micro SD slot (updates)

[shanewiley]

Cannot get the micro SD slot to keep the micro SD card in.  Pushed in and held, the computer recognises the card, but it springs out as soon as you release pressure.  Tried deep insertion.  Tried several cards.

[MarkHaysHarris777]

Cannot get the micro SD slot to keep the micro SD card in.  Pushed in and held, the computer recognises the card, but it springs out as soon as you release pressure.  Tried deep insertion.  Tried several cards.

This is just one of the reasons I have recommended switching to the push-pull slot, vs the push-push slot.

... in the future our slots will also be push-pull;  they are tighter electrically, and there is no spring to break, get stuck, or eject the card across the room ( my personal favorite ! )
 
Some tips:  make sure the card is centered ( oriented properly ) and that the card is pushed (not deep) but firmly just a tad past the mount point. You should feel and hear a click similar to a ball point pen click.  The slot is fragile;  be careful.  It might be that the latch is 'already' in the latched position;  try unlatching it be pushing the card in quickly and then just a little further and release ( careful that the card doesn't get launched across the room ) .

Keep us posted;  we need to this kind of feedback to improve the products;  the push-pull slot is better, which is also why the Raspberry PI people went with the push-pull slot on the RPi3 too.

What you might try to do is glue a tab of business card to the micro sd card!  use airplane glue or epoxy;  let it dry thoroughly!!!!   then push the card and the tab together into the slot   ;  the friction fit will hold the card in place, and the tab can be used to pull the card out !

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I have even cut a small index card strip and placed it gently into the slot;  then slide the card into the slot with the index card strip (below it) and again the friction fit will keep the card in place;  to remove the card just pull the index card slip out first.

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Note:  it just occurred to me that you already have the new card with the push-pull slot, in which case maybe the SD card is loose, but in the push-pull slot there is NO click, and NO spring.  You simply push the card in till it stops and pull it out when you're done.

[tllim]

Cannot get the micro SD slot to keep the micro SD card in.  Pushed in and held, the computer recognises the card, but it springs out as soon as you release pressure.  Tried deep insertion.  Tried several cards.

On ROCK64 board?

[pfeerick]

On ROCK64 board?

That's what I was wondering too... I thought you said production rock64s would be the push/pull type. Me thinks this user might have posted in the wrong forum... hopefully he'll post back to let us know. Assuming this is the pine64 sprung card mechanism the OP is talking about... I also had a bit of trouble with one board not retaining the cards... the metal flap that was supposed to lock the card into place had popped up a bit, so I gently pressed it in when there was no card in the slot, and it has been fine ever since. Hopefully that will fix the OPs issue also.

[dkryder]

does not really matter to me what type it is, push/pull or push/push either way. what's most important and seemingly gets the least amount of thought recently is the position of the slot. take a look at the original pine64 board vs. the pine64 sopine board. pine64 has push/push with card slightly off the edge of the board whereas the sopine has the push/pull with card flush with the board and on the back side of the compute module. sopine slot is close to being one of the most difficult to access. and if you are going to place the slot on the back side then a setup like the original pine64 board , push/push & slightly off the edge of the board. heck after some practice maybe could swap a card without having to remove the compute module.

[MarkHaysHarris777]

does not really matter to me what type it is, push/pull or push/push either way. what's most important and seemingly gets the least amount of thought recently is the position of the slot.  take a look at the original pine64 board vs. the pine64 sopine board.  pine64 has push/push with card slightly off the edge of the board whereas the sopine has the push/pull with card flush with the board and on the back side of the compute module. sopine slot is close to being  one of the most difficult to access. and if you are going to place the slot on the back side then a setup like the original pine64 board , push/push & slightly off the edge of the board.  heck after some practice maybe could swap a card without having to remove the compute module.

It does matter the type of slot if you want reliable operation over time where you're pulling the card out all the time !

... but you make a good point too!  Many of these boards are not designed with the idea in mind of pulling the SD card frequently;  the sopine for instance assumes it will NEVER be pulled on the base board without pulling the sodimm!  However, the sopine module(s) on the cluster board will have their SD cards UP and available!

I agree dkryder,  the position of the SD card is critical. If the card cannot be replaced easily, what's the point ? right ?

[pfeerick]

does not really matter to me what type it is, push/pull or push/push either way. 

I beg to differ... and you would too after having to go retrieve one from the other side of the room for the fifth or sixth time :-P

But yes, I do get your point, position is everything If it's hard to get at, then that isn't very useful! :-O

[dkryder]

does not really matter to me what type it is, push/pull or push/push either way. what's most important and seemingly gets the least amount of thought recently is the position of the slot.  take a look at the original pine64 board vs. the pine64 sopine board.  pine64 has push/push with card slightly off the edge of the board whereas the sopine has the push/pull with card flush with the board and on the back side of the compute module. sopine slot is close to being  one of the most difficult to access. and if you are going to place the slot on the back side then a setup like the original pine64 board , push/push & slightly off the edge of the board.  heck after some practice maybe could swap a card without having to remove the compute module.

It does matter the type of slot if you want reliable operation over time where you're pulling the card out all the time !

... but you make a good point too!  Many of these boards are not designed with the idea in mind of pulling the SD card frequently;  the sopine for instance assumes it will NEVER be pulled on the base board without pulling the sodimm!  However, the sopine module(s) on the cluster board will have their SD cards UP and available!

I agree dkryder,  the position of the SD card is critical. If the card cannot be replaced easily, what's the point ? right ?

seems to me that part of the design process just does not place a very high value on the sd card slot. it is almost instead of starting with the given of the slot being easily accessible and work the traces and nearby components around that it's more like waiting til almost the very end of the process and then it's, ok boss, where we gonna fit the sd slot?

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does not really matter to me what type it is, push/pull or push/push either way. 

I beg to differ... and you would too after having to go retrieve one from the other side of the room for the fifth or sixth time :-P

But yes, I do get your point, position is everything If it's hard to get at, then that isn't very useful! :-O

well i can say that with a fairly long history of using sd cards i have never had an experience of sd cards popping out of the slot.the only adverse issue i've faced is the metal tongs [used for data i/o on the card] becoming out of place and needing adjustment. as an aside. i think being able to adjust those tongs is a significant , and under-rated, skill. do it wrong and potentially you have destroyed the slot. but i understand  hating that type of slot if there have been problems.

[MarkHaysHarris777]

seems to me that part of the design process just does not place a very high value on the sd card slot. it is almost instead of starting with the given of the slot being easily accessible and work the traces and nearby components around that it's more like waiting til almost the very end of the process and then it's, ok boss, where we gonna fit the sd slot?

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Yes, I agree;  it does seem to look that way in many cases.  



But here is another question:  should the SD slot be soldered in, or plugged in ??

[dkryder]

seems to me that part of the design process just does not place a very high value on the sd card slot. it is almost instead of starting with the given of the slot being easily accessible and work the traces and nearby components around that it's more like waiting til almost the very end of the process and then it's, ok boss, where we gonna fit the sd slot?

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Yes, I agree;  it does seem to look that way in many cases.  



But here is another question:  should the SD slot be soldered in, or plugged in ??

well., either way roughly the same amount of space on the pcb is required so i'd say whatever is least expensive in the manufacturing process, unless there is some kind of elevated sd card slot bracket which would allow the space underneath the bracket/slot to be used for other components.