Prep Card error

[jumpship]

I am trying to setup a Flash PCMCIA card using the Prepcard utilitiy. The problem I am having is that the program insists that the card is write protected, not matter which side I put the write protect switch on.

Is this because the Amiga cant use flash cards, or a problem with the PCMCIA port, or just that I need a better utility to setup the disk?

[KennyR]

The Amiga can use flash cards, but only old 16bit ones.

[Castellen]

I've had that too, only some cards are compatible, and mainly the older ones at
that.
There's no easy way to know if a card will work for sure unless you give one a
try or talk to someone who knows fore sure which make/model.

Dumb question - did you look for a slide switch along one of the narrow edges of the card. This sets the write-protect.

[jumpship]

@supertech2698

not matter which side I put the write protect switch on.

Yep! ;-)

Yep, I was right. A dumb question! I think I'm awake now. At work, I have a spectrum analyzer that can use a card that is PCMCIA Release 2.0 Type I. It has 2Mb of memory. It's possible that the backup battery inside has discharged completely or failed altogether, but not likely. Many times I find that my spectrum analyzer saids that the battery voltage is low, but I haven't lost any data. With that said, I wondered if the switch itself is bad. That would be rare, could have happened.

I, myself, have never used the PCMCIA port on my Amiga 1200, so I don't have any direct experience nor can I draw an exact comparison between it and the spectrum analyzer I use at work. What I should do is take my card home tonite and try it on my Amiga. I'll keep you updated!

 :-D

Hi, I'm back. I tried out my card and had no problems formatting as extra RAM or as a disk. I doublechecked the write protect switch by formatting the card as a disk, then setting the write protect to ON and trying to write to it. It failed as it should.

I doubt if the problem is with Prepcard utility or the interface. You'll probably need another card to doublecheck the interface. However, I feel that the switch on your card is probably bad. :-(

[blobrana]

It could be the battery...

Have you looke inside to see if any pins are bent?
A nightmare!

Yeah, it could be. The card I use will recharge it's battery if it's plugged into the interface for awhile (of course, it helps if the computer is turned on!). Boy, I hope it isn't bent pins. It would be easier to straighten out the bristles in a hair brush! :boohoo: