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compact flash pinout question

M

Mad Scientist Jr

Jan 1, 1970
0
looking into the CF slot, the top left pin broke in my compact flash
reader, what is this used for and is it needed for the device to
function?
any help appreciated!
 
T

Terry Pinnell

Jan 1, 1970
0
looking into the CF slot, the top left pin broke in my compact flash
reader, what is this used for and is it needed for the device to
function?
any help appreciated!

I'd have thought the second question should be easy to answer by
replacing it in the slot and trying it.
 
A

Art

Jan 1, 1970
0
Is the pin indeed broken off or is it bent over?? Seen way too many with
bent pins, also a [pain] challenge to correct and confirm functional. At the
cost of reliable USB CF Readers??
 
M

Mad Scientist Jr

Jan 1, 1970
0
I'd have thought the second question should be easy to answer by
replacing it in the slot and trying it.

Well here's why I'm asking - it *does* function as far as I can see.
At least Win XP recognizes the CF card and I can browse the files. But
I don't know if that pin is used for writing files, or for certain
sectors on the CF card. So I am wary to use it for fear of losing data
or damaging my CF card.
 
M

Mad Scientist Jr

Jan 1, 1970
0
Is the pin indeed broken off or is it bent over?? Seen way too many with
bent pins, also a [pain] challenge to correct and confirm functional. At the
cost of reliable USB CF Readers??

The pin WAS bent, and when I tried to bend it back it broke. I figure
it's worth asking, is the top left pin used, then I don't have to go
out and get a new reader.
 
F

Florian

Jan 1, 1970
0
Piggybacking,


Pins 1 and 50 are both ground, so if your "top left" pin is either of these,
it's probably redundant, depending on how your reader and card(s) are wired.
Test by filling the card(s) with large files and checking the MD5 sums.

The CompactFlash spec is available at www.compactflash.org.
 
M

Mad Scientist Jr

Jan 1, 1970
0
Can you tell me how to check MD5 sums? Is there a utility for this?
 
F

Florian

Jan 1, 1970
0
Can you tell me how to check MD5 sums? Is there a utility for this?

Yes, there are quite a few. If you use Windows, try one of these:

http://www.google.com/search?q=windows+md5sum

What you need to do is select a set of files that just about fills up your
card, compute the checksums, and copy the files to the card. Then eject the
card, (perform any steps dictated by your card reader and Windows software
interactions to purge any cached card data; rebooting at this point should be
nearly 100% effective), reinsert the card, and verify the checksums on the
files on the card. If they match, you're probably ok to use this particular
card in your damaged reader.
 
A

Art

Jan 1, 1970
0
Understoood!! Cheers Mate, have a good day, Eh
Mad Scientist Jr said:
Is the pin indeed broken off or is it bent over?? Seen way too many with
bent pins, also a [pain] challenge to correct and confirm functional. At
the
cost of reliable USB CF Readers??

The pin WAS bent, and when I tried to bend it back it broke. I figure
it's worth asking, is the top left pin used, then I don't have to go
out and get a new reader.
 
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