Anyone got any more information on the Cybook's SD Card specs? I hope it will be able to read the large-capacity cards and not be limited to, say, 64mb.

Never mind. I saw that the Deluxe version comes with a 1gb card.

*sigh*

There was a discussion last month on Baen's Bar (Bookeen's new site...) (http://bar.baen.com/WB/default.asp?action=9&fid=76&read=108883) about support for SD cards larger than 1 GB. In summary, 2 GB should be easy to support but >2 GB is harder. The actual maximum SD capacity is unknown until NAEB gets their demo units.

Anybody already having the Gen3 able to enlighten us? Are 4gB SD cards supported?

Anybody already having the Gen3 able to enlighten us? Are 4gB SD cards supported?

I have tried a 4GB MiniSD (in a mini-to-standard SD adapter) and it worked without a hitch. So I'd say yes.

The fact that a 4GB card is recognised doesn't necessarily mean that it'll work properly. What you may well find is that data beyond 2GB is not recognised. That's what happens on a number of devices, including the Sony Reader.

2GB should be more than enough room unless you start using the Gen3 to play MP3s, which probably isn't a very good idea.

The fact that a 4GB card is recognised doesn't necessarily mean that it'll work properly. What you may well find is that data beyond 2GB is not recognised. That's what happens on a number of devices, including the Sony Reader.

2GB should be more than enough room unless you start using the Gen3 to play MP3s, which probably isn't a very good idea.

Hmmm. that makes sense. I haven't run into it myself yet, though. I'll test it over the weekend; I'll toss the Blackmask DVD on it and try again.

Just for grins, I just plugged a 8GB SDHC card in my Cybook.

Didn't work, of course. But the funny thing was that it didn't simply ignore it, like I expected it to. Instead, it hung at the bootup screen, as if it tried to make sense of it and failed.

Might the fact that the SDHC card was at least in some way visible to the Cybook mean that the SD controller is indeed SDHC capable, and the software is just not yet able to drive it as such, much like he Nokia N800?

Probably too much to hope for :D

The fact that a 4GB card is recognised doesn't necessarily mean that it'll work properly. What you may well find is that data beyond 2GB is not recognised. That's what happens on a number of devices, including the Sony Reader.

I put 3.5 GB data on it and tried again. The result is quite interesting; when the Cybook is connected to my PC, the card shows up with the correct size and free space, and I can copy files to and from it at will.

However, the reader software seems to ignore it. The 'standard' directories do not get created, and when I create a 'eBooks' directory by hand and put a MobiPocket ebook in it, it does not show up in the Library.

To me, this indicates that the hardware & OS can read 4GB SD cards just fine; it's the *application* that has issues with them...

Bookeen, are you listening? ;-)

It's probably best to stick to 2GB cards for the time being.

It's probably best to stick to 2GB cards for the time being.

Agreed; 4GB ones clearly don't work where it counts :-).

Should I be looking for anything in particular with regard to a 2GB SD card? I understand there's (at least) 3 different sizes. Normal, micro and mini. I've seen a few of the smaller ones coming with adapters, but I'd rather just go for the normal size. Other than that though, just any 2GB will do the job, I should just go for a decent brand name?

Should I be looking for anything in particular with regard to a 2GB SD card? I understand there's (at least) 3 different sizes. Normal, micro and mini. I've seen a few of the smaller ones coming with adapters, but I'd rather just go for the normal size. Other than that though, just any 2GB will do the job, I should just go for a decent brand name?

I too would like to know if there are any brands to look out for. I thought that the onboard memory would be enough, but based on the collection of books I already have ready to go, maaaaybe not :P

Yeah, 2GB should be overkill, but since the cards are cheap I can't think of a reason to get anything less than the maximum size. Hmm, a thought just occurred even if 2GB isn't enough... I can always carry dozens of SD cards around..... nah, 2GB should be enough.. :)

Should I be looking for anything in particular with regard to a 2GB SD card? I understand there's (at least) 3 different sizes. Normal, micro and mini. I've seen a few of the smaller ones coming with adapters, but I'd rather just go for the normal size. Other than that though, just any 2GB will do the job, I should just go for a decent brand name?

