ERROR with MPEG Controller's SD Card Reader. No longer can read it.

[Guest guest]

I used the Napster SD card programmer that came with my LOR last week to copy my sequence into the SD card, and the card works in my controller.

Today I put the SD card into the Napster adapter again, and insert it into the PC USB port, no other USB devices are attached.

The Blue LED comes on, the computer beeps to acknoweledge the presence when you plug in the Napster. BUT..... When you try to access it with file manager, the computer keeps telling me "Please Insert A Disk Into Drive e:".

This drive worked jsut fine the other day.

Does the same thing on my other computer too.

The SD card is not bad, it works in the controller right now.

Tried shut down PC, but it did not help.

Can anyone else think of anything?

This is brand new, just got it last week.

[Guest guest]

OK, there is only two things i can suggest to you:

1. Try unplugging, moving to a different USB port
2. Try right clicking on my computer, then going to properties, then go to the hardware tab and then click hardware manager, find the Napster reader in there, check there are no yellow error exclamation marks, then right click, uninstall, then press scan click on the computer name at the top of the hardware manager. Then at the top click "Scan for hardware changes" it should prompt to isntall the Card reader again, go through the steps to re install it and try again!
   

Hope this works ok for you, Good Luck! :}

[Guest guest]

I had already done all that, tried it on another computer and it still did the same thing.

The USB controller shows up fine in Device Mangler with no issues. It even says th edevice is working properly.

I'm beginning to think the cadr reader crapped out, but the blue LED does work, the gold contacts on the SD card are perfect, and I know the card is working in the controller.

When I insert the card into the reader, it goes all that way in and clicks into place just like normal.

There should be no reason why this reader won't work.

[Guest guest]

Beginning to think the LOR supplied SD card reader crapped out, because everything else seems to be normal. Nothing wrong with my USB ports, both of them can read a USB memory stick.

[Guest guest]

Hey Jeff, I had a similar problem two days ago. I would put the reader into the USB drive and I would here the computer acknowledge the hardware and the light would blink but when I went under my computer it would not show up. I was unable to access it. I spoke with a computer tech here at work and he reassigned my usb definition (I don't know if I am saying that right). When I would insert the reader it came up as drive e:, he changed it under the control panel to read it as drive h:. Now I have no problems, I'm not very computer savy so maybe someone can jump in and be a little more technical. I will call the guy today and ask him how he did that and post later.

Hope this helps a little - If the light on the reader is on, I wouldn't think the reader would be bad!

Bill Jr.

[Guest guest]

I'll play with it some today to see what I can do.

But basically, when you plug in a USB drive device, the computer automatically assigns it the next drive letter up in the sequence.

So my laptop for example only has a C: Hard drive and a D: DVD drive. When you plug in the LOR SD reader into the USB port, the computer assigns it to E:, unused by any other device.

Just like in your case, this worked just a few days ago, and there is nothing else on the computer which is trying to be an E: drive, so this failure to read the SD does not make sense.

On my other computer, when I connect the SD card reader tot he USB port, my computer assigns it to drive H:, and same result, when you try to access it, it thinks there is no drive in H:

WELL....why would the computer assign it to drive H: if it thinks there is nothing there???????

[Guest guest]

BIll Jr.

I used the disk management feature of Windows XP to remap the SD car reader to drive Z, which is what most tech people will do anyway. That of course did not help, nor did I expect it to help.

I suspect that it did not really help in your case either, that maybe it was coincidence that the problem went away after your drive was mapped to H:. Hopefully you don't have an intermittent problem that comes back.

Anyway, the XP Ciomputer Management tool did however give me more info that Explorer gives. It shows a status that says "No Media".

This really stinks, I have had my awesome 16 channel sequence "This Is Halloween" completed for 2 days and I can't get it into my controller!

But I can take the stupid SD card out of the card reader, and plug it into the controller and it works with the existing sequence that I already programmed into the SD card last week.

[Guest guest]

Jeff,

There may be a problem with the card reader. The fact that it worked once and then not again on the same machine points suspicion at the card reader or perhaps the card. The fact that the card can be used by LOR does not mean that it will necessarily be recognized by the card reader. LOR and the cardreader use different interfaces o the card... (SD cards support multiple protocols and electrical connections)

If you do not get it working then send an email to orders@lightorama.com and tell them that you think that there is a problem with the card reader and/or SD card. They will send you a replacement for the reader and SD.

[Guest guest]

Thanks Dan:

:(

Ok, I just emailed them asking for a replacement, as I have tried everything possible to get the card reader to work again, and nothing seems to work. :shock:

[Guest guest]

Have you tried the card in a different reader?

[Guest guest]

I don't have another reader, but I'm going to pick up a new reader and SD card as backup today.

Also, on epoint for those of you playing along at home, remember if you buy an SD card off the shelf at a store, you MUST format it first with the LOR hardware utility before you can use it.

The SD cards that LOR sends you are already formatted.

[Guest guest]

Hey Jeff, what do you mean format with LOR Harware Utility? I bought a 1 GB SD card and formatted it like it said in the manual but I was not hooked up to LOR Hardware Utility. Needless to say the card did not work and I had to return it. I spoke with Dan and he doesn't have larger cards. Any insight on that?

Bill Jr.

[Guest guest]

I mis-spoke on that :laughing:, it's not the hardware utility that formats the SD, it's the Windows File Manager just like you did it.

You MUST format the SD in File Allocation Table (FAT) format.

BUT some SD's will not work with the Light-O-Rama SD card reader.

I don't know why, sounds like a hokey card reader to me, as SD is a standard, like a floppy is a floppy, so I don't like the fact that some work and some don't.

Dan is supposed to issue a list of SD cards certified to work with the Naptster SD Card Reader that Light-O-Rama Supplies.

LOR actually recommends that you buy the SD cards from them.

This would be a good time for Dan to list those SD cards which are certified for LOR.

DAN??????????????

[Guest guest]

Yes, I can't wait for the list. I called Dan first before I went out and bought a 1 GB card and he did say that some cards may not work. My show is a little bit more complex than one would think, that is why I need more space. I am still searching for the card that works.

Bill Jr.

[Guest guest]

Bill Jr. wrote:

Yes, I can't wait for the list. I called Dan first before I went out and bought a 1 GB card and he did say that some cards may not work. My show is a little bit more complex than one would think, that is why I need more space. I am still searching for the card that works.

Bill Jr.

Hi Bill,

A 1GB Lexar card will work ok...

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail~dpno~493581.asp

[Guest guest]

jeffostroff wrote:

Dan is supposed to issue a list of SD cards certified to work with the Naptster SD Card Reader that Light-O-Rama Supplies.

LOR actually recommends that you buy the SD cards from them.

This would be a good time for Dan to list those SD cards which are certified for LOR.

DAN??????????????

Dan has http://www.lightorama.com/Documents/DC-MP3.pdf



I used a 1g SanDisk card.

[Guest guest]

I SOLVED THE PROBLEM! :waycool::waycool::waycool:



Ok, the problem was the SD Card from LOR went bad. Problem is NOT the card reader.

I went to Target This evening and bought a Lexar 256 MB SD Card, for $14.99. They are on sale this week, normally $19.99.

This card is luckily on the Lightorama certified list, and it worked in my card reader, and I flashd my "This Is Halloween" sequence into the new SD card and it runs the show just fine.

So what went wrong with the first SD card after only one use? Who knows. Dan, send me a new card!

[Guest guest]

Dan, thanks for the info as usual!

Your service is the best!

Bill