the cfd device in devs, then the fat95 filesystem in L, and doubleclick the CF0: mountlist. You should be going.

cane · 22 June 2008, 17:32

Just as Akira said, you need only cfd driver and fat filesystem. You can find some information regarding PCMCIA compact flash (works for multicard readers also) readers here.

And welcome to EAB Douglas

22 June 2008, 18:54

First of all thx for your 0-minute answers, guys! (and thx for the welcome, cane

)

Now... (as I said I've always and just used DFx: as pheriperals... never used a different kind of storage, so I'm a newbie concerning with PCMCIA and adapters

)

1) I've downloaded and installed fat95.lha (now I have "fat95" file into L dir)
2) I've downloaded cfd.lha: then I copied both compactflash.device and CF0 files into DEVS dir, and CF0.info into the root dir of my WB disk

But when I double click the CF0 icon I just get this error message:

"SOFTWARE FAILURE:
C:Mount
Program failed (error #80000004)
Wait for disk activity to finish" (with Suspend/Reboot buttons to choose from)

Now... I can't understand If I did anything wrong during install, or the PCMCIA slot doesn't properly work (this is the 1st time I test it).

If I click on pcmciacheck tool (without any arguments) in the CFD package I get this message:

"OUTPUT WINDOW
Bitte Zieldatei angeben"

(I think it's deutch, but don't know what it means

)

Using pcmciaspeed tool, I get this message:

"Chip RAM: 1273 ns
0: 1272/1730/1272 ns
1: 1271/1734/1273 ns
2: 1273/1736/1272 ns
3: 1914/1761/1273 ns"

but I still don't know what they refer to... :|

Any hint? Now I'll try to understand the tool output messages...

Thx 4 your help!!!

22 June 2008, 18:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Douglas

"OUTPUT WINDOW
Bitte Zieldatei angeben"

According to Babelfish this should mean: "Indicate please target file"

While launching cfddebug I get this output message:

"compactflash.device is not active"

Should I include it in any startup file or similar?

Amiga1992 · 22 June 2008, 19:25

You made a mistake there, go back there and put the file CF0 in the same place where CF0.info is!
CF0 is the mountlist and CF0.info is its icon. The icon won't do anything without a file in this case.
The best place to put these is ins System:Storage/Devs, by the way.

compactflash.device is not active because you haven't mounted the pcmcia reader and its card.
Also, make sure you have the card inserted in the reader before mounting it. ``

cane · 22 June 2008, 19:48

It's been a while since I installed cfd and fat so I don't remember all the details, but Akira is more recently involved.
I've put in the zone adf image of everything set up to work when you boot it from floppy. (How to get access to zone - clicky)

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27 May 2008, 03:10	#21
Fingerlickin_B Amiga Nut Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Belco, Australia Posts: 2,242	Yeah, I've got one of those in my A600 box. Problem is that when using it no other devices can be used on the same IDE bus, which then limits me to two other devices...no good when I've also got DVD, ZIP & HDD. Thanks for the suggestion though, it is still a good idea if you can afford to dedicate a bus to the one device PZ.

27 May 2008, 03:38	#23
Fingerlickin_B Amiga Nut Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Belco, Australia Posts: 2,242	Yeah, I tried every possible jumper configuration, but it just wouldn't let another device work. I read in another post somewhere that this is a common problem. Anyway, I'm already thinking of wonderful ideas revolving these readers you are testing PZ.

27 May 2008, 20:13	#24
cane Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: .hr Age: 45 Posts: 540	@Akira Great that it works I ordered one multicard reader last week, can't wait to see will it work. Off course I'll report if it works or not.

03 June 2008, 17:41	#25
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,646	Kick ass, Cane. Report here These are very useful. One 2GB SD card can be found for 9 euro! :O

05 June 2008, 15:16	#26
cane Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: .hr Age: 45 Posts: 540	My PCMCIA multicard - SM, SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro - reader arrived today, and guess what - it WORKS. I tried it with SanDisk MicroSD 256Mb card (using micro to normal SD adapter) and PQI 2Gb SD card and they work fine. Sadly I don't have any other type of cards at home, but I'll try to find some and see if they work. But I don't see any reason why they shouldn't. Quick search on ebay shows that it's pretty common. But I got it from dealextreme for only $9.73 shipping included. And here are some pictures of it, first the box: Specs from box: And the card itself:

05 June 2008, 15:31	#27
Zetr0 Ya' like it Retr0? Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: United Kingdom Age: 49 Posts: 9,768	Nice !

