Other To Smc Adapter

[Akuma no Houkon]

While shopping for an SMC I noticed that a few memory card formats also have little adapters, for example:

The memory card compact flash adapter converts other memory cards to fit into a compact flash slot. It could be used with products such as digital cameras, PDA, MP3 players, printers and other Compact Flash equipped products.

1. Converts Smart Media card, Secure Digital card, Multi Media Card, Memory Stick to standard Compact Flash Format

http://www.semsons.com/4in1comflasc.html

Does anyone know of any adapter similar to this but one that converts other media to Smart Media?

I found a Picture Card to SmartMedia Adapter but I dont like the format, I mean more like Compact Flash Format and Memory Stick cards.

Anyone find one? and/or try one on the GP32 to see if it works? As long as the adapter is 3.3v it should...

 

[Efompor]

I'm not sure, but that certainly seems like an interesting prospect... could you get higher than 128mb if it worked?

 

[washo]

nothing higher than 128 will work since it is the bios limit
if you wanna more then you will have to rewrite the bios

see you :lol:

 

[Efompor]

Really? That's very interesting, I never really questioned why the GP32 couldn't go above 128mb SMCs... is there a voltage problem with SMC's above 128mb (I've heard something about this in the past)?. Because if there isn't and the only thing holding us back from using them is the BIOS, then why the hell hasn't anyone modded the BIOS yet

 

[Akuma no Houkon]

nothing higher than 128 will work since it is the bios limit
if you wanna more then you will have to rewrite the bios

see you :lol:

Are you certain? Where are the technical specs that say this?

Without official documentation I doubt the validity of that statement. Sure it has a 3.3v limit because of the way the reader is designed. But having a hardcoded memory limit is just plain stupid and I dont think they would do that, thats like a PC hardcoding the bios so it can only read CDs that are under 300 MB, just doesnt make sense.

On every camera, pda, etc.. I have seen, I have never seen them mention any size limit, ever. I have seen them mention voltage limits, because the reader is only capable of so much, but if someone made a larger card, using the proper voltage, all these systems could use them no problem, I dont see how the GP32 would be any different.

Do you have techinical documentiation on this subject? Have you tried a 3.3v adapter with a larger flash card of a different type?

Reguardless, its not about the size that I want a adapter, its about SmartMedia cards no longer being sold in my area. The Circuit City and similar stores are not going to stock them anymore. I would like a adapter so I can have more options for media. I dont think I would WANT a card higher than 128 MB, thats just more games and programs to use up my precious erase cycles.

Seriously though, if you have docs that mention this limit, I would like to see them. Curiosity.

 

[Squidge]

Yes, there's a limit of 128mb on SMCs, and it's not just in the BIOS, it's also in every program compiled with the SDK, as the SDK also has the same limits. So changing the BIOS will make no difference - every program will have to be recompiled.

If you want the technical specs, they are available on Samsung's and Toshiba's site. You will then find that a 128mb SMC is already 2 64mb SMCs glued together, and that a 64mb SMC has to be split up into 4 zones because the original specification was a for a 16mb SMC.

 

[Akuma no Houkon]

You misunderstand, I dont claim that the SMC themselves dont have limits, they very well could. But if you had say, a MemoryStick to SmartMedia adapter (3.3v) and the MemoryStick was 256 MB, how would it react to that? Have you tried it? Has anyone? Do the adapters have limits? If not then you cant say for certain that it wont work...unless you know something I dont...

Although, as I said, I really dont care about the size, I dont want anything higher than 128, I just wanted to know where I can find a good adapter.

However if someone has tried this, or has some specifications or technical docs that show why this isnt possible (if indeed its not), I would like to see them, im a curious person and like to learn.

 

[psipoc]

This is my Cf 4 in 1 adapter it just totally rocks

Cheers

Psi

 

[Squidge]

Like I say, it's not possible, even if the SmartMedia is emulated via another method.

Why? For some strange reason, SmartMedia sizes are identified by a single byte. I forget what the exact bytes are, but say "142" means 2mb, "192" means 4mb, "64" means 128mb, etc. To find out the size of the card, you have to use a table to convert the identifier to the size. This is why a card over 128mb will not be recognized in anything out there at the moment - because no one knows what number they would decide to use to identify it.

Stupid way of doing, yes, but that's the way they did, so nothing we can do about it.

 

[NssOne]

Yes it has been done, somebody did the whole to SMC converter with a 256MB card some time ago, about the time I first started here. But it didn't work. People have tried, it doesn't work, give it up.

 

[washo]

for more info : http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=6989&st=0
here also : http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=6779&hl=
see you :lol:

 

[gearhead23]

Would it be possible to partition the card and mirror the file system on the other partitions?

 

[blastar]

smc > 128 = LOL


www.toshiba.com

...SmartMedia also costs significantly less than other types of flash memory. The reason is that SmartMedia is pure memory; we do not build a controller chip into each memory card. With competing types of flash memory, controller chips are built into each memory card, which is why they are up to three times as expensive as SmartMedia at equivalent storage capacities.

but feel free to update the controller-chip inside your gp32! LOL

blastar...

 

[Squidge]

There is no SMC controller chip inside the GP32, it's handled by the ARM9 MCU in software, so can be easily updated if a 256mb SMC was ever released. However, all the software out there now will need to be recompiled.

 

[Akuma no Houkon]

, it doesn't work, give it up.

Give it up? You misread, I could really care less if a 256 MB card worked on an adapter. Its was curiosity, no more. I just wanted to know if anyone knows of a good place to get adapaters. The storage size issue was just a side curiosity, as even if it DID allow for higher, I would never use it. Anything higher than 128 MB in flash is stupid imo. Thats just more files to waste your precious erase cycles.

I just want to know if anyone knows of a different SMC adapater than the one.

 

[rpgchocobo]

I never heard of antoher converter except the one. You don't really need it, though. A decent amount of movies and episodes fit onto a 128mb SMC. tons of games fit on one also. You should really just forget about it

 

[Akuma no Houkon]

Did you actually read my post? I state multiple times its not about size, I could really care less about size, its about the simple fact that most stores arround here are no longer going to carry SmartMedia cards. Even the big names like Circut City said after they sell what they have on the shelves, they are not going to order more.

They have been replaced by faster, larger media types.

I want an adapter so when my SMC fails in a year or two with extensive use (as they _all_ will, thats what you get with solid state storage, although some a year or so longer then others depending on how often you "write" to it) then I can just go to my local pc/camera/etc.. shop and get any ol' replacement card (as they wont be selling SMC's anymore)

Solid State Storage devices have a limited number of times that you can "write" to them before they stop allowing writes. (each brand has their own "no fail" # of erase cycles they promise, my GBA Flash Cart promises 10,000) Now although that may seem like a large number (and for GBA it is, because GBA games save in VRAM using a battery) but for this system where the games, apps, and emulators, write to the vram to the card, the amount of erase cycles starts to pose an issue after a couple years. Now I dont rightly mind, I expect that, and I dont mind having to buy a new one if I over use my old one. What I DO mind is that as of right now, the stores arround here are not going to stock them anymore, imagine in 2 or 3 years when my card goes belly up. (note that your cards WILL go beyond the promised erase cycles, but they could quit at anytime thereafter)

So, to get past this issue, I was hoping for a possible adapter (not for , maybe for CompactFlash or similar)