USB Removable
Memory Card Reader
Please read these Getting Started instructions carefully
before using the memory card reader.
This reader is for use with xD-Picture Card™ memory cards formatted for and
by Rabbit Semiconductor devices and the Dynamic C FAT software module. The
reader allows you to use a PC to read and write a memory card formatted in a
Rabbit-based system using the Dynamic C FAT library. This reader is not for use
with digital cameras.
NOTE: This reader is not intended for use with safety-critical systems.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Windows 2000
®
or Windows XP
®
operating system and a free USB slot.
Only 16MB–128MB xD-Picture Cards are supported at this time. M-type
xD-Picture Cards are
not
supported at this time.
Version 2.12 or later of the Dynamic C FAT File System is required for 16MB
and 32MB xD-Picture Cards, and v. 2.10 or later is required for larger cards.
CE COMPLIANCE
The memory card reader has been tested and was found to be in conformity with
applicable EN immunity and Class B emission standards.
•
EN55024 (1998) immunity standards.
EN61000-4-2 (ESD)
EN61000-4-3 (Radiated Immunity)
EN61000-4-4 (EFT)
EN61000-4-5 (Surges)
EN61000-4-6 (Conducted Immunity)
EN61000-4-8 (Magnetic Fields)
EN61000-4-11 (Voltage Dips and Interruptions)
•
EN55022 (1998) emission standards
.
CISPR Class B
FCC Class B
IEC-003 Class B.
INTRODUCTION
The memory card reader works like any other USB thumb drive or memory card
reader when copying files to or from a PC or laptop,
but it will automatically
format memory cards that haven’t been formatted by the Dynamic C FAT file
system! Never format a memory card via Windows File Explorer commands
from the PC,
which may create a format that is inefficient or unusable when the
card is returned to a Rabbit-based system. See the section below on formatting
for more information.
USING THE USB MEMORY CARD READER
Insert either an unformatted or an already-formatted memory card from a Rabbit-
based system into the reader’s memory-card slot, then plug the card reader into
an available USB slot on your PC or laptop.
Formatting Cards
If the memory card was not formatted in a Rabbit-based system, the LED on the
card reader should flash rapidly (about two blinks per second) for several
seconds to indicate that the card is about to be formatted. Formatting won’t
actually begin until the blinking stops.
If you accidentally plugged in a card
with your vacation photos, remove it now!
Once formatting begins, the LED will stay lit without blinking until formatting is
complete. The memory card reader will not communicate with the PC until the
formatting has been completed.
Driver Installation
If a memory card reader has never been used by your PC, you will probably see
some messages about hardware being detected and software being automatically
installed at this point. The card reader will initiate communication with the PC
once this setup is complete.
Card Detection
Once a card formatted in a Rabbit-based
system or by the card reader has been
detected by your PC, a new removable drive
should be visible in Windows Explorer.
Which drive letter is used depends on what
drive letters were available to the Windows
operating system.
Removing the Memory Card Reader
Never remove the memory card reader while file
operations are in progress!
The icon shown at
right will appear somewhere in the lower right PC
status bar while any active, removable USB device
is connected to your PC.
Place the mouse cursor over the icon and left click.
Now click on the following message that pops up.
USB removable
device icon
This message should then appear. Click the
OK.
It is now safe to physically remove either the whole card reader or just the
memory card. If only the card is removed, the LED should begin to blink slowly.
You may now insert a card, and the host PC should once again detect a remov-
able USB device.
LED STATUS INDICATOR
The LED status indicator shows the status as follows.
•
Slow blinking
— the memory card reader is plugged in with no memory
card inserted and is waiting for a card to be inserted, the card was removed
from the card reader, or an internal error has occurred.
Fast blinking
(about two blinks per second) — a card that wasn’t formatted
in a Rabbit-based system has been detected, and the card reader will format
the card when the blinking stops.
Continuously lit
— the card reader is doing a file read, file write, or format
operation. (The LED may quickly blink off and back on sporadically in this
mode. A memory card with many files will take longer to read than an empty
card when first inserted.)
Unlit
— normal, idle operation.
•
•
•
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR RABBIT DEVELOPERS
Partitions
The USB memory card reader works only with a one-partition memory card.
Wear Reduction
One of the ways that the Dynamic C FAT file system reduces flash wear is to use
the 16K erase block size for the cluster size. This prevents files from sharing
erase units, and means that the smallest block of flash a file can use is 16K. Keep
this in mind when designing FAT applications.
Caching and Power Failure
RabbitCore modules and Rabbit-based single-board computers using the
Dynamic C FAT file system with memory cards do caching in battery-backed
RAM as a way of reducing wear and to provide extra safety against data loss in
the event of unexpected power cycling or card removal. The card reader doesn’t
do any caching. A power failure during a file-write operation to the memory card
could therefore result in loss of
all
files on the card. The easiest way to prevent
critical data loss from such a power failure is to use a laptop with a charged
battery that will continue running if AC power cuts out. It is also suggested that
existing critical data on a card be copied to the PC for backup before doing a
file-write to the memory card. File-read operations will not corrupt the memory
card.
Unique Volume Labels
Partitions created using the
fat_autoMount()
function call from the Dynamic C
FAT file system have unique volume labels so that cache recovery operations are
not attempted on a memory card that was not the one being used when a power
failure or premature card removal occurred. The system timer is used as a
random seed to create unique labels. Because the memory card reader has no
battery-backed real-time clock, the reader uses factory-bad NAND blocks for
entropy to create a random seed. It also uses a loop counter that runs on start-up
while waiting for a card to be inserted. To minimize the chances of the same
random label being created twice, format new cards by plugging in the card
reader without a memory card, then insert the card.
Firmware Upgrades
Assuming the firmware is intact and the hardware undamaged, the card reader
firmware can be upgraded by simply by inserting a memory card with a firmware
update file on it and plugging the reader into a USB slot. Check the Rabbit
Semiconductor Web site for firmware upgrades and instructions.
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