Are there also fake SanDisk Adapters to watch out for?

[rd369151]

Could fake adapters be a factor in bad SD cards?

I mean those 1" x 1.25" adapters labelled microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, ADAPTER, with SanDisk at the top, that come with many of the smartphone sized memory cards.

If a card fails in them, could it be that the adapter itself is at fault?

Of course, they can simply wear out, after a lot of use, which is a differnent story.

 

[peterblaise]

MicroSD to SD adapters only have wire in them.

Has anyone seen such an adapter with electronics inside?

- - - - -

Let me Google that for us:

Q: Google, has anyone seen a micro SD to SD adapter card with electronics inside?

A: Most Micro SD to SD adapters are simple pass-through devices with no internal electronics.

However, a few specialized products do contain integrated circuitry for specific applications. [1, 2]

Standard adapters (no electronics)

For the vast majority of consumer uses, a Micro SD to SD adapter is a passive device.

This is because the Micro SD and SD card standards are electrically compatible; they simply use different physical connectors and pin layouts.

The adapter's function is simply to connect the appropriate pins from the Micro SD card to the larger SD card slot.

• Performance: The speed of the card is entirely dependent on the Micro SD card inserted, not the adapter.
  
  
• Write Protection: The only "mechanical" part is a small switch that mimics the write-protect feature of a full-size SD card. [2, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Specialized adapters (with electronics)

Adapters with internal electronics do exist for non-standard purposes, where a simple pass-through is not sufficient.

• Adapter for USB to SD conversion: In hobbyist or embedded electronics projects, a Micro SD card module can convert a Micro SD card to a different interface, such as USB or a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) for a microcontroller.
  
  A module with a USB interface includes a controller chip to manage communication between the card and the USB port.
  
  
• SD to Mini PCI-e: Adapters exist to integrate Micro SD cards into Mini PCI-e slots found in some laptops.
  
  These feature controller chips that enable the Micro SD cards to appear as solid-state drives (SSDs) for system caching, such as with the ReadyBoost feature in Windows.
  
  
• SD Express cards: The latest SD Express standard introduces a PCIe NVMe interface for significantly higher speeds.
  
  While not just an adapter, the cards themselves are more complex and use a dual-row pin configuration.
  
  They are backward compatible with older SD standards, but the card itself handles the conversion. [8, 9, 10, 11, 12]

How to know the difference

The distinction is based on the adapter's function:

• If the adapter simply changes the card's physical size to fit into a larger slot, it is passive.
  
  
• If the adapter changes the card's communication interface (e.g., to USB, PCIe, or SPI), it contains electronics. [13, 14, 15]

For the user, this means that the standard adapters included with retail Micro SD cards are purely mechanical and will not affect the card's performance. [3]

[1] https://superuser.com/questions/172...etween-sd-microsd-adaptor-vs-usb-microsd-adap
[2] https://www.microsatacables.com/micro-sd-to-sd-adapter-msd-827-adp
[3]

[4] https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-microSD-Memory-Adapter-MICROSD-ADAPTER/dp/B0047WZOOO
[5] https://uk.rs-online.com/web/c/computing-peripherals/memory-data-storage/memory-card-readers/
[6] https://www.amazon.ca/UCEC-Micro-Memory-Adapter-MagicGate/dp/B0CH4NVHZ1
[7] https://havecamerawilltravel.com/sd-card-write-protected-locked/
[8]

[9]

[10] https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Micro-SDXC-SDHC-Adapter/dp/B00KZIB90W
[11] https://alexlubbock.com/micro-sd-adapter-esp8266-esp32
[12] https://www.amazon.com/Module-Storage-Adapter-Interface-Arduino/dp/B07PFDFPPC
[13] https://forum.arduino.cc/t/how-to-interface-microsd-or-sd-card-to-usb-microusb-directly/220334
[14] https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/28360
[15] https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/breakout-board-for-microsd-card

 

[rd369151]

If they are built with substandard material, they won't perform as well as those made properly.
And also wear out prematurely.
(Imagine a case where the metal pin being scaped down to the plastic from one insertion and removal.)

Cables are also "simple pass-through devices with no internal electronics" but there is quite a market for different brands being built better than others.
Why are there any brands beyond MonoPrice and Amazon Basics?

 

[peterblaise]

@rd369151 wrote" ... If they are built with substandard material, they
won't perform as well as those made properly. And also wear out
prematurely. (Imagine a case where the metal pin being scaped down
to the plastic from one insertion and removal.) ..."

Thanks for the speculation.

Does anyone have any personal experience or citations of failures of
SD card adapters?

The plastic ridges came off one of mine, but I never had read or
write erros using it.

