CF-29 SD reader?

What SD reader will work in the CF-29 in the stock location? And will the oem one read SDHC cards?

My CF-29ETKGZKM doesn't have the reader, and although I could probably just get a cheap 6-in-1 reader card off eBay, I'd rather not use up one of the PCMCIA slots as I'm already going to fill one of them once the AKE BC168 PCMCIA dual USB2.0 card that I ordered off eBay arrives, and I'll probably come up with something I'll want to put into the other slot.


I just got this laptop, I've already done a couple minor upgrades (max ram, RocketFish Micro Bluetooth adapter, bought some styluses, etc), and I'll probably have more questions about other upgrade ideas I have soon enough, I just figured I should probably stick to one thing at a time.

 

We have a few units at work with the OEM SD card reader. I do not have any SDHC cards personally, but I think that one of my coworkers does as he is a serious digital photography buff. If nobody beats me to it, I will see if I can borrow one of his cards and check for you.

 

The SD card reader in my CF-30 will not even see a HC card so I'm betting the CF-29 won't either. I've never seen one in the flesh, but the OEM multi-card reader looks like it would be as hard to install as gps or wwan in that spot assuming you could ever find one.
CAP

 

I think I've read something about WinXP needing a hotfix of some sort to read SDHC cards in onboard readers anyways? But once that's installed would it work for SDHC? Or would I even need the hotfix? (Hmm. Seems toughwiki says the mk4/5 can read SDHC cards up to 8GB, but mine's only a mk2, and it doesn't mention anything about the readers on those one way or the other.)

All the pictures I've seen seem to indicate that it mounts directly beneath the PCMCIA slots, where mine just has a little flat blank held on with two screws.

Of course, even if I determine that said reader does work for SDHC in the CF-29 mk2, I still have to get the reader somewhere.

 

DiscoPanda,
The specs on my CF-30 specifically state that HC cards are not supported.
I was referring to the multi-card reader that goes where the wwan sled fits on the left side above the battery. The SD card slot on my 29 MKIV is under the PCMCIA slots on the right side. It looks pretty built in. I'm waiting for restore disks so I can't check it right now.
CAP

 

Every stock Panasonic reader I've got my hands on does not read HC cards.

And yes, I'm that Langly. XD

Anyway, good luck finding one!

 

My CF-29L reads up to 8GB SDHC cards. I've used Sandisk Extreme III and IV SDHC cards. But no, it officially does not read SDHC.

The CF-30 mk2 does SDHC, says so right on the box and port cover IIRC.

 

Finally got a 4 GB Sandisk Ultra II SDHC card and tried it in a CF-29L and it would not recognize it. The light would go on and stay on for a couple seconds, blink a couple times, then go off but Windows never did see it either as new hardware or add it as a drive. The card is confirmed to work in another machine, so apparently it is hit and miss if canuckcam can get his to work.

 

Well, so far I've had no luck on getting the hardware, but I found some other interesting stuff.

Seems Windows XP needs a hotfix to read SDHC cards with onboard readers. (Maybe some of the generic USB readers just tell the computer it's a thumbdrive or something else WinXP already understands?)
http://www.digitmemo.com/articles/219/adding-sdhc-support-for-windows-with-your-old-sd-card-reader/

As for the hardware, found the part number for the CF-29 card reader (DL3UPB484ARA), nothing on eBay for that, searching on Google gave links to two places "seling" it - bumblebeestoves.com (which directs you to partstore.com which I've read tends to rip people off), and http://www.ued.net/, which listed it as "backorder" - until I tried to order one, and after a couple days changed to read "This item cannot be supplied at this time". I'd be tempted to try http://www.heartlandsi.com/ except that I hear that their shipping prices are outrageous...

(On a side note, when/if I do get one of these and get it installed and working with SDHC somehow, I'm almost tempted to install uexfat.dll, exfat.sys, and the apropriate .reg patch to see if it can do SDXC too then.)

 

But make sure you have a slot for the reader. As far as I know Not all CF-29 are capable of installing OEM card reader. The unit with an option only.


ohlip

 

Looks like you are on to something here

At least a couple of forum members here are having problems reading 4gb or larger SDHC cards
I have no issues with my cf-19,cf-30,cf-74 reading the 4gb card that I have
That might be due to constant upgrading and service pack downloads that I install
It would be good if someone with problems could report back , and let us know if the microsoft patch works



Alex

 

Just a thought for someone smarter than me to consider. My SDHC 8gb cards are not seen by the factory slot but are happily handled when they are in the Kingston usb adaptor. I suppose the computer thinks they are a thumb drive. Is this because thumbdrives are usb and the onboard card slot is some other interface?
CAP

 

I think so on that one. The card reader in CF-29's was made before there were 8gb SDHC cards i think.

Most SD card readers cannot read SDHC cards at all. The USB adapter you have is newer tech and is made to read SDHC.

The newer CF-19's and CF-30'a can read SDHC cards no problem. I am using a 4gb SDHC card for readyboost in my CF-19 right now. It has no problems reading it.

