Definitive Card Reader?

After constant problems with my USB Microtech CameraMate card reader (seemingly random PC freeze ups on three PCs!), I'm wondering if anyone has discovered sone other unit that functions reliably and without fail. I'd prefer that it read, like the Microtech, both SmartMedia and Compact Flash cards as well as my IBM microdrive. Others on this forum have mentioned similar problems with the Microtech device so I know I'm not alone. But does someone make a better one? DCS

David C. Scott said:

After constant problems with my USB Microtech CameraMate card reader
(seemingly random PC freeze ups on three PCs!), I'm wondering if anyone
has discovered sone other unit that functions reliably and without fail.
I'd prefer that it read, like the Microtech, both SmartMedia and Compact
Flash cards as well as my IBM microdrive. Others on this forum have
mentioned similar problems with the Microtech device so I know I'm not
alone. But does someone make a better one? DCS

Click to expand...

David,

I have the same problems with the Microtech reader and the Antec PhotoShute card reader. I recently acquired the SCSI version of the Microtech card reader and the problem disappeared.

Greg

Greg Schiemer said:

I have the same problems with the Microtech reader and the Antec
PhotoShute card reader...

Click to expand...

Greg,

Interesting... the Microtech USB seems to work fine for me. It's marvelously fast too.

Now, why the little Wacom Graphire tablet doesn't get recognized on boot-up unless it's unplugged and plugged back into the USB port, and why it interferes with the computer's sleep mode is another story.[sigh]

Will

Will Perlis said:

Greg Schiemer said:

I have the same problems with the Microtech reader and the Antec
PhotoShute card reader...

Click to expand...

Greg,

Interesting... the Microtech USB seems to work fine for me. It's
marvelously fast too.

Now, why the little Wacom Graphire tablet doesn't get recognized on
boot-up unless it's unplugged and plugged back into the USB port, and why
it interferes with the computer's sleep mode is another story.[sigh]

Will

Click to expand...

We've got two Microtech PCMCIA readers, one USB which works well on an i-mac but hates the G4 s!!! The other is a SCSI model which is fine as

long as it's not in a chain and you use the adapter that came with it for CF cards and not a third party (cheaper) one. We have also put an old

Powerbook onto the network as it's card slot seems bomb proof, and that is the reader used most often!!!

Neil

David C. Scott said:

After constant problems with my USB Microtech CameraMate card reader
(seemingly random PC freeze ups on three PCs!), I'm wondering if anyone
has discovered sone other unit that functions reliably and without fail.
I'd prefer that it read, like the Microtech, both SmartMedia and Compact
Flash cards as well as my IBM microdrive. Others on this forum have
mentioned similar problems with the Microtech device so I know I'm not
alone. But does someone make a better one? DCS

Click to expand...

I had the same issues with my USB Cameramate. After Microtech not being able to fix it (claimed it worked fine), I replaced it with a similar unit from SIIG. It works just fine. However, it does not handle SM cards. Check out Buy.com for this product. It's about the same price as the Cameramate.

Steve

Will,

I'm still not sold on the USB interface. I've had too many problems with USB devices and, as far as I'm concerned, it has no advantages over SCSI. I've gone back to using SCSI for my CD writer, scanner, card reader, Zip & Jaz drives. For me, SCSI has proven to be MUCH more stable and faster than USB. I'm holding out hope for Firewire, but I haven't used it enough to form an opinion.

Greg

Will Perlis said:

Greg Schiemer said:

I have the same problems with the Microtech reader and the Antec
PhotoShute card reader...

Click to expand...

Greg,

Interesting... the Microtech USB seems to work fine for me. It's
marvelously fast too.

Now, why the little Wacom Graphire tablet doesn't get recognized on
boot-up unless it's unplugged and plugged back into the USB port, and why
it interferes with the computer's sleep mode is another story.[sigh]

Will

Click to expand...

Greg,

The new computer came with USB, I plug stuff into it, and except for that minor Wacom glitch, it works as advertised, including a USB to old-style Serial convertor I figured for sure would be a problem.

I know computers are supposed to be deterministic devices but they don't seem to act that way.

My main objection to SCSI is what appears to be a lack of standardization and much idiosyncratic functioning, just as you experienced with USB. The Nikon LS2000 appears to like some SCSI cards much more than others from what I gather reading the Nikon support board. OTOH, I lucked out, it likes the board I'm using just fine.

