Customer Reviews

SanDisk SDAD-38-A10 CF to PC Card Adapter

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I went through 4 different brand name PCMCIA Cards till I bought Sandisk's. It was the only one that would work in my new Honda Civic Hybrid MP3 player. This is the first MP3 player I have ever owned and I was getting no help from Honda. I hope this helps those who are trying to figure theirs out.

SanDisk knows CompactFlash (CF). They invented the format. As expected, SanDisk's CompactFlash PC Card Adapter works with all the CF cards out there. And it works under various operating systems, including Microsoft Windows XP and Apple "Jaguar" Mac OS X.

Made off of stainless steel, it is ruggedly made, too.

Just one complaint: like all the adapters I looked at, SanDisk lacks an eject button. It would be nice if I can eject the CF card without ejecting the SanDisk adapter as well. But for the money, I can't really complain.

Pros:
- Flawless compatibility with all CF cards and various operating systems
- Ruggedly built

Cons:
- No eject button
- Supports only CF (does not support other formats such as Ultra CF, SD/MMC, MemoryStick)

Don't let the PC in PC card fool you into thinking this is only for PC compatible computers. This card will work on a Macintosh with a PC card slot. I inserted this into a Titanium PowerBook G4. No special drivers are needed. Mac OS X has drivers already built-in.

Next I took a few photos using a Canon PowerShot S230. Then I took out the compact flash card and then inserted it into the SanDisk card while the SanDisk was already inserted into my Macintosh. In a second the Macintosh recognized that memory was inserted and furthermore it recognized that it contained photographs and it auto launched iPhoto. Then iPhoto automatically turned itself into import mode, just as if I used the normal USB cable from the camera to the Macintosh!

The advantage of using the SanDisk card as opposed to using the standard USB cable approach that comes with the camera is that you no longer have a cable to remember to carry and worry about losing. Now when you're on travel, just bring your camera and your laptop and leave the SanDisk card permanantly inside your computer. Forget about your USB cable.

I give it 4 stars. If only the SanDisk card had a built in an internal compact flash card ejector button and a titanium metallic grill then I would have given it 5 stars, but I guess that's asking a bit too much. On a sleek Titanium G4 leaving it in detracts slightly from the aesthetic clean lines of the side view by leaving an open slot where there once was this nice metallic grill.

I bought this to use with my Microdrive, but the reader is for Type I CF cards ONLY. other than that, it works just fine.

The SanDisk CompactFlash PC Card Adapter is a quick and easy way to transfer photos from your type I CompactFlash memory cards to laptops and other PCs with PC Card slots. The memory card simply shows up as a hard drive, allowing direct access to copy, move, and delete photos much more quickly than with the typical USB interface provided with today's digital cameras.

My only caution with these adapters is that they seem a bit delicate in terms of electronics; always be sure to stop the card services on your PC for the device before removing it from your computer, or the adapter could go "bye-bye." I've gone through two in two years (on multiple PCs) due to simply ejecting the card--upon next use, the adapter failed to work. PC Card standards supposedly allow for hot swapping, but something in these cards simply doesn't like being handled that way.

I don't know why these types of cards are still on the market--they are old, slow, and obsolete. Instead, search for 32-bit Cardbus adapters such as the ones made by Viking, Delkin, or Lexar, which are many times faster but not much more expensive. And, they fit in the same PC card slot on most laptops made in the last decade. The 32-bit cards I have used are even a bit faster than USB 2.0 and Firewire.

You can spot 32-bit cards by the gold strip at the top of the card. No gold strip? Then prepare to wait an hour or more for your data to transfer, while your laptop is brought to its knees. The old silver cards may be fine for storing and playing mp3s, or may be needed for laptops made more than 10 years ago, but any large amount of data--such as GBs of photos or video-- will take quite a while to copy over. Why would you want a reader that is SLOWER than your flash media?

The adapter itself was not recognized in my laptop until I inserted a Compact Flash card into it. At that point both the adapter 'and' the card and it's contents were immediately recognized. Just be aware of that so that you don't mistakenly think the adapter isn't working when you insert it into your laptop (without a CF card). All is well with this product. I give it 5 stars without reservation.

I bought it for my new CRV and it worked fine. It reads my 2GB memory stick. I don't know why some reviews said it doesn't read a 2GB. I hesitated when I read it but glad I bought it anyway. I would recommand it to fellow CRV owners. It's totally awesome.

I use the PC Card adaptor to download pictures from my 4 megapixel camera to my IBM T30 laptop. The download speed is significantly faster using the adaptor vs. the USB cable supplied with the camera. I use a SanDisk Ultra II card, so the download speed benefit is magnified (vs. using the cable).

This product works with my 08 honda civic which is why i bought it. upload is quick from a computer and works flawlessly!