Regular, ordinary SD cards. 2GB or smaller. You don't want mini or micro - although I suppose the mini-2-normal adapter cards work okay. Haven't really tried them.

Derek

I use the SANDISK 2GB ULTRA ll SD PLUS USB (http://www.amazon.co.uk/SANDISK-2GB-ULTRA-PLUS-USB/dp/B000F2YHNY/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&s=electronics) which can be transformed to an USB stick, so no need to bring a cable or adapter around anymore.

The only problem is the index as it is just lists the books in alphabetical order. I found a deal on Ebay where I bought 20 512MB standard SD's. I have 378 books on one card (it's just less than half full) but I have 76 pages under 5 to a page library arrangment. A method of sorting into folders would of course solve this but you can imagine if there were 4 times or more books to a chip.

The only problem is the index as it is just lists the books in alphabetical order. I found a deal on Ebay where I bought 20 512MB standard SD's. I have 378 books on one card (it's just less than half full) but I have 76 pages under 5 to a page library arrangment. A method of sorting into folders would of course solve this but you can imagine if there were 4 times or more books to a chip.

Yep. Bookeen *HAS* to make a better Library design! I'm constantly shuffling ebooks on and off the SD card in order to keep it down to fewer than 100 books. I know, I COULD just reset to 20-icons per page or resign myself to paging, paging, paging through the Library, but it just feels so 'clunky' doing it that way. And I'm not all that thrilled with the 'virtual collections' used by Sony. A real folder navigation system is a MUST for me in some near-future firmware update.

Derek

Yep. Bookeen *HAS* to make a better Library design! I'm constantly shuffling ebooks on and off the SD card in order to keep it down to fewer than 100 books. I know, I COULD just reset to 20-icons per page or resign myself to paging, paging, paging through the Library,

Or you could just keep fewer books on the CyBook. Do you really need 100s of books on there at a time? Why not organise the books on your PC, and just keep on the CyBook the stuff you're actually reading or planning to read in the near future? That way you avoid the problem.

Or you could just keep fewer books on the CyBook. Do you really need 100s of books on there at a time? Why not organise the books on your PC, and just keep on the CyBook the stuff you're actually reading or planning to read in the near future? That way you avoid the problem.

Not if you are reading short stories. Reading all Hugo-nominates stories for example is 20 files or so. Then you want 10-20 books to choose from for your current reading. And 40 items is to much to handle since you have to use the mode with 5 books per screen to see all essential information.

Not if you are reading short stories. Reading all Hugo-nominates stories for example is 20 files or so. Then you want 10-20 books to choose from for your current reading. And 40 items is to much to handle since you have to use the mode with 5 books per screen to see all essential information.


I agree. And even with full-length novels, I'm capable of reading fast enough that having to upload or download a new ebook two-three times per day just isn't a good use of my time.

Right now, I've broken down and put groups of ebooks into separate SD cards (256MB each) so that I can just swap out. But even that is a drag if I finish an author's series in one genre and find out that the next genre I want is not in my SD card wallet. :(

Derek

I find it works OK with 100 books on there (which is roughly what I have at present), using the 10 titles per page mode. Most of what I have on mine is stuff I've created myself, however, and I rely mainly on the cover images. I always make sure that my books have cover pages which can be clearly read on the Gen3.

Hopefully we'll get folder support in this forthcoming firmware update. It would be nice to have!

While you are all on the SDcard subject, allow me to throw in a simple question:

When i try to insert the SDCard in the cybook, i find it gives me alot of resistance. I'm actually afraid to push it hard...i dont want to break anything :blink: Is this normal? I would love to actually use my SDCard...:rolleyes:

The card is a standard 2Gb SDcard (sandisk) like this one:
http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Item(1086)-SDSDB-2048-A11-SanDisk_Standard_SD_Card_2GB.aspx

Also I make sure the diagonal corner of the card is in the left-lower corner....