- - - - -

THIS below is what a fake SD card looks like under free GRC ValiDrive
https://www.grc.com/validrive.htm - note the small real storage at the
front, and random fake and false storage throughout the rest of the
card, random and different for each retest:

I would expect a failed adapter card to not even allow a micro SD card
to be recognized, presenting perhaps as one of these results in ValiDrive:

It would be great if ValiDrive had a read-only mode so we could
confirm fragile drives that have precious data.

An SD adapter with a LOCK switch immediately fails ValiDrive
pre-testing.

The safest read tests are probably copy-out programs for data
recovery, though many programs have read end-to-end tools that
produce useful reports, such as free https://hddscan.com/ and free
https://www.hdtune.com/ and free https://www.hdsentinel.com/ and
so on, sample graps below:

By testing all our drives and all our adapters through all our computer
sockets with all of our tests all of the time, we can become intimately
familiar with the tests and our storage devices and better be sensitive
to anomolies when they occur.

Thanks.

 

[rd369151]

Does anyone have any personal experience or citations of failures of
SD card adapters?

Yes, which is what prompted me to post my question.

My dumb TV was having trouble reading an SD card using the adapter, where the small card worked OK in a card reader that fit the small size.

Upon having the pulled the unit out with pliers, and damaging it, I found that my other SanDisk adapter would no longer snap into the TV's socket, while and ancient no-name 512 MB TF card, that didn't need an adapter would.
That meant there was some physical, mechanical, difference between the SanDisk adapter, and a real TF card from that era.

Any manufactured part may have to conform to certain physical dimensions and tolerances.
For some things it doesn't matter.
If your garden hose is 26 feet rather than 25 feet, no one is going to care.
If a part for your car is one inch off, it might not work correctly.

Since there is no competion for adapters like there is for is for drives, there is no motivation to make intentional fakes.
But, a shady maker could sell very poorly built adapters, and there is no way a consumer will know, unless they do a lot of testing.
E.g., have people here ever noticed how fast the metal can wear off of the pins?
TF/SD cards aren't really made for many insertions and removals, unlike the USB thumb drive.

 

[peterblaise]

@rd369151 wrote "... My dumb TV was having trouble reading an SD
card using the adapter, where the small card worked OK in a card reader
that fit the small size. Upon having the pulled the unit out with pliers,
and damaging it, I found that my other SanDisk adapter would no
longer snap into the TV's socket, while and ancient no-name 512 MB
TF card, that didn't need an adapter would. That meant there was
some physical, mechanical, difference between the SanDisk adapter,
and a real TF card from that era. ... Since there is no competion for
adapters like there is for is for drives, there is no motivation to make
intentional fakes. But, a shady maker could sell very poorly built
adapters, and there is no way a consumer will know, unless they do
a lot of testing. E.g., have people here ever noticed how fast the
metal can wear off of the pins? TF/SD cards aren't really made for
many insertions and removals, unlike the USB thumb drive ..."

You lost me.

A TF card and a micro SD card are the same thing, both need an
adapter to be readable in an SD slot.

If I understand what you are saying, a SanDisk-brand adapter
malfunctioned, fell apart, got jammed in an SD slot.

Another SanDisk-brand adapter no longer fit in the SD slot.

A TF card did fit and work in the SD slot.

Do you mean a TF card in another adapter did fit and work in the
SD slot?

And now you wonder about the difference between the SanDisk
adapter that does not fit or work in the SD slot, versus a no-name
adapter that does fit and work in the SD slot?

Have I got it?

Thanks.

 

[rd369151]

Maybe my terminology is wrong. The old card maybe is the old Compact Flash, like ancient digital cameras and MP3 players used.

And in some quarters, the superstitious use Stabliant 22a to help connectors stay connected.

With my own hands and eyes, I saw two similar looking form factor items behave differently.
One interpretation is that one is made nearer to the official tolerances than the other.
Or, the difference could just be a fluke.

A similar weirdness is found when trying to use new LED bulbs in older Edison sockets.
There is a difference in tolerances that might make certain LED bulbs not function in certain older sockets.
I have to label my boxes of LED bulbs which particular socket they work in.

The relevance for this forum is that there might be a difference in how a particular works card when tested in a native size reader vs. how it behaves in an adapter.

 

[peterblaise]

@rd369151 "... Stabliant 22a ..." is a contact enhancer used to improve
electrical connections by creating a more reliable, "like-new" link
between two mated surfaces. It's a diluted form of the concentrate
Stabilant 22, and is specifically mixed with isopropyl alcohol to make it
flow more easily into connectors. Unlike a cleaner, Stabilant 22a is a
"resident" material that is left on the contacts to provide long-term
protection against corrosion and oxidation.

Thanks for that.