I dunno about FireWire. There doesn't seem to be much mass consumer gear out there using it, and until a few zillion people are running it and complaining, the bugs are going to take a long time to exterminate.

One thing for sure is I'm not worried about computers taking over the world. If they do manage a coup, they'll surely fall prey to fatal error 334B-557 during their celebration party

Will

Greg Schiemer said:

Will,

I'm still not sold on the USB interface. I've had too many problems with
USB devices and, as far as I'm concerned, it has no advantages over SCSI.
I've gone back to using SCSI for my CD writer, scanner, card reader, Zip
& Jaz drives. For me, SCSI has proven to be MUCH more stable and faster
than USB. I'm holding out hope for Firewire, but I haven't used it
enough to form an opinion.

Click to expand...

...The other is a SCSI model which is fine as long as it's not in a chain and you use the adapter that came with it

And carry a green umbrella on Thursday? Last I heard, all this plug 'n' play technology and object oriented programming were gonna make all this stuff simple, easy to operate, and reliable.

OTOH, I remember hearing that about Fortran back in the days of paper tape too.

Will

Must agree with Neil:

THE WORLD'S BEST CARD READER IS A LAPTOP COMPUTER WITH A PC CARD SLOT!!!

At least for my Sandisk cards. I can use my wife's Pentium 125 or my super-svelte Sony VAIO and send images across the world.

Fuji make (there's that British English) makes a SmartMedia-floppy disk adapter that will fit in most floppy drives. A CF-PC Card adapter like the one you should have gotten gratis with your IBM Microdrive and you are covered (except for the Memory Stick format, which...guess what...USES A PC CARD ADAPTER TOO!!!!)

Another benefit of the laptop is you can use it in the field to store and catalog images (at least until the Palm PDAs and cellphones of the world become robust enough to catalog every photograph ever taken (give Nokia 18 months and they'll have that problem licked too). Just in case your IBM Microdrive platter shatters in the field, you will have enough images from the assignment to avoid a reshoot.

Also you can hook up your laptop to your home network and move images via Ethernet, parallel port or Infrared (if you dare)

I know someone else who goes the ancient laptop route. David Primm at

http://www.the-photo-guy.com

may have some additional insights.

Brian McLaughlin

http://homepages.uc.edu/~mclaugbj

Will Perlis said:

...The other is a SCSI model which is fine as long as it's not in a chain
and you use the adapter that came with it

And carry a green umbrella on Thursday? Last I heard, all this plug 'n'
play technology and object oriented programming were gonna make all this
stuff simple, easy to operate, and reliable.

OTOH, I remember hearing that about Fortran back in the days of paper
tape too.

Will

Click to expand...

Yep, you're right. I take along a Sony Picture Book and use the PCMCIA adaptor to download stuff. It never fails. But my desktops down have PCMCIA slots and a card reader seems a cheap, easy solution. Not so, in my case. Ordinarily, however, I can unplug and replug the Microtech CameraMate USB cable and the thing will work. Not always, but usually. Just seems it ought not to be so complicated. DCS

Brian said:

THE WORLD'S BEST CARD READER IS A LAPTOP COMPUTER WITH A PC CARD SLOT!!!

At least for my Sandisk cards. I can use my wife's Pentium 125 or my
super-svelte Sony VAIO and send images across the world.

Fuji make (there's that British English) makes a SmartMedia-floppy disk
adapter that will fit in most floppy drives. A CF-PC Card adapter like
the one you should have gotten gratis with your IBM Microdrive and you
are covered (except for the Memory Stick format, which...guess
what...USES A PC CARD ADAPTER TOO!!!!)

Another benefit of the laptop is you can use it in the field to store and
catalog images (at least until the Palm PDAs and cellphones of the world
become robust enough to catalog every photograph ever taken (give Nokia
18 months and they'll have that problem licked too). Just in case your
IBM Microdrive platter shatters in the field, you will have enough images
from the assignment to avoid a reshoot.

Also you can hook up your laptop to your home network and move images via
Ethernet, parallel port or Infrared (if you dare)

I know someone else who goes the ancient laptop route. David Primm at

http://www.the-photo-guy.com

may have some additional insights.