05 June 2008, 21:31	#28
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,646	Amazing! Keep these reports coming. This is a very useful thing! I don't like to be stuck with CompactFlash, it uses to be much more expensive!

13 June 2008, 21:34	#29
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,646	The card I bought can be found in the UK in any Maplin store. I just came from one and saw it there!

14 June 2008, 15:43	#30
Calgor (Amigas && Amigos)++ Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Anrea Posts: 999	Been doing some research on these multi adapters, and have found it is common for some to only support up to 1GB in some formats (i.e. SD), and up to 128mb on others (i.e. MMC/SM). Mine is Sandisk 6-in-1 and has many limits. Biggest I have seen actually specified on any multi adapter is 4GB. When the card is bigger, it seems to show up fine and as its size (e.g. 2GB), but on closer inspection, some of the files aren't listed. Alternatively, the card does not show up at all. Also, some have maximum speed of 16MB/s, others I think are much much slower. Unfortunately, barely any of them seem to state their specifications. Now I know why my 1GB XD card could not be read in it, because it handled 512MB XD max! @Akira Does your 4GB memory stick pro duo actually still show all the files once it is filled to full?

15 June 2008, 04:10	#31
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,646	I dont know, it's not full. it would just not show up.

16 June 2008, 17:17	#32
Calgor (Amigas && Amigos)++ Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Anrea Posts: 999	This site tells you a few things about card readers with heaps of test results, be warned your head might explode: http://www.hjreggel.net/cardspeed/ Apparently the max transfer 16bit PCMCIA is capable of is 20Mbytes/sec (though I somehow doubt that the A600/1200 could do that on their slots, does not seem right): http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/10...mcia-bandwidth Does anyone know of a pcmcia multi reader that has high transfer rate and handles large memory cards? I imagine most multi readers are pcmcia adapters (esp the cheap ones) which should probably all work in amigas, with others being cardbus adapters and expresscard ones out now too.

17 June 2008, 05:13	#33
Magic Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: USA Posts: 364	@cane Thanks I just ordered one! -Jeff

22 June 2008, 17:11	#35
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,646	You only need the CFD driver and the FAT95 s filesystem. CFD already brings a mountlist using the FAT95 filesystem. Install the cfd device in devs, then the fat95 filesystem in L, and doubleclick the CF0: mountlist. You should be going.

22 June 2008, 17:32	#36
cane Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: .hr Age: 45 Posts: 540	Just as Akira said, you need only cfd driver and fat filesystem. You can find some information regarding PCMCIA compact flash (works for multicard readers also) readers here. And welcome to EAB Douglas

22 June 2008, 18:54	#37
Douglas Posts: n/a	First of all thx for your 0-minute answers, guys! (and thx for the welcome, cane ) Now... (as I said I've always and just used DFx: as pheriperals... never used a different kind of storage, so I'm a newbie concerning with PCMCIA and adapters ) 1) I've downloaded and installed fat95.lha (now I have "fat95" file into L dir) 2) I've downloaded cfd.lha: then I copied both compactflash.device and CF0 files into DEVS dir, and CF0.info into the root dir of my WB disk But when I double click the CF0 icon I just get this error message: "SOFTWARE FAILURE: C:Mount Program failed (error #80000004) Wait for disk activity to finish" (with Suspend/Reboot buttons to choose from) Now... I can't understand If I did anything wrong during install, or the PCMCIA slot doesn't properly work (this is the 1st time I test it). If I click on pcmciacheck tool (without any arguments) in the CFD package I get this message: "OUTPUT WINDOW Bitte Zieldatei angeben" (I think it's deutch, but don't know what it means ) Using pcmciaspeed tool, I get this message: "Chip RAM: 1273 ns 0: 1272/1730/1272 ns 1: 1271/1734/1273 ns 2: 1273/1736/1272 ns 3: 1914/1761/1273 ns" but I still don't know what they refer to... :\| Any hint? Now I'll try to understand the tool output messages... Thx 4 your help!!!

22 June 2008, 19:25	#39
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,646	You made a mistake there, go back there and put the file CF0 in the same place where CF0.info is! CF0 is the mountlist and CF0.info is its icon. The icon won't do anything without a file in this case. The best place to put these is ins System:Storage/Devs, by the way. compactflash.device is not active because you haven't mounted the pcmcia reader and its card. Also, make sure you have the card inserted in the reader before mounting it. ``

22 June 2008, 19:48	#40
cane Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: .hr Age: 45 Posts: 540	It's been a while since I installed cfd and fat so I don't remember all the details, but Akira is more recently involved. I've put in the zone adf image of everything set up to work when you boot it from floppy. (How to get access to zone - clicky)

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