Palm m500 as a ebook reader

drnvs · 05-14-2010, 08:00 PM

I have been using a PDA Palm m500 as an ebook device fairly successfully. However I am unable to use an SD card on this device. Although I am able to transfer a book to the card, the device does not show the contents of the card, while a card reader does. I am presently using a Sandisk 2 GB card . Should I use a card of lower capacity? I believe I have downloaded the right application software as I am able to sync the books to the device all right. i would appreciate any help. Thanks

AnemicOak · 05-14-2010, 08:23 PM

Never had a 500, but I did have a 505 and the biggest SD card it supported was 256MB.

There might have been an update for larger cards, I don't remember.

Nate the great · 05-14-2010, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drnvs

I have been using a PDA Palm m500 as an ebook device fairly successfully. However I am unable to use an SD card on this device. Although I am able to transfer a book to the card, the device does not show the contents of the card, while a card reader does. I am presently using a Sandisk 2 GB card . Should I use a card of lower capacity? I believe I have downloaded the right application software as I am able to sync the books to the device all right. i would appreciate any help. Thanks

I don't know about your Palm, but I do have a couple other devices that can't read a 2GB card. Their drivers weren't written to support it.

You might have the same problem. Or the card slot might be dead.

AnemicOak · 05-14-2010, 08:27 PM

After a quick Google apparently there was an update at some point and the 500 series devices tested as working with up to a 1GB card...

http://kb.palm.com/wps/portal/kb/com.../34080_en.html

Seabound · 05-14-2010, 11:38 PM

drnvs, I use a Palm m500. I use Mobipocket on it and a 1GB SD card and it works fine. So, yes, try using a lower capacity card.

Mnc77024 · 05-15-2010, 12:52 PM

Hi -- I use an old Zire with ereader software. I also have a tx and use mobipocket on it. It seems that ereader expects the book to be on the device but that mobipocket is able to read a book from the card. I have had success by copying an ereader book to my external card (through the ereader program, and on the tx -- the zire doesn't have a card slot). The software is able to find the book that way. I wasn't able to get ereader to search the card on its own.

wayrad · 05-15-2010, 09:34 PM

Is it an SDHC card? Those (and drivers for them) didn't exist when the m500 came out.There are non-SDHC 2GB cards out there, but they're rather thin on the ground, so it's fairly likely you have SDHC.

I think Dmitri Grinberg wrote a SDHC driver for PalmOS (memory is fuzzy, though), so you may be able to find it if you hunt around. It'll go in RAM and get lost if you do a hard reset, so don't use the card as a primary system backup. Alternatively, it may be possible to buy a 2GB non-SDHC still - try Newegg. That's where I bought the ones (PQI AE58-2030R and a Transcend) that I run in my Zod. But be careful, sometimes it's hard to ascertain from the product listings which kind they are.

PS. Try here for the driver: http://www.palmpowerups.com/index.php. Looks like you'll also need a FAT32 driver.
PPS. Oh drat, m500 isn't in the supported device list. Looks like a regular SD (not SDHC) card is your only option.

beachwanderer · 05-17-2010, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayrad

Is it an SDHC card? Those (and drivers for them) didn't exist when the m500 came out.There are non-SDHC 2GB cards out there, but they're rather thin on the ground, so it's fairly likely you have SDHC.
... Looks like a regular SD (not SDHC) card is your only option.

Sadly my m500 passed away 2 years ago (digitizer failure) so I can't check this but I think wayrad is right on point there.

I do know that 2 GB SD (not SDHC) is the maximum Size my sturdy Zire72s swallows, though. Same with the Zodiac 2 here.

05-14-2010, 08:00 PM	#1
drnvs Member Posts: 20 Karma: 58 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Seattle, WA Device: ebookwise, Kindle 2, Liberati	Palm m500 as a ebook reader I have been using a PDA Palm m500 as an ebook device fairly successfully. However I am unable to use an SD card on this device. Although I am able to transfer a book to the card, the device does not show the contents of the card, while a card reader does. I am presently using a Sandisk 2 GB card . Should I use a card of lower capacity? I believe I have downloaded the right application software as I am able to sync the books to the device all right. i would appreciate any help. Thanks

05-15-2010, 12:52 PM	#6
Mnc77024 Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Kindle	Hi -- I use an old Zire with ereader software. I also have a tx and use mobipocket on it. It seems that ereader expects the book to be on the device but that mobipocket is able to read a book from the card. I have had success by copying an ereader book to my external card (through the ereader program, and on the tx -- the zire doesn't have a card slot). The software is able to find the book that way. I wasn't able to get ereader to search the card on its own. Last edited by Mnc77024; 05-15-2010 at 02:19 PM.

05-15-2010, 09:34 PM	#7
wayrad Fanatic Posts: 551 Karma: 1121392 Join Date: May 2008 Location: USA Device: HTC One M8	Is it an SDHC card? Those (and drivers for them) didn't exist when the m500 came out.There are non-SDHC 2GB cards out there, but they're rather thin on the ground, so it's fairly likely you have SDHC. I think Dmitri Grinberg wrote a SDHC driver for PalmOS (memory is fuzzy, though), so you may be able to find it if you hunt around. It'll go in RAM and get lost if you do a hard reset, so don't use the card as a primary system backup. Alternatively, it may be possible to buy a 2GB non-SDHC still - try Newegg. That's where I bought the ones (PQI AE58-2030R and a Transcend) that I run in my Zod. But be careful, sometimes it's hard to ascertain from the product listings which kind they are. PS. Try here for the driver: http://www.palmpowerups.com/index.php. Looks like you'll also need a FAT32 driver. PPS. Oh drat, m500 isn't in the supported device list. Looks like a regular SD (not SDHC) card is your only option. Last edited by wayrad; 05-16-2010 at 09:22 AM.

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05-14-2010, 08:23 PM	#2
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	Never had a 500, but I did have a 505 and the biggest SD card it supported was 256MB. There might have been an update for larger cards, I don't remember.

05-14-2010, 08:27 PM	#4
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	After a quick Google apparently there was an update at some point and the 500 series devices tested as working with up to a 1GB card... http://kb.palm.com/wps/portal/kb/com.../34080_en.html

05-14-2010, 11:38 PM	#5
Seabound Steerage Class Posts: 711 Karma: 505995 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest, USA Device: Won't fit here anymore, see sig for a list of liseuses.	drnvs, I use a Palm m500. I use Mobipocket on it and a 1GB SD card and it works fine. So, yes, try using a lower capacity card.

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