Brian McLaughlin

http://homepages.uc.edu/~mclaugbj

Will Perlis said:

...The other is a SCSI model which is fine as long as it's not in a chain
and you use the adapter that came with it

And carry a green umbrella on Thursday? Last I heard, all this plug 'n'
play technology and object oriented programming were gonna make all this
stuff simple, easy to operate, and reliable.

OTOH, I remember hearing that about Fortran back in the days of paper
tape too.

Will

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I got an adapter card, put it in the laptop slot..
what do i do next? There were no directions..

So i'm using cameramate...In desktop at work (3 month old gateway), at home, and laptop..
but so far school networked computer and friend's gateway 3 month old computer,
i can't get it to work..
so yes, sporadic at best, but when it works it's great!

Kate

David C. Scott said:

Brian said:

THE WORLD'S BEST CARD READER IS A LAPTOP COMPUTER WITH A PC CARD SLOT!!!

At least for my Sandisk cards. I can use my wife's Pentium 125 or my
super-svelte Sony VAIO and send images across the world.

Fuji make (there's that British English) makes a SmartMedia-floppy disk
adapter that will fit in most floppy drives. A CF-PC Card adapter like
the one you should have gotten gratis with your IBM Microdrive and you
are covered (except for the Memory Stick format, which...guess
what...USES A PC CARD ADAPTER TOO!!!!)

Another benefit of the laptop is you can use it in the field to store and
catalog images (at least until the Palm PDAs and cellphones of the world
become robust enough to catalog every photograph ever taken (give Nokia
18 months and they'll have that problem licked too). Just in case your
IBM Microdrive platter shatters in the field, you will have enough images
from the assignment to avoid a reshoot.

Also you can hook up your laptop to your home network and move images via
Ethernet, parallel port or Infrared (if you dare)

I know someone else who goes the ancient laptop route. David Primm at

http://www.the-photo-guy.com

may have some additional insights.

Brian McLaughlin

http://homepages.uc.edu/~mclaugbj

Will Perlis said:

...The other is a SCSI model which is fine as long as it's not in a chain
and you use the adapter that came with it

And carry a green umbrella on Thursday? Last I heard, all this plug 'n'
play technology and object oriented programming were gonna make all this
stuff simple, easy to operate, and reliable.

OTOH, I remember hearing that about Fortran back in the days of paper
tape too.

Will

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Inserting a PCMCIA adaptor filled with a microdrive or memory card should trigger in Windows 98 machines a process that indentifies the correct driver within Windows 98, installs it and then gives you access to the card as through it were an ordinary drive on your system. Works like a charm. DCS

Kate said:

Kate

David C. Scott said:

Brian said:

THE WORLD'S BEST CARD READER IS A LAPTOP COMPUTER WITH A PC CARD SLOT!!!

At least for my Sandisk cards. I can use my wife's Pentium 125 or my
super-svelte Sony VAIO and send images across the world.

Fuji make (there's that British English) makes a SmartMedia-floppy disk
adapter that will fit in most floppy drives. A CF-PC Card adapter like
the one you should have gotten gratis with your IBM Microdrive and you
are covered (except for the Memory Stick format, which...guess
what...USES A PC CARD ADAPTER TOO!!!!)

Another benefit of the laptop is you can use it in the field to store and
catalog images (at least until the Palm PDAs and cellphones of the world
become robust enough to catalog every photograph ever taken (give Nokia
18 months and they'll have that problem licked too). Just in case your
IBM Microdrive platter shatters in the field, you will have enough images
from the assignment to avoid a reshoot.

Also you can hook up your laptop to your home network and move images via
Ethernet, parallel port or Infrared (if you dare)

I know someone else who goes the ancient laptop route. David Primm at

http://www.the-photo-guy.com

may have some additional insights.

Brian McLaughlin

http://homepages.uc.edu/~mclaugbj

Will Perlis said:

...The other is a SCSI model which is fine as long as it's not in a chain
and you use the adapter that came with it

And carry a green umbrella on Thursday? Last I heard, all this plug 'n'
play technology and object oriented programming were gonna make all this
stuff simple, easy to operate, and reliable.

OTOH, I remember hearing that about Fortran back in the days of paper
tape too.

Will

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I've been using the Sandisk ImageMate USB for the last 3 months. No problem so far.