Any help is appreciated.

PS: finally i had an excuse to register myself on this forum.......been lurking for far too long now......felt like a peeping tom.....:o

EDIT: thx for the replies below. Works like a charm :)

While you are all on the SDcard subject, allow me to throw in a simple question:

When i try to insert the SDCard in the cybook, i find it gives me alot of resistance. I'm actually afraid to push it hard...i dont want to break anything :blink: Is this normal? I would love to actually use my SDCard...:rolleyes:

The card is a standard 2Gb SDcard (sandisk) like this one:
http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Item(1086)-SDSDB-2048-A11-SanDisk_Standard_SD_Card_2GB.aspx

Also I make sure the diagonal corner of the card is in the left-lower corner....

Any help is appreciated.

PS: finally i had an excuse to register myself on this forum.......been lurking for far too long now......felt like a peeping tom.....:o

Nope - you've got it back to front. It goes in with the "front" of the SD card facing AWAY from the front of the CyBook; ie with the diagonal cutout in the lower RIGHT corner.

There is some "resistance" from the spring that pushes the card out again; you need to push the card a little below the top of the socket before it "locks" into position.

Yep, there is a proper way. I've taken a few images to illustrate what alignment you should have. The first two images basically show the front and back of a typical SD card, fron on the left and rear on the right. The second pair of images show the proper orientatin to a Cybook - with the *IMPROPER* orientation *to the left*! Here they are.

Derek

Based on what folks have been saying here... can anyone suggest an economical way to pick up, say, half a dozen 512MB cards?

Based on what folks have been saying here... can anyone suggest an economical way to pick up, say, half a dozen 512MB cards?

eBay! eBay! eBay! eBay! eBay! eBay! eBay! eBay! :D :D :D

You can always find bulk lots of 256MB, 512MB and 1GB SD cards. Cheap too!

Derek

eBay is a nightmare for them. It's all postage cost cons. Unfortunately the same with Amazon. I did complain to them, but they fobbed me off.

Based on what folks have been saying here... can anyone suggest an economical way to pick up, say, half a dozen 512MB cards?

Might be as well to wait and see if we get folder support in the forthcoming firmware update. If we do, it could make it practical to carry more stuff on larger cards.

Might be as well to wait and see if we get folder support in the forthcoming firmware update. If we do, it could make it practical to carry more stuff on larger cards.

You're right Harry, I'm better off waiting. I can certainly make do with the onboard memory to start off with, and I do have a single 512MB card kicking about somewhere if needed.

I don't even have my Cybook yet :)

Halk, I've had really good luck buying SD cards on Amazon, so I took the liberty of searching Amazon.co.uk for you. Here is a 2GB SanDisk SD card (http://www.amazon.co.uk/SANDISK-2GB-SECURE-DIGITAL-CARD/dp/B000BQ7GW8/) for 5.90 pounds..."dispatched and sold by Amazon.co.uk" so it will be the usual shipping costs. They have other cards sold by outside vendors--might be a postage scam there as well, but worth looking into.

Ah, thank you very much!

The cards sold by outside vendors are doing the postage scam. It's them I complained to Amazon about, and them they fobbed me off about. I'm now going to reply to their complaint response...

The card I had looked at on Amazon was a 2GB one for £0.38. Which is taking the postage thing to extremes.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Transcend-Flash-memory-card-Memory/dp/B000FGNM6I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1206182763&sr=1-1

Well, I've had some more thoughts on this.

My mobile phone takes micro SD cards, and the Cybook takes normal SD cards.

So I'm thinking I'll buy a micro SD card with a standard adaptor.

That way if I ever want to have a second card I can buy a micro card, and I can store it inside the mobile phone, rather than carry a little case around.

