I recently bought a memory card reader (more importantly writer) so that I can put files back on to the memory card since my digital camera does not do disk mode. Unfortunately I listened to the advice of the clerk at the store instead of getting the one I was looking at—hey, I figured if he’s saying that the $20 one is better (specifically faster) than the $23 one, then it must be right? I bought it and went home and anxiously tried to install it (it is an internal one, not a portable one). What the clerk failed to mention, and this is pretty important, is that this particular card reader does not have a USB connector cable, but rather a USB header cable. That means that I have to connect it to a USB header on the motherboard (using both ports if I want to use the USB connector on the reader). Of course my old motherboard only has a single header which is already occupied. I was screwed.
(I should also mention that my old motherboard only had USB 1.1 which is why I bought a USB 2.0 card that same day; fortunately that part was not problematic.)
A quick check found that there are actually very few USB male A to USB header cables. There are a small handful of places to buy one online and probably none in brick-and-mortar stores. In any case, I wasn’t about to spend another $5 (plus any shipping) to use a product that I just bought—and was expecting to have a USB cable like most other readers. Of course this particular store (Cutting Edge Computers) has horrible store policies which include seven day exchange and no-return (not to mention processing fees for credit card purchases). Anyway, I figured I’d just make my own adapter.
This turned out to be a little harder than I thought since I don’t have any spare USB cables; the few that I’ve got are already attached to peripherals. Like I said, I wasn’t about to buy two brand new cables and cut them up either. I needed to try to get free ones since they would be cut up anyway.
I posted an ad on Kijiji requesting one or two old/broken USB cables. The only reply I eventually got was from someone offering a box full of USB cables for $30. Um, no thanks.
I got out the phone book and began calling all of the computer stores in town and asking them if they have a box of old cables in the back. I started with the used computer and repair stores. No luck. I then got to The Mac Outpost. Bingo! I explained that I needed an old USB cable and he said that he had one. I asked how much it would be and he said that he would just give it to me. Yes! I gave him my name and told him that I could be by the next day to get it. I still needed another one for the USB port on the reader so I continued my search more hopeful. I hit up a few couple of more computer stores with no luck. I decided to try the other Mac store in town, Mostly Digital (formerly Mostly Mac). Double bingo! He said that he had an old one that he would just give me. Again I gave my name and arranged to pick it up the next day.
I was anxious. I ended up getting a ride and heading out that day—no time like the present. I went to Mostly Digital first. Even though it was only an hour later, the gentleman I had spoken with was not there, but he had left the cable with a sticky with my name on it. Another clerk gave it to me and after a round of thanks, I was off to get the other one. I went to Mac Outpost. This time it took longer because Ian was busy with a customer (a whole family). About five or ten minutes later—I lost track of time—he was done with them and got me the cable. Another round of thanks and I was off to make my adapter.
In the end I ended up saving the two cables that they gave me. The one from Mostly Digital was actually an Apple brand USB extension cord (which was probably thrown in the back because it’s too tight, but still works, albeit kind of dirty). The one that Ian gave me was new and had some really nice shielding. I couldn’t bring myself to cut them up so I cut one of my other USB cables that was of lesser quality. Luckily I already had some header type pins and connectors so I made the adapter. I plugged the reader in and it worked. A while later I reinforced it to be a better connection (the original one was just a quick and loose test). I still don’t have use of the USB port on the reader for now, but I’ll eventually attend to that (it’s actually kind of important since all of the USB 2.0 ports are at the back of the computer and my two hubs are 1.1). In the meantime, I have a card reader/writer, and I am thrilled because it is much easier to pop in the card and do whatever I need to do rather than going through the camera. (I installed CHDK on the 16MB card that came with the camera and played around with that; a task not possible without a card writer.) I should also point out that Jake failed to mention that the card reader does not support SDHC, which is why I am already looking for a replacement. Basically I paid $20 for nothing; thank goodness I didn’t waste even more money on cables.
I learned two valuable lessons: (1) don’t listen to Jake the next time I shop at Cutting Edge—assuming I have to at all—and (2) Mac people are generous. (Of course a logical explanation would be that anyone who can afford a Mac can afford to be generous.)