-Tuan.

David C. Scott said:

Kate said:

Kate

David C. Scott said:

Brian said:

THE WORLD'S BEST CARD READER IS A LAPTOP COMPUTER WITH A PC CARD SLOT!!!

At least for my Sandisk cards. I can use my wife's Pentium 125 or my
super-svelte Sony VAIO and send images across the world.

Fuji make (there's that British English) makes a SmartMedia-floppy disk
adapter that will fit in most floppy drives. A CF-PC Card adapter like
the one you should have gotten gratis with your IBM Microdrive and you
are covered (except for the Memory Stick format, which...guess
what...USES A PC CARD ADAPTER TOO!!!!)

Another benefit of the laptop is you can use it in the field to store and
catalog images (at least until the Palm PDAs and cellphones of the world
become robust enough to catalog every photograph ever taken (give Nokia
18 months and they'll have that problem licked too). Just in case your
IBM Microdrive platter shatters in the field, you will have enough images
from the assignment to avoid a reshoot.

Also you can hook up your laptop to your home network and move images via
Ethernet, parallel port or Infrared (if you dare)

I know someone else who goes the ancient laptop route. David Primm at

http://www.the-photo-guy.com

may have some additional insights.

Brian McLaughlin

http://homepages.uc.edu/~mclaugbj

Will Perlis said:

...The other is a SCSI model which is fine as long as it's not in a chain
and you use the adapter that came with it

And carry a green umbrella on Thursday? Last I heard, all this plug 'n'
play technology and object oriented programming were gonna make all this
stuff simple, easy to operate, and reliable.

OTOH, I remember hearing that about Fortran back in the days of paper
tape too.

Will

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

USB devices always seem to have problems but I find they work again with no problem when you unplug the USB conection and put it back in again. No need to re-boot the PC and I find this Caeramate cardreader very quick, especially with teh Microdrive.

David C. Scott said:

After constant problems with my USB Microtech CameraMate card reader
(seemingly random PC freeze ups on three PCs!), I'm wondering if anyone
has discovered sone other unit that functions reliably and without fail.
I'd prefer that it read, like the Microtech, both SmartMedia and Compact
Flash cards as well as my IBM microdrive. Others on this forum have
mentioned similar problems with the Microtech device so I know I'm not
alone. But does someone make a better one? DCS

Click to expand...

I haven't gotten my reader yet but heard enough to go ahead and take the risk. I read a thread somewhere on this site that mentioned underpowered USB slots. Seems using and external power supply solved the USB reader issue for that guy. Seems there is a lot of variance to the UNIVERSAL part of the USB.

Tuan said:

-Tuan.

David C. Scott said:

Kate said:

Kate

David C. Scott said:

Brian said:

THE WORLD'S BEST CARD READER IS A LAPTOP COMPUTER WITH A PC CARD SLOT!!!

At least for my Sandisk cards. I can use my wife's Pentium 125 or my
super-svelte Sony VAIO and send images across the world.

Fuji make (there's that British English) makes a SmartMedia-floppy disk
adapter that will fit in most floppy drives. A CF-PC Card adapter like
the one you should have gotten gratis with your IBM Microdrive and you
are covered (except for the Memory Stick format, which...guess
what...USES A PC CARD ADAPTER TOO!!!!)

Another benefit of the laptop is you can use it in the field to store and
catalog images (at least until the Palm PDAs and cellphones of the world
become robust enough to catalog every photograph ever taken (give Nokia
18 months and they'll have that problem licked too). Just in case your
IBM Microdrive platter shatters in the field, you will have enough images
from the assignment to avoid a reshoot.

Also you can hook up your laptop to your home network and move images via
Ethernet, parallel port or Infrared (if you dare)

I know someone else who goes the ancient laptop route. David Primm at

http://www.the-photo-guy.com

may have some additional insights.

Brian McLaughlin

http://homepages.uc.edu/~mclaugbj

Will Perlis said:

...The other is a SCSI model which is fine as long as it's not in a chain
and you use the adapter that came with it

And carry a green umbrella on Thursday? Last I heard, all this plug 'n'
play technology and object oriented programming were gonna make all this
stuff simple, easy to operate, and reliable.

OTOH, I remember hearing that about Fortran back in the days of paper
tape too.

