wear and tear, sd card or usb cable

[jakeluck]

until we have wireless, reading daily feeds means at least 4 times plug/unplug of the USB cable or 4 times insert/eject of the memory card. which mechanism is better suited this type of wear and tear?

[jashsu]

Originally Posted by jakeluck

until we have wireless, reading daily feeds means at least 4 times plug/unplug of the USB cable or 4 times insert/eject of the memory card. which mechanism is better suited this type of wear and tear?

This line of thought probably borders on the extremely paranoid, but i'll indulge it anyway . Memory card interfaces are rated about 15k-20k duty cycles (assume you remove and reinsert once a day until it gives up the ghost, about 40 to 50 years). The USB interface is rated between 1-5k cycles (3-15 years). If you are beyond paranoid, what you can do is insert the Memory Stick Duo adapter into the MS slot, and then insert and remove the Duo without removing the adapter. Any wear and tear from removal of the Duo would be on the adapter, not on the Reader. Caution: you would have to remove the Duo with tweezers and exert a counteracting force on the adapter, as the MS slot is a push-remove type, so any pulling force on the adapter might potentially damage the MS slot's push-remove spring mechanism.

Realistically, your Reader is more likely to die of other reasons. My bet is on the E-ink or accidental physical trauma.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by jakeluck

until we have wireless, reading daily feeds means at least 4 times plug/unplug of the USB cable or 4 times insert/eject of the memory card. which mechanism is better suited this type of wear and tear?

Why 4 times? Surely all you have to do is plug in the USB cable, copy the file, and then unplug the cable again, isn't it? That's only 2, rather than 4 .

[jakeluck]

I read emails/rss twice a day, hence all the updating. Jashsu, so the card slot has longer designed life, now just have to deal with that flimsy rubber connector.

[jashsu]

Originally Posted by jakeluck

I read emails/rss twice a day, hence all the updating. Jashsu, so the card slot has longer designed life, now just have to deal with that flimsy rubber connector.

Oh yeah. That rubber hinge probably won't last more than 5k open/closes or so, imho. Could be wrong though, as I don't know what kind of material is used. Even if it breaks off, that should be no more than an aesthetic defect.

In addition to the mini-USB, the dock connector should have 5k duty cycles. One thing to note: if you are a dock user, be careful placing the reader on the dock. I've seen a dock at Borders where part of the connector was bent, rendering it unusable. That won't damage the reader, but at $50 a pop, those docks are kind of a rip-off.

[RWood]

From looking at the design, it seems that the cradle connects to the center plug and that s perhaps the strongest of the attachment points.

From what I have seen I would be surprised if the card cover connection lasted even 1/2 of the 5k estimate given by jashsu.