Customer Reviews

SanDisk SDDR-64-768 Compact Flash to PC Card Adapter

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I was very excited to get this card adapter so I could stop using my external USB device to down load photos. I popped it in and inserted my 4GB card which wasn't nearly full, and it told me the estimated time to finish was 25 minutes!!! I couldn't ever remember it taking that long, so I cancelled the transfer after watching it for about 5 minutes or so just to make sure it wasn't going to speed up or equalize or something. I put the same card in my usual USB card reader and it started the transfer (of all photos, not just the remaining ones), and it took 7 minutes to complete. I don't think that USB 2.0 is slower than PCMCIA bus, because you can get a USB 2.0 PCMCIA card adaptor! I can't figure out why a simple device would cause the transfer to take so long. It wasn't really worth the effort to return the opened $12 item and get charged a restocking fee, so I still have it, but I only use my USB card reader. Maybe it would work better as a coaster for drinks or something!

Especially good for laptop users. Faster, smaller, and CHEAPER than most USB solutions. I lost my USB reader about a month after buying this. I didn't even care to go look for it. Works great with my Apple Powerbooks.


[update: this product is old technology now. faster products are available]

This product is exactly what I was looking for! It is the perfect solution to not carrying around your annoying USB card reader. This shipped in a couple of days, plugged it in to my Dell 600M laptop, and it works beautifully! And with a name like SanDisk, you know you are getting a quality product! Don't think twice, BUY IT NOW!

Oh, and to those wondering if, when plugged in, it is flush with the side of your laptop (as I was wondering)...IT IS! Even when you have a CF card in, it is still flush with the side of your laptop. It does NOT pertrude one bit, unlike WiFi cards!

I bought this adapter so that I would not have to carry a separate USB 2.0 reader along with my laptop on photography trips. The adapter sits flush with the edge of my laptop, so could be left in the slot without anything sticking out. Most newer laptops (including mine) feature built-in card readers, but none read CompactFlash cards, which is still the favored format of DSLRs.

Problem is, this PCMCIA/CardBus adapter is much, much slower than my SanDisk SDDR-88-A15 8-in-1 USB 2.0 Hi-speed Reader. When transferring images, this adapter consumes so much processor power that my laptop becomes unresponsive. Image transfer also eats up battery power. I have stopped using this adapter.

For photographers on the move, I would suggest something like the WOLVERINE DATA FlashPac 7-in-1 Memory Card Reader and 60 GB Storage Device, instead of lugging around a laptop and card-reader everywhere. There are other, fancier options out there with good screens that let you review your pictures (the Epson P-3000 and its siblings come to mind), but if all you want is an HDD to empty your flash cards onto, it is hard to beat the FlashPac's value.

To sum up:
PROS
* Adapter sits flush with my laptop, doesn't have to be carried separately.

CONS
* Super-slow. Feels about 5 times slower than my USB 2.0 card reader from the same company.
* Maxes out my laptop's processor (and it's a fast laptop) when transferring files.
* Eats up laptop's batteries like crazy.
* Source of constant frustration.

It sure is easier than the external USB card reader I was using before. Easier to carry, no "moving" parts, and it seems to read CF cards faster than my USB reader.

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?

I bought this item hoping that it would work in the PC Card slot in my Civic, but when I popped it in and pressed the Card tab, it would not read from the device. I checked the card reader and media both in a laptop prior to using it in my car, so I knew that the media and adapter both work. I believe that Honda uses a Type I card slot instead of a Type II card (this adapter is Type II).

So, if you are thinking of getting this for your car, you'd be better served getting the SanDisk SDAD-38-A10 CF to PC Card Adapter, which is specifically mentioned in comments as working w/Honda. Now I am just hoping that the new card that I bought will be able to address a 16GB CF card!

SanDisk SDDR-64-768 Compact Flash to PC Card Adapter works as advertised.

I use it specifically in my 08 Honda Civic which plays MP3 and WMA files off of memory cards, the catch is the the interface for the memory cards is PC Card.

This adapter allows me to use a SanDisk 8GB Ultra-III Compact Flash card with my factory radio.

Also, since this is a card-bus adapter the transfer speeds are great and don't place a significant load on the host device (radio, or PC in my case).

Overall, while this adapter may be pricier than others it does offer fast transfers and industry standard support so you can almost be guaranteed that it will work in whatever device you use it in/with.

Transfer rates were around 1Mb per second - too slow for good video playback. I don't understand why SanDisk would offer a slow 16 bit PCMCIA (Type I) card that you could never take advantage of Ultra or Extreme compact flash memory? If you want to transfer large files to or from compact flash memory, purchase the 32 bit PCMCIA (Type II) adapter made by Viking InterWorks. With the Viking adapter, a 6 GB of iTunes folder was moved in about 5 minutes (~20Mb/sec)) to a 16Gb Extreme III compact flash card.

I bought this card reader to use with my laptop so I wouldn't have a USB reader hang off the side, just waiting to get broken off. To my disappointment, this reader is incredibly slow. Slow enough to make it not worth the money, no matter how little it costs.

Here's some specs on my analysis:
* Test was performed with a Dell Latitude D630 w/ Intel Core2Duo Laptop
* Memory card used was a Sandisk Extreme III 8GB Compact Flash
* Transfer of thirty-six (36) 10.2 megapixel images (~4MB each), total size of ~160MB

** From D630 to Extreme III CF card via PCMCIA, the transfer took approx 5 minutes
** From Extreme III CF card to D630 via PCMCIA, the transfer took approx 4 minutes

** From D630 to Extreme III CF card via generic USB 2.0 reader, the transfer took approx 20 seconds
** From Extreme III CF card to D630 via generic USB 2.0 reader, the transfer took approx 20 seconds

Just consider, this was only 36 photos (~160MB total). If I travel with my laptop and take hundred or thousands of photos and needs to backup or download them, I would most definitely need to bring my power supply. And when you travel, bringing more stuff to weigh you down is the last thing you want to do.

So, with results like these, its clear why I'm in the process of returning this item. I hope you all think twice before ordering this reader.