Unofficial Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 FAQ -Unofficial Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 FAQ Table of Contents See also: Accessories -- Expansion Slots and Cards What do CF, SD and MMC stand for? CF stands for Compact Flash The Zaurus has a 'Type 2' CF slot, which means it can support larger, 'Type 2' CF devices, like micro-harddrives. Last updated: 2002.Mar.29 SD stands for Secure Digital ... (no security / compatible with MMC) Last updated: 2002.Mar.29 MMC stands for MultiMedia Card ... (predecessor to SD) Last updated: 2002.Mar.29 Can I use MMC cards instead of SD cards? They look the same. Yes, they are compatible SD cards add two pins (one on either side) on top of the 7 that MMC cards have. ... Last updated: 2002.Apr.01 I heard CF cards were compatible with PCMCIA cards. Can I use PCMCIA on my Zaurus? Yes, using an adapter CF cards and PCMCIA cards are similar, but they are in a different form factor. There are adapters which plug into a CF slot (like on the Zaurus), and allow you to plug PCMCIA devices into it. (They cost approx. USD $50). Whether the PCMCIA devices will work once connected, is another story... Last updated: 2002.Mar.29 Are CF and SD memory cards automatically 'mounted' when I insert them into my Zaurus? Yes, CF and SD memory cards are mounted automatically. The 'cardmgr' and 'sdmgr' processes running on your Zaurus will notice when a card is plugged in, and automatically mount it. You should see a 'SD' (for SD cards) or (for CF cards) card appear on the taskbar, at the bottom right of the screen. Last updated: 2002.Mar.28 What format are CF and SD cards usually in? FAT16 Almost all CF and SD cards are pre-formatted in FAT16 (MSDOS/Windows) format. This is also the format most digital cameras and other devices expect them to be in. (The Zaurus also supports other formats, like Linux 'ext2fs'). Last updated: 2002.Apr.15 How do I get to the files on my SD/CF cards when they're in the Zaurus? They should be available automatically Most programs (including the 'Documents' tab of the launcher) will automatically see files on the mounted cards. Last updated: 2002.Mar.28 They are in /mnt/card and /mnt/cf, respectively. When issuing commands from within the program, or when using applications that provide a desktop-computer-style file browser for accessing files, the contents of the SD and CF cards can be found within the "/mnt/card" and "/mnt/cf" directories on the Zaurus's filesystem, respectively. Last updated: 2002.Mar.29 Am I supposed to 'Unmount' CF and SD memory cards before physically removing them? Yes, unmounting is suggested. In case there is still data left to be written to a file on the SD or CF card, you should 'Eject' ('Unmount') it before physically taking it out of the device. This ensures that the data finishes writing. Once it's done, the card's icon will disappear from the taskbar, and you know it's safe to remove it. Last updated: 2002.Mar.30 How do I 'Unmount' CF and SD memory cards? Tap their icon in the taskbar. Tap the 'SD' or icon in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. Select "Eject Card" from the menu that appears. Once the icon has disappeared, it is safe to remove the card. Last updated: 2002.Mar.28 I tried to 'unmount' a card using 'Eject', but the icon doesn't go away! Something is still using the card Unfortunately, unlike the Linux 'umount' command, the Qtopia GUI's 'Eject' command doesn't give you an error (like "device is busy") if something is still being used on the card. Most Qtopia programs are good about 'letting go' of the cards, so they shouldn't cause a problem. If you've got a open, though, make sure you're not in the '/mnt/cf' or '/mnt/card' directory. If absolutely nothing helps, try rebooting from the 'Shutdown' app. Last updated: 2002.Mar.30 How can I write to SD/CF cards using my PC? Use a card reader You can purchase a USB Compact Flash card reader for PCs. Some include slots to read other cards, as well. Note: Desktop Linux users will need a Kernel capable of USB (version 2.4 or later, and some later 2.2.x versions), and