MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to SmartM

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lekszing
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Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by lekszing »

.. oh - just to mention - I am on OS 1.23 and the xd card is Olympus H 256mb.

And one more thing:

Can I format the xd card and copy the ROLAND directory onto the xd card with a card reader? Anybody tried that already?

Thanks for your replies.

lekszing
lekszing
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Joined: 17:51, 30 January 2010

Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by lekszing »

Well - it's really good to read the forum first.

It looks like I have damaged the original XD card by erasing the factory marker file or whatever when formatting in multicard reader.

I am going to collect another xd card from Olympus and I will see it it works with the original DCIM folder.

BTW is there a way to restore the CARD in a low level formatting software? I used to rescue-format the smart media cards in a special application which simulates the low level formatiing of a reader in a camera. Any ideas to do that then?

Cheers.
L.
SDFM
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Joined: 07:39, 12 June 2010

Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by SDFM »

lekszing where did you get your type H xd cards from?...
Having problems finding them..
Cheers
lekszing
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Joined: 17:51, 30 January 2010

Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by lekszing »

They are long gone - you could find some on Ebay I think. Two months ago I bought one in Vobis - that was their last one, from their display, no packaging. I damaged it by the way doing the format in a PC card reader ... (sigh)...

l.
lekszing
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Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by lekszing »

Oh I have just checked - Vobis are in Poland only.... So have a look at Ebay...?
SDFM
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Joined: 07:39, 12 June 2010

Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by SDFM »

None on ebay lekszing...
I'm going to check all the camera shops locally...
If you find any let me know and I'll let you know if I come accross any..
Cheers
lekszing
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Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by lekszing »

No problem - although they are very rare these days ...
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DJFLEX-mk2
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Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by DJFLEX-mk2 »

UPDATED 03/08/2008 Tuesday 03:39 PM E.S.T.
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DJFLEX-mk2
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Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by DJFLEX-mk2 »

DJFLEX-mk2 wrote: UPDATED 03/08/2011 Tuesday 03:39 PM E.S.T.
UPDATED 04/12/2008 Friday 05:51 PM E.S.T.
UPDATED 09/07/2007 Friday 06:03 PM E.S.T.
UPDATED 01/03/2007 Friday 01:34 PM E.S.T.

POSTED here also: http://replay.waybackmachine.org/200806 ... 4/lang,en/

POSTED here also: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/MC ... ssage/7097

[I'm using the new OS v1.23 done with a 128MB SmartMedia Card first], on my MC-909 , ***I already try to see if its possible to update using these cards adapter...sorry it won't work....I suggest to try to still get the 128mb OLYMPUS SmartMedia Card, have at lease two of them, just in case for future use...there still available in alot of camera shops.....you just have to hunt for them online or even check on http://www.ebay.com/***

OLYMPUS SmartMedia Card (128MB) Mfr Part Number# (200753)
Image
https://emporium.olympus.com/innards/em ... 200753-410

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, it's possible to save more than 128MB on a xD card,
I tested with several xD cards on the Market available today in 2006 & 2007, which was confusing cause I tryed to reference with the Olympus E-20P Camera info,...."Ok to make this simple and not to technical": the 128MB SmartMedia cards writes speed at 3MB/s, Reads speed at 5MB/s...so I tested with a
[DIGILIFE xD-SmartMedia Adpater]=

Image

Image

then I used a OLYMPUS H256MB Xd-Picture Card(TM) Model:M-XD256H, TYPE-H meaning higher speed, spec are: writes speed at 9MB/s, Reads speed at 15MB/s.....Don't use TYPE-M 256MB xD cards ..they do not work also there writes slower speed at 2.5MB/s, Reads speed at 4MB/s........and they do not format with Windows XP...ok to format these cards you just connect the MC-909 with USB cable, then you see on the screen pop up as Removable I:> drive. right click on this you then left click on FORMAT, you see size 249MB, then set File System at FAT, not on FAT32....then set at QUICK FORMAT ON WIN XP...I DON'T KNOW HOW ON A MAC Computer..... then hit [ok]...then from the PC copy your ROLAND & TEMP file to the xD-Smartmedia Adapter card.....well thats all....

**[UPDATE 09/07/2007 Friday 06:03 PM E.S.T.] I try to see if a xD H512MB card will work, I have tryed this already. But with no luck, since the MC-909 can load 272mb MAX (16mb+256mb) = 272mb - this will remain the MAX that this unit memory's can handle....it seem that by design this unit is limited to xD H256MB cards. Because of the O.S. ..., At one time the original maker's were getting ready to make a 256MB SMARTMEDIA Card...because of other FLASH CARDS on the market took over fast with better FLASH CARDS, this made it out dated fast, the SMARTMEDIA CARD Maker's TRASHED this idea. Too bad for us. Plus at least Roland Corp. was thinking ahead in the future, to be able to save your 272mb USER MEMORY to your DESKTOP OR NOTEBOOK COMPUTER,...Using your USB CONNECTION. And makeing your COMPUTER a EXTERNAL STORAGE BASE.**

***thanks for the help from the french web site http://replay.waybackmachine.org/200903 ... c909.org/?, originally posted first in french by Nico a.k.a. nico909 on Roland Clan....[I don't know french, but I did my very best to try to translate this from the past posting info,...believe it or not] - translation here also http://errorprojects.com/mc-909/ <--"this site been down for awhile, But this is there sister web site from http://www.mc909.org, there still working on it to make it in ENGLISH - very soon".

