SD Card Soap Opera Episode..err

[andyhamer]

Apologies on (yet) another thread..


But before i purchase a couple of 32gb Sandisk's, could i get some other opinions on if the SD's are (most likely to be) the cause of my many problems (see my other threads) so iv'e been running the Pandora for most of today without any SD cards mounted (using midori) and apart from some midori crashes & wi-fi resetting/timeouts etc i haven't had any lockups/freezes at all (my main problem) i did just install deadbeef & some mp3's with a new small card i found, and as soon as i clicked on the add file icon the Pandora froze again & i had to hard-reset (incidentally why does the time on the Pandora screw up when i do this?) what i am wondering before i shell out another £80 i can't really afford, is there a more fundamental/hardware fault that could be causing similar issues (say with the SD slots) and has anyone else experienced similar issues and did different SD cards fix the problems?


Thanks.

 

[vadsamoht]

Alerino is right, 32GB cards are known to be temperamental. In general, i'd suggest you stick to 16GB or below and nothing over Class 6. This will also make things cheaper in the case that it is *not* your SD Card.


As for why your pandora freezes on loading apps from SD, there could be many reasons, only one of which is that the SD card is corrupting or badly reading the PD.

 

[Nintendo]

I know it has not been advised, but go for a Sandisk 32GB (Class 4) SDHC card.

 

[andyhamer]

Well for the time being i've ordered a 16gb class 4 Sandisk from Amazon, if that solves the problems then i am good to go and may consider a 32gb (are 32gb Sandisks OK or not?, there are a lot of conflicting opinions flying around) if it doesn't i guess it's then time to contact OP for an RMA.

 

[vadsamoht]

Well for the time being i've ordered a 16gb class 4 Sandisk from Amazon, if that solves the problems then i am good to go and may consider a 32gb (are 32gb Sandisks OK or not?, there are a lot of conflicting opinions flying around) if it doesn't i guess it's then time to contact OP for an RMA.

Sandisk are a good brand, but I'd still stay at 16GB or under, just to be safe.

 

[neko]

The problems that I've seen with SD cards are random errors or that the card is not recognized until you eject it and put it back in again. I haven't seen any hard lockups.


I have a 64 GB Sandisk card and it is fine. The only reason to avoid 32+ GB cards is to save money.

 

[andyhamer]

The problems that I've seen with SD cards are random errors or that the card is not recognized until you eject it and put it back in again. I haven't seen any hard lockups.


I have a 64 GB Sandisk card and it is fine. The only reason to avoid 32+ GB cards is to save money.

I have to assume (based on what has been suggested) that the SD cards i am using are causing the problems, i have run the Pandora for hours without any cards inserted & no freezes or lockups (admittedly not a real comprehensive test, as all i can really do is browse etc) now i am no expert but that would seem to suggest that there are issues with my cards and since Ed or any member of OP team for that matter haven't commented on whether or not this may be the case, i either buy a new "safe" card to test or gaze longingly at my new Pandora paperweight.


For the record quite a few people have explicitly stated that 32gb (and above cards) DO cause problems, and others incl yourself say they are fine, now i have to defer to other peoples knowledge on this matter as i barely used SD cards before i bought the two that seem to be causing the problems for me.


But i wish i could get some hard facts here (not just, they are or aren't alright for me.. etc) are 32gb and above cards less stable with the Pandora or not?, and if so which class/brand etc.. Ed/Craig if you read this any chance we can have some definitive answers here, i would really like to avoid wasting any more money on cards if it is potentially a more serious RMA issue.


EDIT: forgot to mention i also get the card not recognized until you eject & re-insert issue, not every time but more often than not (and usually have to do it at least a couple of times)

 

[007jaws]

EDIT: forgot to mention i also get the card not recognized until you eject & re-insert issue, not every time but more often than not (usually have to do it at least a couple of times as well)

 

[vadsamoht]

To try and clear things up, some but not all sd cards 32GB and above have had issues, particularly if they are class 6 or above. There are some cards that will work, yes, but it's generally safer (and cheaper) to stick with something that you know will be more likely to work as you want it to.


As for the reinserting issue, I have the same problem with all of my cards from time to time, and have found no consistent reason for it to happen (though ejecting and reinserting cards quickly seems to mke it more likely to occur).

 

[Cas]

To try and clear things up, some but not all sd cards 32GB and above have had issues, particularly if they are class 6 or above. There are some cards that will work, yes, but it's generally safer (and cheaper) to stick with something that you know will be more likely to work as you want it to.


As for the reinserting issue, I have the same problem with all of my cards from time to time, and have found no consistent reason for it to happen (though ejecting and reinserting cards quickly seems to mke it more likely to occur).

Hi


I had this issue when I first received my Pandora but to tell the truth I have not noticed it so much of late.

 

[neko]

I have to assume (based on what has been suggested) that the SD cards i am using are causing the problems, i have run the Pandora for hours without any cards inserted & no freezes or lockups (admittedly not a real comprehensive test, as all i can really do is browse etc) now i am no expert but that would seem to suggest that there are issues with my cards and since Ed or any member of OP team for that matter haven't commented on whether or not this may be the case, i either buy a new "safe" card to test or gaze longingly at my new Pandora paperweight.


For the record quite a few people have explicitly stated that 32gb (and above cards) DO cause problems, and others incl yourself say they are fine, now i have to defer to other peoples knowledge on this matter as i barely used SD cards before i bought the two that seem to be causing the problems for me.

The problems that I've seen with some cards is that basically the card just shuts down or resets. This happens more with cards that draw more power. That can be somewhat more of a problem with high-speed or high-capacity cards, but it really depends on the manufacturer, or even the particular card.


To put it bluntly, the pandora's SD slots are not quite up to spec, and the Pandora can be quite picky about which SD cards it will work with. Some units are worse than others, and sometimes only one slot will have problems. I don't know whether it's a defect in the OMAP, or just that the traces on the board aren't thick enough. MWeston probably has some idea, but I think most of the OP team is reluctant to comment on this for fear of inviting more RMAs.

 

[andyhamer]

I have to assume (based on what has been suggested) that the SD cards i am using are causing the problems, i have run the Pandora for hours without any cards inserted & no freezes or lockups (admittedly not a real comprehensive test, as all i can really do is browse etc) now i am no expert but that would seem to suggest that there are issues with my cards and since Ed or any member of OP team for that matter haven't commented on whether or not this may be the case, i either buy a new "safe" card to test or gaze longingly at my new Pandora paperweight.


For the record quite a few people have explicitly stated that 32gb (and above cards) DO cause problems, and others incl yourself say they are fine, now i have to defer to other peoples knowledge on this matter as i barely used SD cards before i bought the two that seem to be causing the problems for me.

The problems that I've seen with some cards is that basically the card just shuts down or resets. This happens more with cards that draw more power. That can be somewhat more of a problem with high-speed or high-capacity cards, but it really depends on the manufacturer, or even the particular card.


To put it bluntly, the pandora's SD slots are not quite up to spec, and the Pandora can be quite picky about which SD cards it will work with. Some units are worse than others, and sometimes only one slot will have problems. I don't know whether it's a defect in the OMAP, or just that the traces on the board aren't thick enough. MWeston probably has some idea, but I think most of the OP team is reluctant to comment on this for fear of inviting more RMAs.

Thanks,


Not really what i wanted to hear (but quite frankly, what i expected) so my "choice" is to keep throwing money at different cards (brands, size & classes) until i find something (hopefully) that my unit doesn't reject.. and what if i don't find one ie: after spending god knows how much on trying different cards will i THEN be eligable for a RMA?

 

[DarkCheetah]

I've had the eject + reinsert problem since I got my Pandora. It hasn't mattered what card I've used and I've tried several. I still have this problem so much I just don't eject my card anymore.


Just wanted to say I have found that if I can't get the card to read if I shutdown and insert the card before rebooting it always registers.

 

[andyhamer]

I still have this problem so much I just don't eject my card anymore.

How are you transferring files & deleting stuff then?

 

[Prometheus]

^ The Pandora has a mass-storage mode, activated by an option in one of the menus (I don't use it myself, so I can't remember where it is), which, once activated, lets you connect the unit to a computer via a USB cable, so that you can access the SD Cards that way, instead.

 

[andyhamer]

^ The Pandora has a mass-storage mode, activated by an option in one of the menus (I don't use it myself, so I can't remember where it is), which, once activated, lets you connect the unit to a computer via a USB cable, so that you can access the SD Cards that way, instead.

Ah ok nice to know we have options here, could anyone who transfers files this way explain how to enable it, this may be a solution for my issues other than buying more cards.

 

[DarkCheetah]

I'm not sure in minimenu but in xfce it's under system in the start menu...SD-Mass Storage.Hope this helps you out. ALso I haven't had any need to delete yet since I have a 64g card.

 

[andyhamer]

I'm not sure in minimenu but in xfce it's under system in the start menu...SD-Mass Storage.Hope this helps you out. ALso I haven't had any need to delete yet since I have a 64g card.

Thanks i enabled it, but Windows 7 (Ultimate x64) won't install any drivers "CDC Composite Gadget No driver found" any idea what i can do here?

 

[DarkCheetah]

hmmm...I'd see if Craig has any drivers that would work. Also you could also just swap off data and what not with a usb thumb drive.

 

[MarioPandio]

The 'CDC comp device' message usually only shows up if you've connected the USB to the PC before you enabled SD Mass Storage and selected which SD card. Try it that way around and if it still does it, it must be Windows 7.