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UPDATE: PCMCIA Card Readers
Hi all,
I recently posted a question asking if it were possible to use a “non Panasonic” PCMCIA card reader with P2 cards. After some valuable input from a couple people on the list and some research, I decided on the PCD-110CS-B from Primary Simulation, Inc. (https://www.psism.com/pcd-tp-110cs.htm).
I ordered the device online Friday and got it today. It took me ten minutes to install the PCI card and less than a minute to install the Panasonic Mass Storage Driver. I popped in a 4GB card and Windows XP Pro immediately recognized it as a mass storage device. I was able to read from and write to the card without any issues.
After all is said and done, I think the $160.00 (including shipping) was well worth it. I wonder why Panasonic didn’t make an inexpensive reader like this…
Thanks,
Shawn
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7 Replies
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[ShawnM] “I wonder why Panasonic didn’t make an inexpensive reader like this”
You just answered your own question…Why sell something “inexpensive” when you can sell it expensively?
Lots of way to skin this kitty..or so I’m finding with my less-than-satisfied foray into the world of P2.
Cheers,
Tim Scarpino
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Let me get this straight. You don’t have to buy Panasonic’s P2 card and spend a fortune, a less expensive card works just fine. Or is that just a card reader?
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Now I wish that some manufacturer would have a Macintosh MacPro card that was compatible.
When you said, you “wrote” to the card, are you saying out of your NLE?
Which one?
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“Or is that just a card reader?”
That’s just the card reader. 🙂
Shawn
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“When you said, you “wrote” to the card, are you saying out of your NLE?”
I wrote back to the card using P2 Maker from DVFilm.
Shawn
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Shawn-
I’m glad this card and reader worked out. As card sizes increase, and the need to offload cards in the field decreases, having a solution right on your editing workstation to go from P2 to NLE (and I’m not talking about external firewire), makes all the sense in the world.
As I understand it, the slot for the card reader is on the front panel of the workstation, not behind the computer. Can you comment on build quality how this card/reader changes the way you think about workflow? Thanks.
sn48
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“As I understand it, the slot for the card reader is on the front panel of the workstation, not behind the computer.”
Yes, that’s correct – it’s a circuit board connected to a PCI slot via two IDE ribbon cables (the PCMCIA slot/interface sits on top of the board). The circuit board is covered by a metal housing (which can be removed) and it has a plastic faceplate with an eject button and a busy light. The build is not bad, it feels like any other slot of its kind that you might find in a laptop. It fits in a 3 1/2 inch bay, but PCISM also makes a 5 inch bay adapter.
“…how this card/reader changes the way you think about workflow?”
Yes, I love the idea of carrying cards instead of lugging a camera to different locations/workstations for offloading footage. I’m going to recommend to my manager that we purchase four of these adapters. 🙂
Thanks,
Shawn
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