I use a variety of forms of Cramolin https://itwcp.de/product-1021411-en.html
a brand of specialized cleaning and maintenance products for the
electronics industry, known for its high-quality aerosol cleaners,
lubricants, and protective agents, designed to clean electrical
contacts, remove contaminants like grease and dirt, and provide
long-term protection against corrosion and abrasion.

Alternatives come from DeoxIT https://caig.com/ a modern, safer
replacement for the original Cramolin, which is no longer widely
available due to environmental concerns. Both are contact cleaners
that remove oxidation to improve electrical contact, but DeoxIT is
considered the standard today, and includes a lubricant to protect
against future corrosion. Some older formulas of DeoxIT or other
cleaners might contain solvents that can damage certain plastics,
whereas newer formulas like Faderlube are designed to be safer
for a wider range of components.

- - - - -

@rd369151 "... The relevance for this forum is that there might be a
difference in how a particular card works when tested in a native
size reader vs. how it behaves in an adapter ..."

Correct.

I have labeled my USB card readers according to their performance
on a variety of USB read / write tests.

Shockingly, some brand-name card readers are slow, and some
no-name card readers are fast.

Plus the qualities of any device's USB socket, chips, and drivers.

Some internal card readers are USB, and some are native bus.

And adapters, of course, vary when new, and as they age.

When things go wrong, that does not surprise me.

I'm surprised any of this stuff works at all!

Thanks for encouraging everyone to check everything, not just cards
themselves - check adapters, sockets, readers, and so on.

 

[rd369151]

I have labeled my USB card readers according to their performance
on a variety of USB read / write tests.

I hadn't even considered that.
So, my testing grid should even include what reading the card being tested, native PC, third party reader, and whether an adapter is used or not.

What I was leading up to is that I need to buy more of those adapters, and regard them as disposable. Maybe as a ten-pack.
I was curious if anyone had any experience, if there are even choices out there, of better or worse, real of fake, brands.

E.g., for my razor blades and toothbrush heads, after being stung by fakes on Amazon, I buy directly from their makers.

So, for adapters, should I maybe skip Amazon, and buy directly from SanDisk, no matter what the cost, to be sure I have the real product?

 

[peterblaise]

Is sounds like someone is up for a comparative analysis of available
competitive products.

I look forward to the report.

I have never purchased a micro-SD -to-SD PASSIVE adapter because
they come with the uSD cards I buy.

I have Samsung, SanDisk, Sony, Kingston, Dane-Elec, no-name, and I
consider them to be generic, all coming from the same factories,
either officially through the front door as a brand name, or
surreptitiously through the rear door, so to speak, as a generic
product.

I also have many ACTIVE USB readers for SD and micro SD, also from
the same vendors and no-name, and I find them all to be randomly
good or poor performers, one old cheap no-name USB card reader
being better functioning everywhere, and some newer name-brands
only working here or there.

It's a crapshoot out there, a buy-it-and-try-it marketplace, and
return whatever is dissatisfactory.

Let us know if you can make heads or tails from what's available
out there nowadays.

Good luck!

 

[rd369151]

Looking at the Amazon site for the 5 Pack -Sandisk MicroSD MicroSDHC to SD SDHC Adapter finds some interesting reviews.
Ones that caught my eye:

I use these a lot as they tend to wear out. I felt the price was perfect for this brand and was glad they came in a multipack. These should last me for the next 4 months.

I bought 5 of these adapter cards last August. One got stuck in my Nikon P1000, damaging the card slot to the point where it would not take an adapter card. Is one out of five an anomaly? Probably.

Now I have one of these adapter cards get stuck in my Nikon D7500 DSLR yesterday.

One problem with this adapter model is simply bad luck, but 2 out of 5 cards with a problem? It means SanDisk may have a problem with these adapters. I won't be using these card adapters again, no wonder they were so cheap! The other 3 will be headed for the trash bin.

I ordered the 5 pack, because I knew there was a chance one of them wasn't going to work. For some reason, no manufacture can make an SD card adapter that lasts more than a few uses. We'll see how well these hold up.

But to no surprise, one of the 5 had a bent pin inside and wouldn't let me put the MicroSD card in. So not as bad as I thought only having 1 out of 5 not working.

Are these really Sandisk? Doubtful. But they fit into the SD socket a lot better than some of the no-name brands of MicroSD adapters I have bought in the past, and all of them work, also unlike other non-name ones.

On the SanDisk website, they don't have SanDisk adapters, but Western Digital microSD to SD Card Adapters, with no price listed, or way to actually purchase them.

 

[peterblaise]

So, probably NOT SanDisk-brand adapters.

Good to know.

CF cards would bend and crush pins in cameras - ouch.

I see SD sockets have become equally fragile and vulnerable - ouch.

I blame the socket makers - too cheap and poorly designed.