may need to configure the kernel to support CF card readers. Last updated: 2002.Mar.29 Use your Zaurus ... (while it's connected to the PC via cradle / via network) Last updated: 2002.Mar.29 Can I use CF microdrives with the Zaurus? Yes, but they may get warm People have reported success using CF microdrives (even those as big as 1.0GB) with the Zaurus. Some have been concerned about the amount of heat put out by them, and there's no doubt they'll eat up your battery if you use them a lot. (For example, IBM's Microdrives) Last updated: 2002.Apr.01 Can I use a CF or SD card as memory, instead of file storage space? Set up a 'swap' file on the card It is not recommended for normal usage (since writing and rewriting to the same area of flash media will wear it out much more quickly than normal usage), or the faint of heart, but creating a 'swap' file (virtual memory) on a card is possible. Set up a swap file, and more "memory" will be available for programs. (Just remember to remove the swap file before unmounting and removing the card.) Open the Create an empty file for use as swap. For example: dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/cf/SwapFile count=32768 ("count" is the size of the file in 512-byte blocks, so 32768 is 16MB. "of" specifies the location of the swapfile. In this case, on the mounted CF card.) Turn the blank file into a swap file: mkswap /mnt/cf/SwapFile Activate the swapfile: swapon /mnt/cf/SwapFile You can see the swap by checking the available memory. Run the command "free". To turn off the swapfile (you won't be able to eject the card unless you do this first!!!), run the command: swapoff /mnt/cf/SwapFile See also: Increasing virtual memory on your 5000D Source: Howard R. Abbey, Huge Eaves, Rick Spickelmier Last updated: 2002.Apr.06 My Internal storage space is running out! Move documents to a CF or SD card using the Documents Tab In the 'Documents' tab, if you click-and-hold the icon of a document, you can adjust some of its settings, including where it's stored. If you have room on an external storage device (a CF or SD card), simply change the 'Location' using the pulldown menu, and then click '(OK)' and the file will be moved. Last updated: 2002.Apr.05 Save new files to the CF or SD card Unfortunately, not many, but some applications (like the 'Voice Recorder') allow you to choose where new documents will be stored. If you're running low on Internal space, choose a different storage location. Last updated: 2002.Apr.05 Can I change the filesystem type on an SD or CF card? Yes ... Most SD and CF cards come pre-formatted in Windows FAT16 or FAT32 format, for use in WinCE/PocketPC PDAs, digital cameras, etc. On the Zaurus, you can reformat them to EXT2 format, which is the most commonly-used filesystem under Linux. Changing the filesystem to EXT2 is useful because you get case-sensitive long filenames, file permissions and ownership settings, symbolic link support, and more. ... Last updated: 2002.Apr.06 What other kinds of CF cards can I use? Digital Camera card ... Last updated: 2002.Apr.08 LAN (ethernet) cards Some confirmed models:: Socket Low Power Ethernet Xircom Compact LAN (CFE-10BT) Laneed Dongle-less LAN card (LD-CF/T) Source: Sharp Last updated: 2002.Apr.09 802.11 WLAN cards Some confirmed models:: DLink DCF-650W SMC 2642 or 2645 LANEscapeTMXI-800 GeoWave GW-CF110 Source: Sharp, John Astill Last updated: 2002.Apr.09 HomeRF WLAN cards Some confirmed models:: Proxim OpenAir and Harmony OpenAir Model 7630 Source: Sharp Last updated: 2002.Apr.09 Modem cards Some confirmed models:: Xircom CompactCard Modem 56 GlobalACCESS TDK CF Modem DF56CFS Targus Pocket Modem 56k V.90 (Model #PA560) Source: Sharp, Anton Petersen Last updated: 2002.Apr.16 Wireless Modem cards Some confirmed models: Enfora Pocket Spider IIc wireless modem (available as a package from SharpMobile) Source: SharpMobile Last updated: 2002.Apr.09 What other kinds of SD cards can I use? Currently, none At the moment, only SD and MMC flash memory cards are supported. Last updated: 2002.Apr.08 Compiled by Bill Kendrick, bill@newbreedsoftware.com