Has anyone used a micro card in a standard SD adaptor with their Cybook, or know of any reason why it might not work?

It should certainly work, but I'm always a little wary of using adapters for something intended for permanent use - I can't help feeling that having two sets of contacts has to make it less reliable than only one set. Perhaps I'm wrong, though!

Is there any way to tell if an SD card is defective? I can't tell if my problems are the firmware or the card itself. I tried to put the upload kernel file on the SD card (for the second time--details on a different thread) and it kept giving me an error message. I had already reformatted to FAT32 (again, from a suggestion on another thread)

Is there any way to tell if an SD card is defective? I can't tell if my problems are the firmware or the card itself. I tried to put the upload kernel file on the SD card (for the second time--details on a different thread) and it kept giving me an error message. I had already reformatted to FAT32 (again, from a suggestion on another thread)

Momghoti,

Okay, have you gone out and purchased a simple 64MB SD card? Or a 256MB version? One of those slightly older blue with blue/red/white label San Disk cards? Could you do that and format it to FAT32? Then unzip the update_kernel.zip file onto that SD card. That should solve your problem. Note that I'm only suggesting such a small card because, used, they're gonna be cheaper and you don't want to waste a lot of money just to test if it's your SD card or your Cybook which is having the problem.

Derek

Actually, I tried a different 2gig SD hi-speed 60 pqi that my hubby had lying around, but my cybook is currently doing an excellent imitation of a very thin, light brick, and I'm not sure if just reloading the kernel will work. I guess I'll try reformatting it to a FAT32 format and try again; I'm not really hoping at this point but...well...I want to do *something*.

Actually, I tried a different 2gig SD hi-speed 60 pqi that my hubby had lying around, but my cybook is currently doing an excellent imitation of a very thin, light brick, and I'm not sure if just reloading the kernel will work. I guess I'll try reformatting it to a FAT32 format and try again; I'm not really hoping at this point but...well...I want to do *something*.


Did you, by any chance, remove the SD card while the power was on and you had a book open? That might well cause a *brick*ing.

Or perhaps you loaded a ton of ebook (or just a few, very large, images) onto the SD card and then put the card into the Cybook? That would also cause a problem.

Or did you remember to insert the SD card with the contacts-side facing towards the screen, not towards the rear of the unit? That would probably *damage* the SD slot.

Please give more details.

Derek

No, none of those. My brickage is due to trying to update the firmware--details in the (I'll try to copy the link)(OK, I failed miserably to copy the link) Anyway, details are in the new firmware is finally available thread.
I will say that when I first got the cybook I experimented with taking the card out and putting it in while the unit was on, and it worked sometimes; sometimes it wouldn't recognize the card. I never deliberately put any ebooks on the card, because performance was erratic. I think I was corrupting the files by removing the card from my computer without SRHing on some occasions, and I left the FAT the way it came(from Bookeen), and possibly some of the books in the card(if the card was in the cybook mobipocket would sometimes automatically put books on it) had large cover art; my problems with the card may be a combination of the three. Now that I know what SRH does, that may explain my brickage--the kernel may have been slightly corrupted when I took the card out. I can't remember if I Safely Removed Hardware or not--but since I didn't know how important it was probably not.

I've had my cybook for a couple of month, The card shows 1GB, but the real capacity is 64 MB. How come?
Another question: I have bough t another card but haven't used yet. Is it enough to insert it into the device, and the system folder is automatically created by the reader, or there's something missing?

I've had my cybook for a couple of month, The card shows 1GB, but the real capacity is 64 MB. How come?
Another question: I have bough t another card but haven't used yet. Is it enough to insert it into the device, and the system folder is automatically created by the reader, or there's something missing?

