Flash card reader. (SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro, xD cards)
I am using Red Hat Linux 9.0. My digital camera (HP photosmart 435) refused to work with any of my computers (running linux and even Windows ME) in any way. So, there was obviously something wrong there. So, I was forced to use a card reader (SanDisk SDDR-99) and it worked.
I used SD card from Lexar Media (128MB) with this card reader. It has a button (physical one) that is designed to be used with the driver software included in the CD, which is only for Windows or Mac. So, I didn't even try to install the complementary software. I should be able to use the card reader with the memory card as a external USB storage anyway. And, indeed I could do that.
In a nutshell,
1. plugged in the card reader to my computer.
2. put my SD card in the card reader.
3. rebooted the computer. (maybe skipped => read note at the end)
4. opened up a terminal (command line) window.
5. "su"ed (root user) and executed the following.
6. /sbin/modprobe usb-storage
7. mount -t vfat /dev/sda1 /mnt/camera
It is assumed that /mnt/camera directory had already been created. At this point, I was able to access /mnt/camera directory, i.e. "ls /mnt/camera" returned 2 directories:
dcim
misc
The name/structure of directory tree under that mount point may be different depending on what kind of camera you are using. They should be reasonably similar. Anyway, in my case, "dcim" directory had sub directory "100hp43x", which containted all *.jpeg files. I could either copy or move those files around. Basically, the same way I can move around files in my hard drive.
When you are done with the files in the memory card, you should disconnect properly. This means, you should "umount" before taking the memory card out of the card reader or before unplugging the card reader from the computer. My understanding of USB devices is it shouldn't matter since USB devices are designed to be plugged in or out without worring about the power on/off status of the computer itself. But, the user's guide of the card reader emphasized on disconnecting properly using hotplug or something (in Windows/Mac environment, of course). So, the comparable way in linux world would be properly unmounting it before taking the card out.
As a side note, the step #3 (rebooting) may not be required. Sometimes, just opening new terminal window and running the commands worked. In my case, there must be something not set up perfectly for USB. It all boils down to whether or not your machine can recognize the USB device properly. If even rebooting (with card reader and memory card already connected) doesn't help at all, try how-to document in tldp site (www.tldp.org; search for "USB Digital Camera HOWTO").
Would you recommend the product? yes | Price you paid?: $14.99 | Rating: 9
Kernel (uname -r):
2.6.8-24-smp
Distribution:
SuSE 9.2
Worked perfectly using SD and xD cards in SuSE 9.2. I just had to open up Konqueror and mount the device in the left hand pane. It showed up as a USB Hard Disc there, and had the device name /dev/sda1. The button doesn't work, but I wouldn't use that anyway. I didn't have to reboot for the card reader to work.
Would you recommend the product? yes | Price you paid?: $20.00 | Rating: 10
Kernel (uname -r):
/opt/app/firefox/
Distribution:
Fedora Core 3
I posted the initial review with RedHat 9. Now, I upgraded to Fedora Core 3, and tested the same card reader. The result is even better. I don't need any of the steps to enable USB device, etc. All I needed to do is just to connect the card reader to my computer's USB port, then plug in my SD card to the card reader.
After a few seconds, the storage device is detected automatically and even photo editing application (gThumb 2.4.2) is launched. I guess what application should be launched can be customized through GNOME setting, which I don't know the detail now.
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