Will

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

More than likley its your OS thats the problem not the card reader. Are you using Win98? I gave up and switched to Win2K. Faster and no more USB/device problems.

David C. Scott said:

After constant problems with my USB Microtech CameraMate card reader
(seemingly random PC freeze ups on three PCs!), I'm wondering if anyone
has discovered sone other unit that functions reliably and without fail.
I'd prefer that it read, like the Microtech, both SmartMedia and Compact
Flash cards as well as my IBM microdrive. Others on this forum have
mentioned similar problems with the Microtech device so I know I'm not
alone. But does someone make a better one? DCS

Click to expand...

I use the Delkin Reader-2 (CF, no Smart media) with no problems on three computers.

David C. Scott said:

After constant problems with my USB Microtech CameraMate card reader
(seemingly random PC freeze ups on three PCs!), I'm wondering if anyone
has discovered sone other unit that functions reliably and without fail.
I'd prefer that it read, like the Microtech, both SmartMedia and Compact
Flash cards as well as my IBM microdrive. Others on this forum have
mentioned similar problems with the Microtech device so I know I'm not
alone. But does someone make a better one? DCS

Click to expand...

In my case, an external power supply made no difference. I've reached peace with my MicroTech CameraMate simply by unplugging and replugging in the USB cable each time I use it. If I do that, it never freezes my PC. If I don't, sometimes it crashes. DCS

Jim said:

Tuan said:

-Tuan.

David C. Scott said:

Kate said:

Kate

David C. Scott said:

Brian said:

THE WORLD'S BEST CARD READER IS A LAPTOP COMPUTER WITH A PC CARD SLOT!!!

At least for my Sandisk cards. I can use my wife's Pentium 125 or my
super-svelte Sony VAIO and send images across the world.

Fuji make (there's that British English) makes a SmartMedia-floppy disk
adapter that will fit in most floppy drives. A CF-PC Card adapter like
the one you should have gotten gratis with your IBM Microdrive and you
are covered (except for the Memory Stick format, which...guess
what...USES A PC CARD ADAPTER TOO!!!!)

Another benefit of the laptop is you can use it in the field to store and
catalog images (at least until the Palm PDAs and cellphones of the world
become robust enough to catalog every photograph ever taken (give Nokia
18 months and they'll have that problem licked too). Just in case your
IBM Microdrive platter shatters in the field, you will have enough images
from the assignment to avoid a reshoot.

Also you can hook up your laptop to your home network and move images via
Ethernet, parallel port or Infrared (if you dare)

I know someone else who goes the ancient laptop route. David Primm at

http://www.the-photo-guy.com

may have some additional insights.

Brian McLaughlin

http://homepages.uc.edu/~mclaugbj

Will Perlis said:

...The other is a SCSI model which is fine as long as it's not in a chain
and you use the adapter that came with it

And carry a green umbrella on Thursday? Last I heard, all this plug 'n'
play technology and object oriented programming were gonna make all this
stuff simple, easy to operate, and reliable.

OTOH, I remember hearing that about Fortran back in the days of paper
tape too.

Will

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

David C. Scott said:

In my case, an external power supply made no difference. I've reached
peace with my MicroTech CameraMate simply by unplugging and replugging in
the USB cable each time I use it. If I do that, it never freezes my PC.
If I don't, sometimes it crashes. DCS

Click to expand...

i also do not require an external power source when using the cameramate and microdrive.

had anybody considered that maybe the motherboard is an important factor for USB operation.

i have an Abit BX6R2 (one of the best BX mobos ever made, well at least for us overclockers) and have had no USB problems [touch wood].

As I stated before, the issue is Win98. It has at best marginal USB support. It works substantially better in Win2k. It may work better in Windows ME.

David Birkin said:

David C. Scott said:

In my case, an external power supply made no difference. I've reached
peace with my MicroTech CameraMate simply by unplugging and replugging in
the USB cable each time I use it. If I do that, it never freezes my PC.
If I don't, sometimes it crashes. DCS

Click to expand...

i also do not require an external power source when using the cameramate
and microdrive.

had anybody considered that maybe the motherboard is an important factor
for USB operation.
i have an Abit BX6R2 (one of the best BX mobos ever made, well at least
for us overclockers) and have had no USB problems [touch wood].

Click to expand...