Are you sure you are not confusing the SD card and the internal memory which is 64M? The SD card is the "first" disk.

oops. You mean the other drive which appears when I connect the cybook?
So if I want to use another card I don't have to replace the one that is already in, but to insert the new one into the other drive??? :rofl:
Oh, that 's really interesting. :bulb2:
ehm... ehm.....where's the slot? I do not have a clue :blink: :blink: ( I know, next time I register in a knitting and cross-stiching forum

either I am dumb (which is likely) or I have a problem with my cybook.
I re-examined the ereader to understand the matter with the card. I disconnected and connected, to see what appears.
Yes, I mistook the internal memory card with what I thought to be a card.
Therefore, the 1GB card which came along with the ereader is empty and I have stored all my ebooks in the internal memory.
What I do not understand is the way to insert the card. Does it stay completely inside the cybook or it comes out a bit? Because there's no way to make the cybook recognize it and the drive is always empty.

either I am dumb (which is likely) or I have a problem with my cybook.
I re-examined the ereader to understand the matter with the card. I disconnected and connected, to see what appears.
Yes, I mistook the internal memory card with what I thought to be a card.
Therefore, the 1GB card which came along with the ereader is empty and I have stored all my ebooks in the internal memory.
What I do not understand is the way to insert the card. Does it stay completely inside the cybook or it comes out a bit? Because there's no way to make the cybook recognize it and the drive is always empty.

Two things.

1) ALWAYS format the SD card (using a card reader or a built-into-the-PC media drive - you know, the ones which read just about every card type made) to FAT32 before you attempt to use it in the Cybook.

2) Always make sure that you insert the card with the notched/tapered end going in first and oriented so the brass/gold contacts are visible when the display is facing you. If you insert it with the label side facing the front (display visible) panel, you're gonna end up with a broken Cybook.

3) Give it a bit of a 'push' - not TOO much - as you insert it so that the SD card sinks in a bit and then 'clicks' into place. The card should be almost flush with the top edge. Some say it sticks out a minor bit, others, such as myself, claim it rides just a bit below the top edge. IOW, if you don't push it down below the top edge, it won't 'click' into place.

Hope this helps.

Derek

Thank you. Thank you . Thank. you.
The card does not make any click. It is as if it gently bounces back and sticks out half a cm. Now I'm going to make some more attempts without breaking anything. There's probably somethink wrong, glad I found this morning the receipt.
:thanks:

What I do not understand is the way to insert the card.
on the back of your Cybook there should be a relief depicting a card with the cut off corner clearly visible. Useful and necessary as it seems a bit strange at first to insert the card with it's contacts facing you when you are looking at the screen side of the Cybook. (As depicted by delphidb96 (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/member.php?u=7731) earlier in the thread (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=162491&postcount=25))

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11666&d=1206111728
Does it stay completely inside the Cybook or it comes out a bit?
When you insert it the correct way, you will feel some "sprinyness" at the end of the bit that goes in smoothly (card is sticking out by 1-2 mm at that point and if you push it very gently, it will come back to that 1-2mm position). You have to push past this point (against the force of the spring) until you feel a click (card will be about 1mm inside the device at that point, lock in and rebound to be more or less flush)
To remove the card you push it in about 1mm until you feel the click and it will then pop out.

Be careful though, it is possible (with enough force) to insert an SD card into an SD slot the wrong way and BadStuff(tm) will most probably happen (i.e. it breaks)

PCFE

You have to push the card in below the level of the top of the slot for it to "lock" into place. As Derek says, make sure you're putting it in the right way - with the "label" side of the card facing towards the back of the CyBook.

...and it works!!!!!!
I was afraid of pushing too hard and break something.So I realized that I have 1GB free space and also a twenty something new e-books already stored here by the firm from which I bought the cybook.
You have been very helpful, :thanks:

...and it works!!!!!!
I was afraid of pushing too hard and break something.So I realized that I have 1GB free space and also a twenty something new e-books already stored here by the firm from which I bought the cybook.
You have been very helpful, :thanks:

We are always glad to be of help. :) Now GO FORTH AND READ!!! :D

Derek

I tried a 4GB Extreme III SD card out of my camera. No good. Cybook took an age to boot up and failed to locate any files on the card (no, the card wasn't locked)

I bought a 2Gb cheap and nasty SD card and it works fine.

