[Bipolar Joe]

I got myself an SP-202 recently, with a working SmartMedia card (I know it works, it has samples on it already). I have a card reader on a desktop Windows 7 PC, and when I put the card into it, the LED on the unit lights up, but I get no other response.

Any who, then I got to wondering, can I actually use an s4m-5 to work with a PC? I never had tp use one before, but I know that there were a bunch of varieties of SM cards, so I dunno. Advice pertaining to my current problem would be pretty handy, lads.

[Nystagmus]

I would get a cheap USB Compliant SmartCard/Media Card adapter and just try.
It usually works for cameras and field recorders for SD cards.

[GomesR]

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but did you check if it has a lock on it? Every one of them I've used has a small switch. I'm not really sure as to why, it's kind of a silly feature imo

[Bipolar Joe]

I think you're thinking of a different format. SM cards have a little circle you put a sticker on.

I don't really want to shell out on a dedicated reader, especially when there's something on my computer which appears to want to work, but unless one of you dudes has any advice here I might have to.

[relic]

Originally Posted by Bipolar Joe

I got myself an SP-202 recently, with a working SmartMedia card (I know it works, it has samples on it already). I have a card reader on a desktop Windows 7 PC, and when I put the card into it, the LED on the unit lights up, but I get no other response.

Any who, then I got to wondering, can I actually use an s4m-5 to work with a PC? I never had tp use one before, but I know that there were a bunch of varieties of SM cards, so I dunno. Advice pertaining to my current problem would be pretty handy, lads.

The reader should show up in your "hardware and devices" under the control panel. Start there.

[Nystagmus]

you could use one of those hardware snooping freewares to get the name of the hardware, and then google it for drivers and manual and install info.

[candlesayshi]

Originally Posted by Bipolar Joe

I got myself an SP-202 recently, with a working SmartMedia card (I know it works, it has samples on it already). I have a card reader on a desktop Windows 7 PC, and when I put the card into it, the LED on the unit lights up, but I get no other response.

Perhaps the card reader only supports SD formats and the like?

[Nystagmus]

a couple of years ago hardware manufacturers of computers starting pushing 15-in-one media card readers that could read about anything. Now you can get them for really cheap and the drivers are out there. They came out around the time that Vista was being pushed heavily so they should be compatible with all windows versions after that. I had one and it was even compatible with XP to some degree despite warnings that it wasn't.

[Bipolar Joe]

If it was SD, it wouldn't fit in the slot. SM cards are huge, it's like a fuckin' greeting card. It's one step away from being a floppy disk. I use a spare one as a door for my house. Hipster restaurants serve food on them.

So on...

[relic]

Can't you sample directly into the SP 202? I owned one briefly and I'm pretty sure I never even used SM with it. I know direct sampling is ideal...but back in the dark ages that isnt how sampling got done : p

[chasedobson]

sucks to read this because it reminds me of so many other interesting samplers that I've seen the media for them come and go, especially (in my case) early 90's keyboard and rack samplers...

Roland S-10. not amazing these days but an amazing deal for a keyboard sampler then... was it hard to use? fuck yes! Did i have some character? most def, loads, 12 bit (im pretty sure) and just a strange one over all. My homie Seth literally has one as a door stop at this point. One can get them for about 80 dollars now days because it used these dumb Brother word processor "quick disks". held more stuff than a floppy but never caught on.

I know this because I had one in 1998 and I ebayed a bunch of the disks for next to nothing. Eventually I sold the sampler (plus discs) to get an Ensoniq EPS16+ (that had a proper floppy drive and SCSI interface) so i could use Zip disks. gettiing floppies and/or zip disks for it these days is a headache, its my main deterrent from buying another to replace it (i have gear nostalgia syndrome)... now I just sample in the box like a sensible person.

That said, i get why one might want a box with buttons to sample and playback with.....

ok, i lost my train of thought... i blame the psychedelics in the 90s.

[Bipolar Joe]

You can sample with the line-in, but it's not ideal. I'm yet to master the art of getting the start point to the exact beginning of the sample.

[candlesayshi]

Actually, thinking back about it... the card is probably just formatted to something that the computer doesn't recognize.

[Bipolar Joe]

I actually thought of that while trying to sleep last night (The shit that keeps you awake). I know there's a format function on the 202, trying that is my last resort, will just try that today.

[Bipolar Joe]

Well, I eventually got an external reader. It didn't fucking work. Then I formatted the card inside the 202. Autism incoming, it appears that the 202 won't read cards formatted on a computer, and a computer won't read cards formatted on the 202. This is some circular illogic.

At any rate, sampling direct to the box is now the only option, and I managed to get one 100% seamless loop of a chant. I'll just have to find the time to practice a whole bunch some how.

Oh well.

[Schnork]

That's ridiculous. No possible solution? I mean there must be a way..Or are you supposed to sample from line in and the card slot just is there to expand memory?

[Bipolar Joe]

You can transfer from the machine to the card, so says the manual, but I haven't tried it yet. I know the guy I bought the 202 and card from had done it, as there were some samples on the card already.

I know there's different voltage ratings for SM cards, so maybe Boss released a reader just for this or whatever, but I doubt it. I see people all over the Internet asking the same questions, but no definitive "I do this all the time and here's how."

[anthraxeater]

You answered your own question there - the SP202 uses it’s own format for SmartMedia cards. The only purpose of the card is to allow 2 extra sample banks C & D, which you can swap out and load back in. The operating system on a PC doesn’t understand that format and won’t recognise the contents.

This is a long shot but Boss BR units also used SmartMedia and came with a nifty utility called BR Wav Converter. It lets you read the contents of a SmartMedia card formatted by one of those units. I can't post links but google 'br wav converter v3.1' and you will get there. Of course it may not work.. It was designed for the BR series and might not recognize the SP202 file format, since that was an earlier design.

It converts audio files from the BR into standard .wav files (or .aiff) and vice versa, so it can take 44.1kHz samples from a DAW and convert them to something the BR will read.

Hope that helps.

[lolirl]

Seems you can do it on the 303...so maybe that was an upgraded function they added?
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Card info.

You can use either 4MB 5 volt cards or 2mMB 5 volt cards. Most SmartMedia cards sold today are of the 3.3 volt type. 3.3 volt SmartMedia cards WILL NOT work with the following products:

MC-505
SP-202
JP-8080
XP-30
JX-305

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