 

Zippy,
The reader is in my CF-30 MKI, but the specs do say that SDHC is not supported.
CAP

 

Really i can run SDHC no problem but i am on vista not xp

-James

 

James,
What brand is your card? I suppose it could be like ram in the CF-28 and be choosy about brand of card.
CAP

 

Transcend 4gb SDHC class 6

Here is where i got it real cheap too. Even cheaper for me as i go pick it up from the warehouse. $6.50 compared to the $49.99 that best buy wants for a sandisk version.

Mwave Link

-James

 

James,
I've got one SanDisk ExtremeIII 4gb and one Kingston SDHC 8gb. Both flash a couple of times in the slot and then nothing. I'll just keep using the reader until I get a newer computer which is probably the same as saying forever!
CAP


















i

 

Keep in mind that there are a lot of fake memory cards coming out of China. They claim to be high capacity but they are just relabeled low capacity cards.

 

They came from NewEgg in real fancy retail packaging and they both work fine in the usb card reader so no worries there.
CAP

 

hey cap are you using XP?

-james

 

James,
I'm running XP SP2. I can't run Vista because I use a lot of special applications for navigation and hydrographic data logging and the people who write the software have told me they want no part of Vista. Based on my experience with a couple of office laptops loaded with Vista which people have brought to me for help I'm fine with that. Just my opinion, but I have asked a lot of people what they got from Vista and no one has given me an answer I found even faintly compelling. Likewise SP3 for XP. I ask and no one can tell me what the improvements are.
CAP

 

Well by what i have heard SDHC support on the CF-19 and CF-30 is vista only. I like XP but honestly if you have a tablet PC or anything with a digitizer it is worth the move over. I ran XP on my cf-19 cuz i know XP well and it has never let me down. But i figured I would load up Vista and give it a shot why not right?

So after loading it and getting everything setup i cannot believe how much better the Tablet PC functions are over XP. XP tablet functions seemed to me half worked on and just not alot of work put into them. Now that tablets are becoming a lot more popular when they designed Vista they spent alot more time with it. The writing recognition s by far much better and you can teach it to read your writing now a big plus as every one writes different. Also they added other features like pen flicks etc.

If you have a tablet it is much worth upgrading to vista. Other than that there is no reason really to upgrade besides the looks lol

So far all my drivers and programs are working without a problem so I am very happy with the install.

I will put the SDHC card in my CF-30 with XP and see if it sees the card. If it does then maybe we can mark this card as compatible.

UPDATE:
The SDHC card works in my CF-30 that has vista installed but i put it in the CF-30 with XP and it does not see the card. It will flash a few times but then nothing.


-James

 

James,
Thanks for that. As someone who immediately changes all appearance settings to Windows Classic when setting up a new install I am obviously not going to switch for the way Vista looks. When we first got some Vista machines in the office none of the printers or scanners we had installed were supported and on and on. Its all bloatware to me and I'm amused when people talk about installing Vista so their machine will see that last 700mb +/- of ram. Vista might see it but I suspect you get a net loss of available ram after Vista hogs all of it.
CAP

 

Hmm. Sounds like it could be a software issue rather than a hardware issue then, if they're the same mk CF-30. (And was that XP hotfix I saw ineffective, or just not applied to your XP install? Sort of curious about that...)

 

I have not installed the hotfix i will try that tonight. They are the same MK cf-30 but not the same machine.

-James

 

Bringing the thread back from the dead. My CF-29L, WinXP SP3, can read all numbers of 4GB SDHC cards, but 8GB seems finicky. HOWEVER, I can now say it can reliably read and write Sandisk Extreme III 8GB SDHC cards although at regular SD speed.

 

Just to add.
I have a CF-29LWQGPBM with XP SP3 and I have SanDisk UltraII SD+USB (an SD card that folds open so you can use it in a USB slot) and it works fine.
It is an SDHC, so that would seem to confirm it is a software issue.

 

I'll add to this list again... CF-29L (and CF-30 mk1)

Sandisk Extreme III 30MB edition 8GB SDHC: ok

 

OK, more info now.
Same 'puter as post 28.
I put the audio book of the first book in Peter F Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy on the card and it wouldn't recognise the folder. It was 1.1Gb.
I broke the book up into three parts each smaller than 0.5Gb and now the 'puter can recognise the three smaller parts.
So on top of it being a software issue there seems to be a maximum file size it can cope with.

 

More than 1 year ago, my CF-19mk2 with xp sp2 can't read the SDHC. After upgrade to SP3 , problem solved.

 

My .02 cents.... I use a Panasonic SDHC 6Gb card in my 30 MK3 with no problems. However, in my MK2 it will not work. It will blink the green light like the above poster described, but that's it. My manual on the MK2 states it is supported though?

BTW, I am running W7 on both. I am going to call Panny when I get a chance and see what they say. Though they are stating that they are not providing support for W7 for the CF30 MK2, just the MK3 which is lovely

There is a page I ran across a couple of weeks ago on the Panny site that had something to do with having to format the card? Do a search on there site for sd cards, then look for something about formatting. I will try myself as well.