....and thank you again Nico909......cause without you I would not have gone further and kept trying over and over on trail and error, to see if I can make this work......***

***Here are other picture for ref***:

Image

Image

Image

PACKAGE: Olympus 256 MB XD-Picture Card (202030)
256MB xD-Picture Card MODEL: M-XD256H
Mfr Part Number# (202030)
Manufacturer: Olympus America Inc.
http://www.olympusamerica.com/

**FROM: [F.A.Q. at www.mc909.org] on http://replay.waybackmachine.org/200901 ... 7/lang,en/

How to format an Xd card?

Several users, whose myself, had problems to format their Xd card.

It would seem that the 909 cannot do it... But a solution exists!

You need :

- Xd card,

- Xd / SM adapter

- smartmedia card (32Mb minimum)

- computer.

Once these elements joined together, the procedure is rather simple :

1. Format your SM card from your 909

2. Remove SM, and to replace it by Xd (with the adapter, of course)

3. Connect your 909 on computer by USB (MENU - USB - CARD)

4. Format your card from computer then disconnect (by swintching in pattern mode for ex.)

5. Remove your Xd card, then put your SM in

6. Connect your 909 to Computer

7. Copy ROLAND repertory from card to your computer, then disconnect

8. Put your Xd card in your 909 then connect to computer

9. Copy ROLAND directory in your Xd


Image

Signing off from DJFLEX-mk2

my home page is:
http://www.myspace.com/djflexmk2

"PLANET ROCK! ~ yO gEt FuNkY"
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DJFLEX-mk2
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Re: Read xD Picture Card via SmartMedia Card Interface

Post by DJFLEX-mk2 »

DJFLEX-mk2 wrote: UPDATED 03/08/2011 Tuesday 03:39 PM E.S.T.

Some of these cards maybe packaged under different names.....I got mine in Canada under lable [DIGILIFE] they did not have xD cards,
at web site:
http://www.shoptronics.com/xdpicaimmeto.html
Image:


other places looks like the same card under different names.........

Image:

Signing off from DJFLEX-mk2

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"PLANET ROCK! ~ yO gEt FuNkY"
canefire
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Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by canefire »

bump
chilledbeatz
Posts: 2
Joined: 09:13, 17 June 2012

Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by chilledbeatz »

Let me save some people their time. First off, these instructions are awfully fragmented and missing some key details.

I recently tried to follow this guide using all 3 Olympus branded 256mb xd cards on the market (type H, type M, and the original unmarked cards (type P?) all were used since you can no longer buy them new.

Basically, the type M and original cards cannot be used with the mc909. The 909 will not even detect these cards. I came closest with the type H card that others got working, at least the 909 detected it. All of these cards are factory formatted in a particular way that is destroyed if you use or format the card in a computer (the CIS block gets corrupted). Once this has happened you cannot easily restore the CIS block. Since my cards were bought used it was evident that they had previously been formatted via a PC and rendered useless in the 909 (still fully functional via Windows I should add), Windows ignores the CIS block completely.

I think the only way to make this work is to find a brand new Olympus type H card or one that has only ever been used in a camera (and never format it via PC).

I would advise anyone interested in trying this not to bother and just stick with one or two 128mb smartmedia cards. Even if you had a working 256mb xd card, loading 256mb of samples would take around 10 minutes anyway, for most people this is too long!

If you have a type H card and it appears as "Unformat" and when you try to format it you get a "Memory Damaged" error, your CIS block is corrupt and the card won't work in your 909, due to being previously formatted on a PC.

If you have a type M or an original unmarked card then it will appear as "No Card" or "Card Not Ready". These cards are not compatible at all for some reason.

You may also have more/less success using alternative brands. I only tried Olympus.
canefire
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Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by canefire »

Thanks a lot chilledbeatz. I own the fantom s88 andthere is a similar work around - that actually works though. It is much easier. Too bad the mc909 is not the same. The file saving structure is very different.
cheers,
Ian
Rabudhamster
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Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by Rabudhamster »

Has anyone tried taking the xD format file from the H256 Olympus card that OP has working, and putting that on one of the used cards that is broken?


Maybe you could even use a disk cloning software to make an exact copy of the working xD card, and just apply that disk image to another 256mb xD card?

Might be a waste of time, but I do wonder if that would allow other types of H cards to be used.
StephenM
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Re: MC-909 Tip/Trick: using a H256 MB xD card via a xD to Sm

Post by StephenM »

Maybe i read the full threat later on,,

But I'm sure it's a problem of the power of the smartmedia slot

If you unplug/plug the Smartmedia XD/Olympus 256MB Card a few times the XD Card becomes accesible,
You can see this is the Menu/System/SystemInfo/Memory Info


I think there is'nt a keypress to get access too,, it's just un/plug the card a few times,

So I guess, it's not supported

Booting from it and auto load the presets will not work.
Or with the SmartMedia XD adapter / Olympus 256 Setup I have,,
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