Compact Flash to Sata - Reader o Adapter

[pointertovoid]

Hi you all,

Compact Flash (CF) cards exceed the speed of USB 2.0 card readers: the best such reader I know (Digisol 47200 with chip UT335) saturates around 24MB/s.

USB 3.0 card readers look unusable with W2k up to now for lack of a USB 3.0 chip driver.

Apart from Firewire, one good solution for W2k would be a Sata to CF reader or adapter.

Sata1500 would suffice, we have some Sata3000 drivers for W2k, and even a hot ejector for fixed disks:

HotSwap! v2.0.0.0 http://mt-naka.com/hotswap/file/HotSwap!%202.0.0.0.ZIP (latest working on W2k)

from http://mt-naka.com/hotswap/index_enu.htm

<bow>arigato gozaimasu</bow>

Though, the only adapter I've tried (no-name HX-1223) isn't that good:

<30MB/s, not observable in the Bios, seems to freeze shortly the machine...

So, did you observe better ones? DeLock? Lian-li CR-CF01 maybe, as benchmarks look good?

Either front bay adapters, 2.5" or 3.5", or external readers, or even bare adapters, I don't care too much...

And I don't need other formats like SD, for which my USB 2.0 reader is good enough.

Thank you!

[jaclaz]

Compact Flash (CF) cards exceed the speed of USB 2.0 card readers: the best such reader I know (Digisol 47200 with chip UT335) saturates around 24MB/s.

USB 3.0 card readers look unusable with W2k up to now for lack of a USB 3.0 chip driver.

Why not an IDE adapter?

http://www.addonics.com/products/flash_memory_reader/AEUDMACF.asp

http://www.addonics.com/products/flash_memory_reader/adidecf.asp

I mean nowadays (IF your motherboard still has an IDE/PATA port) it is likely it is unused and you can use it for the CF card.

Or meet this thingy here:

http://www.addonics.com/products/flash_memory_reader/udd2.asp

jaclaz

[pointertovoid]

CF to Pata adapter: sure! I have such a CF to host the paging file and browsers' temp files on my PIII, whose i815ep Northbridge limits the Ram size to 512MB. Efficient.

And some adapter even fit a Pci slot or could be brought to the tower's bay side or outside the tower: I've done it for a P1 whose W95b wouldn't manage properly a USB 2.0 card reader.

BUT: from a Pata port, the CF card can't be ejected. I have to shut down the computer. Hot plugging in would be dangerous as well.

As well, many CF cards are slow if supplied with 5.0V from the Pata interface, and exceed Udma/33 only at 3.3V. Others make transmission mistake if loaded with a cable.

Hence my desire to eject the CF card, which must be possible at a Sata card reader and maybe an adapter.

Please recommend some!

[jaclaz]

Hence my desire to eject the CF card, which must be possible at a Sata card reader and maybe an adapter.

Please recommend some!

And what do you think this is?

Or meet this thingy here:

http://www.addonics.com/products/flash_memory_reader/udd2.asp

And this:

http://www.addonics.com/products/flash_memory_reader/adsacf.asp

I cannot "recommend" these particular items, I can only say that hardware I got from those guys has always been up to the expectations.

Generally speaking this kind of stuff is easier to find on sites specialized in mini-itx/micro-itx thingies.

Another one:

http://www.e-itx.com/sata-cf-mini-adapter.html

jaclaz

P.S.: On second thought, a IDE to CF adapter is a "passive" adapter, as the CF card is pin compatible with IDE and includes an IDE controller.

So you could use one of the "tested to be good" SATA to IDE adapters together with an IDE to CF connector adapter:

This site lists a few different SATA to CF adapters:

http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=16

but from the way they highlight the "non-hot-swap-ability" of the devices, it sounds like there might be problems (i.e. the hot-swap is seemingly not "default" on these thingies).

Maybe HotSwap!:

http://mt-naka.com/hotswap/index_enu.htm

might help, but would it run on 2k?

Just for the record, some info not very "widespread" about CF cards can be found inside this document:

http://www.acscontrol.com/pdf/Products/CF/IDEtoCF/IDE_to_CF_Adapter_Users_Manual.pdf

Edited October 25, 2011 by jaclaz

[pointertovoid]

Thanks Jaclaz!

Fun: e-itx' adapter is the no-name I got from eBay. And the mini-itx is the same as well.

Or maybe some are copies of an other, or all are just the straight implementation of the board suggested by the chip manufacturer...

Anyway, throughput made me less than enthusiastic with this adapter, and short freezes even less so.

Pity, the chip carries no name - I'd know which one to avoid.

HotSwap! does eject Sata disks from a proper host (so-called controller), even fixed disks as CF cards may be.

v2.0.0.0 is the latest working on W2k and it doesn't stop the spindle of a mechanical disks - just fine for a CF.

I hope the Sata-to-CF chip then ejects the CF side, not the Sata one... Needs a well-thought microcode.

I'll browse for users' comments about Addonics' products. Yes, they use to deliver working parts.

They also use to deliver the same banal parts as others do, but carrying their brand, for more money.

I come back when I've found Addonics' performance. Meanwhile, more suggestions and testimonies are welcome!

[pointertovoid]

I've tracked two used Firewire card readers on eBay, both sold for over 40 euros, imagine that. Both were the discontinued Sandisk for Compact Flash with Firewire 400 only, which doesn't suffice for recent CF cards - and I found no other brand or model with Firewire on sale. This looks like a bad solution.

The Sata-to-CF adapters have just a Sata-to-Pata chip, logically enough. The CF adapters I tested were slow, but the Sata-to-Pata adapters for 3.5" disks (chip RXD-628) were decent, so I have good hope to find a CF adapter with a chip good enough for CF. Difficulty: some chips are anonymous. Nothing, nada below the "QC" sticker.

One hard blow: the Sata 3.0 card readers are widely available in Asia, more or less in the US, but not in Europe. Same for the Hitachi 7K1000D disk. Looks like Europe is made of underdeveloping countries and immerging markets.

[jaclaz]

Hmmm.

I don't think you will like the price tag (Firewire 800) :

http://www.ebay.it/itm/FireWire-800-CF-Reader-/110759354205?pt=UK_Photography_MemoryCardReaders_RL&hash=item19c9c59f5d

jaclaz