Nightmare with CF microdrive and AXIM

surajt · 03-27-03, 09:23 AM

I received AXIM 5 2 days back. I installed all the software and setup the AXIM.

I have IBM 1GB microdrive CF typr II which I use for digital camera. To check the working of CF with AXIM, I inserted IBM microdrive into CF slot on top of AXIM. The CF card appeared in explorer on AXIM. I was able to see the data browse through images etc. Everything looke perfect.

Now after testing I decided to put it back in my digital camera and my nighmare started. The CF card was well inside the slot and I was not able to take out. I scanned manuals, websotes, forums to find how to remove cf card from AXIM cf slot. There is no infomration on removing CF card. There was no way to pull CF card out of the slot. I have see that all or most of euipments using CF card have a trigger which you push abd card pops up. There is nothing on AXIM to popup the card.

After so much struggle I called DELL support. The support rep mentioned that may be IBM CF drive is smaller in height ;) I said excuse me, I suppose size of CF cards is a standard no matter who manufactures it. I said if would have bought from us you would not have any problems, because the CF card which dell sells stick out little bit outside the slot so that it can be pulled out.
Is this the way to take out the CF card ? I spend 1/2 an hour on hold till he scanned his doc.

After all he suggested me to unscrew the AXIM and disassemble ot and take the whole back of AXIM out and then try to push CF card from bottom. :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:

:exc: :exc:

That was a shock for me. Eventually he ended forwardin a link to from www.screentap.com where it is shown in picture very well explained sttep by step procedure to disassemble AXIM.

I was so desparate to take the CF card out (I wanted to take b'day picture and there was CF in camera), I followed the instructions, opened the AXIM..and pushed out that baby out of that CF slot. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..........

Thanks GOD, both CF and AXIM are working fine after this operation, though I lost all the data on AXIM.

Has any one experianced this ? which CF cards are compatible with AXIM ? Is any one using CF memory cards with AXIM.....

Guys please talk on this , I am so pissed off due to this imcpatibility that eventought there is CF slot I can't use it.

Tahnks
s

dannychanmoa · 03-27-03, 09:36 AM

I have an Axim and use a 1gig microdrive. I had the same problem when I first tried to take the microdrive out. I had read about people making a little tab using scotch tape before they put the drive in, but I hadn't done that. I took some scotch tape and kind of slipped it in between the MD and the Axim. I was able to get it out in about 3 minutes. I then made a tab with tape (make sure you don't cover the hole on the back of the MD) and it pops in and out just fine.

surajt · 03-27-03, 09:45 AM

Can you please explain how you use scotch tape ?
Do you put it across the drive, how about covering pin holes ?

Thanks

dannychanmoa · 03-27-03, 09:52 AM

I took about 4 cm of tape. I made a tab of about 1cm by folding the tape together in the middle. I left about 1cm of tape free on both ends. I attached one end of the tape to the front of the MD and the other to that back. Make sure you don't cover the hole, it is clearly marked "DO NOT SEAL THIS HOLE". Put the MD into the Axim, and you can tuck the tape tab into axim. When you want to remove the MD just lift up the tab and pull out the MD.

surajt · 03-27-03, 10:05 AM

Thanks for quick reply. Does normal scotch tapes available in stores able to handle the force while pulling it out ? Or do you need to use stronger tapes ?

Is this the problem with just microdrive or all CF cards ?
How about CF based bluetooth, fm radio or other cards ? Do you have to use such techniques for all CF cards since AXIM cf slot is very deep.

I think it is a serious design flaw . Dell should work on it.

dannychanmoa · 03-27-03, 10:13 AM

I used normal scotch tape. It does not require much force to remove the card. I'm not sure if it is a problem with other CF cards. I've heard of other pda's having the same problem, so it's not just dell, but obviously an eject button would be nice. However, for $230 or so, the Axim is a kick butt pda, and I'm willing to over look this problem.

tutut17 · 03-27-03, 10:15 AM

there's no problem removing bluetooth CF cards or ordinary 128mb CF cards from the CF slot. :)

jrobards · 03-27-03, 11:15 AM

To some extent the issue is the microdrive not the Axim. If you look at CF's they have edges that extend on that side of the card and provide you a lip to pull out the card. I also experienced an issue getting the Microdrive out but on the right hand side there is a verrry slight edge I was able to hook my thumb nail in and remove the microdrive. I am just using a 256mb until the 1gb prices slide down as I honestly do not a need at the time as I have a 256MB SD (sandisk- never had a problem).
JR

ceej13 · 03-27-03, 12:01 PM

I use the other end of the Axim's Stylus as a hook to pull out the CF card. It works well. :)

Aragorn · 08-17-03, 10:21 PM

This is actually a long standing problem with cf devices. My Casio E-125 came with some tabs that adhered to the cf cards to pull them out! My Microdrive still has it on. Now if only I could get it to work with my Axim.

HeyBigBoy · 08-18-03, 08:41 PM

I have an Iomega Microdrive and it has a tiny thumbnail dent in it to pull it out with. Works great. If your case also keep a pair of needlenose pliers handy. Be careful when removing.

hossmcd · 08-19-03, 03:36 PM

I just went through the same nightmare as the original poster to this thread. I wrote John Dvorak at PC Mag and he thought it was a hoot. He forwarded my e-mail to Michael George the VP of Marketing. Michael bounced my e-mail to the Executive Response team. I am presently in contact with the Executive Response team at Dell about my 7-day old Axim X5 Advanced. My IBM Microdrive can be inserted in the Axim’s CF 2 slot and I can view pictures stored on the card. But Dell's Axim provides no eject mechanism for it. Also the CF 2 slot won't work with similarly sized CF 2 Memory cards unless the manufacturer put a little gripping ridge near the top edge of the card . IBM didn't and some memory card makers didn't.

IBM 's Microdrive is the same size as ALL CF memory. Dell never thought through the fact that the Microdrive couldn't be extracted. They now say, “We did our job within the CF specs and so did IBM. It's too bad they don't work together." At the least Dell should wan purchaser’s that the Axim isn't designed for the Microdrive, on the sales website but they don't want to hear that. Unfortunately they don’t seem to care about of all of us ticked off Microdrive users.

Dell's Executive Response Team solution is put a loop of Scotch Tape on the top of the Microdrive so you can pull it out. (Just as some posters have suggested.) Not my idea of a user friendly solution. I found a CF Extender card at www.syscard.com but they admit it’s a development tool and a little fragile for consumer use. Do you guys Know of a consumer level extender product? If not, I'm within the first 30 days and can still return mine. Do you know of any brand of PDA that works well with the Microdrive? I may switch.

suemccartin · 10-10-03, 01:16 PM

Gads what a mess, don't have microdrive so I never thought about it, my old maestro probably would have had the same issue, in fact I really can't think of any pdas I've seen that have an eject button (hmm...maybe the toshiba 750's do now that I think about it). I doubt that I'd trust scotch tape to avoid this problem, that heavy duty metal tape that they sell for automotive repair applications (some kind of body work tape) might be something I'd have more faith in. As usual with this stuff, nobody really took it into the real world in the design phase, if they had, they probably would have caught this pre-production.

mfphoto1 · 10-10-03, 02:37 PM

I have been considering Hatachi's microdrive....does anyone know if they have this same problem or not?

suemccartin · 10-29-03, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mfphoto1
I have been considering Hatachi's microdrive....does anyone know if they have this same problem or not?

Just don't take the chance, make a tape tab before you insert it the first time and you'll be sure to avoid trouble.