I tried a 4GB Extreme III SD card out of my camera. No good. Cybook took an age to boot up and failed to locate any files on the card (no, the card wasn't locked)

I bought a 2Gb cheap and nasty SD card and it works fine.

That's because it's 2GB. The Cybook doesn't support 4GB SD cards, whether they are SDHC or not.

The 1GB SD card I get along with Cybook is very slow, I copied 2MB files to it but it took more than 2 minutes. Anyone get this problems or it's only me? I bought this from NAEB. The cover says Elite Pro 1GB. Thanks.

The 1GB SD card I get along with Cybook is very slow, I copied 2MB files to it but it took more than 2 minutes. Anyone get this problems or it's only me? I bought this from NAEB. The cover says Elite Pro 1GB. Thanks.
All SD cards are not created equal. I have a variety, from Lexar Media, PNY, Patriot, and SanDisk, used in my Palm OS PDA.

There are about four manufacturers of the actual flash memory used in SD cards: Hitachi, Panasonic, SanDisk, and Toshiba. Other SD card vendors buy media from one of them on an OEM basis, and put it in their own packaging with their own label.

I did some speed tests on my cards with a couple of Palm OS utilities. The cards were all in the same general range with one exception: the PNY card had Write speeds an order of magnitude slower than the rest. Read, random access, and file create/delete tests were all fine, but it took long enough to write to the card that I thought the device had hung in one test and was about to reset it. (The test wrote a 1MB file to the card, and read it back, and timed how long each operation took.)

Since the other tests were in line with the other cards, it wasn't a deal breaker, as the data on that card would be read by the device but not written to, and files would actually be placed on the card with a USB reader, transferred from my PC. The card info utility on my device said the card had Toshiba media. A correspondent on another forum with a similar device reported the same results from a Kingston Technology SD card, which also used Toshiba media.

I don't know what's different about Toshiba's flash memory that would cause the slow write speeds, but for my purposes it's not a huge problem. As mentioned, the card will be read from, not written to. I wouldn't want to use it in a digital camera, but it will serve in the PDA.

I don't know if the Cybook provide a utility to determine whose media a card uses, but I'd bet Toshiba in this case.
______
Dennis

All SD cards are not created equal. I have a variety, from Lexar Media, PNY, Patriot, and SanDisk, used in my Palm OS PDA.

There are about four manufacturers of the actual flash memory used in SD cards: Hitachi, Panasonic, SanDisk, and Toshiba. Other SD card vendors buy media from one of them on an OEM basis, and put it in their own packaging with their own label.

I did some speed tests on my cards with a couple of Palm OS utilities. The cards were all in the same general range with one exception: the PNY card had Write speeds an order of magnitude slower than the rest. Read, random access, and file create/delete tests were all fine, but it took long enough to write to the card that I thought the device had hung in one test and was about to reset it. (The test wrote a 1MB file to the card, and read it back, and timed how long each operation took.)

Since the other tests were in line with the other cards, it wasn't a deal breaker, as the data on that card would be read by the device but not written to, and files would actually be placed on the card with a USB reader, transferred from my PC. The card info utility on my device said the card had Toshiba media. A correspondent on another forum with a similar device reported the same results from a Kingston Technology SD card, which also used Toshiba media.

I don't know what's different about Toshiba's flash memory that would cause the slow write speeds, but for my purposes it's not a huge problem. As mentioned, the card will be read from, not written to. I wouldn't want to use it in a digital camera, but it will serve in the PDA.

I don't know if the Cybook provide a utility to determine whose media a card uses, but I'd bet Toshiba in this case.
______
Dennis

Thanks, I think my SD card is Kingston because its coverage is lookalike, just w/o the Kingston logo. I now changed to another card coz it's frustrating to wait for the copying process.