Rock CF-705 internal card reader

The Rock CF-705 USB 2.0 internal card reader is cheap and simple, too simple. You end up with empty drives defined for all the unused card slots.

USB based internal card readers should contain a USB host and connect a card reader slot as a device only when you use the slot. I have tested many internal card readers over the years and they all fail in one of two ways. Either they do what the CF-705 does and allocate all the unused drives as devices to sludge up your Windows Explorer disk list or they try to allocate all the devices as one device.

The excess empty devices in the disk list create selection problems and Windows goes into a truly stupid coma for an unbearably long time until Windows finally decides to indicate what it knew instantly, that there is no card in the slot. The incredible fault in Windows makes over allocation of drives a deadly time waster.

I disconnected the internal card reader and will replace it with an external one I can plug in only when needed. Until then I can do without the aggravation of a lot of empty drives in the disk list.

One day a thinking person will manufacture one of the internal card readers with a switch so you can leave it off until needed. A smarter design would stay switched off until needed then dynamically switch on only the card slot in use. If someone were to apply intelligence to both the hardware and the operating system, the operating system could allow for dynamic allocation and bring a drive up with a consistent assignment when used. That might be a bit too much to expect from Microsoft this century.

SDHC

The advertising for the device mentions SDHC but the tiny documentation supplied with the device does not mention SDHC. Do not trust a device to work with SDHC cards unless it is clearly stated all over the box and the documentation. Most of the sales people in shops lie about compatibility because they do not know the difference between SDHC and SD. Most of the online shops display whatever text is supplied by the manufacturer or wholesaler. SDHC is different and you do have to test everything you buy.

Some SDHC devices work with smaller SDHC cards but not full size 32 Gigabyte cards. There is not mention of SDHC with the device.

Some SDHC devices work with 32 Gigabyte cards but are stuck back in the old SD card speeds and are too slow to make SDHC practical. There is no mention of speed in the documentation supplied with the device.

Colour

The Rock, and a few other internal card readers, are supplied with multiple front plates so you can match the colour to your computer. The Rock is supplied with black, silver, and white front plates. None of them are easy to read. The silver is slightly easier to read than the black.

Conclusion

Occasionally plugging in an external card reader is less hassle than permanently installing a poorly designed internal reader.