d-i-y SD card storage solution?

[T i m]

Hi all,

I wondered if anyone has, made or could recommend a good storage solution for SD and uSD cards as one might use with a Raspberry Pi micro computer?

I'm not just talking about a pouch or wallet that actually takes the cards but some way of both storing them and being able to keep some sort of record (ideally on / with the cards themselves) telling me exactly what is on each.

The point is, cards used this way would hold say different OS's, versions or desktops and not just a batch of photos.

Ideally it would also allow a safe but easy way of accessing the cards, especially for someone what has big hands and less than 20:20 vision. ;-)

Just to give you an idea of what I'm thinking of, maybe small card index box with some form of slim but secure and easy-open container attached to each card (not like the ones the cards often come in that once you do get open, fires the card across the room, never to be found again) or a pouch so thin you can't get it open enough to get your finger in / card out.

Cheers, T i m

[Tim Watts]

How about a card index box with a tiny zip-lok bag stapled onto each card?

[T i m]

Yeah, that was the sort of thing I was thinking of, somewhere to note what is on the SD card, somewhere to hold the card itself with the note and if only stapled (or glued) on though one layer (duh, but near the top) the bag could be manipulated to help get the card out. Not sure if they do anti static zip-loks but I'm guessing they might?

Cheers, T i m

[Clive George]

How about those little cardboard pockets they used to use at libraries to hold your book ticket?

[T i m]

Ah, yeah, I remember them (the last time I was in a library 20+ years ago ). If I glued them to the index card vertically down the middle I could 'squeeze' the pocket open to tip the card out and it should stay flat otherwise to stop the card falling out. Also, cardboard might be less static inducing than plain polythene?

The disadvantage of cardboard being you can't just glance at the particular index and see if the card is actually in there.

Cheers, T i m

[Mike Barnes]

Search eBay for self-adhesive business card pockets. They have transparent fronts. I use them for labelling boxes and drawers.

[T i m]

Another interesting suggestion.

I'm trying to think how I could use the adhesive part of them Mike? I mean, if I say stuck one to an index card I'm not sure there would enough room for the info?

Mind you, it looks like the pockets you suggest are 95 X 60mm and the index cards 152 x 102 so maybe there would?

I do like the idea of using them for draw / storage contents info though as you can also use unprinted business cards or the back of old ones. ;-)

More stuff to experiment with, thanks. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Mike Barnes]

You can get them in landscape or portrait format. Portrait would probably work better on 6x4 cards.

Or you could put them on A4 cardboard in a ring binder, then you could have several related chips on the same page. Slightly more difficult to extract just one, though.

[Theo]

Theo

[T i m]

That's a good idea, room down the side for notes etc. Should still be able to get the SD card out. Maybe I could cut them in half and still use them portrait and both make it easier to get the cards out and with a bit of clear tape across the bottom, make two out of one. ;-)

I'm not sure I'm going to have that many but you can get slim binders. ;-)

True ... to know which was which within said 'related' group etc.

I was trying to resist marking the actual cards because they are so small in the first place, but maybe with a fine sliver-paint marker pen I might be able to number them sequentially and therefore keep track of individual cards.

According to the RPi Ubuntu site the Pi3 should work best with Class 6 or 10 cards (although some research says that even the marked Class doesn't guarantee anything) and I have some C10's on their way. The

16G C4's I used today tested at:

Writing speed: 6.38 MByte/s Reading speed: 16.8 MByte/s

but I don't think that tells the whole story re real world use in the Pi. Plus the Pi's SD controller has it's own limits etc.

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

Ah, and proper static shielding as well. ;-)

Do you think the uSD cards require that sort of protection? I mean, you see them being handled 'casually' all the time?

Is there some happy medium between not exposing them to unnecessary static risks and going the whole hog with full static shielding.

Whilst I'm generally careful when handling the Pi (or any electronics), it seems that many aren't (and seem to get away with it)?

Cheers, T i m

[Tim Watts]

With an SDCARD I would not worry too much about anti static - they are designed to be handled.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

At one time, an SD card came in a fairly robust case. Usually made out of flexible plastic and gripped the card in place. Usually also room for some paperwork, visible from the outside. Can't check, but reckon they might fit one of those floppy storage boxes. That allowed you to flip through them to find the one you wanted.

[Brian Gaff]

Do you have a laminator? It occurs to me that if you make up a dummy cardboard card and push it through the lamination process with a larger than needed pouch, you could then remove said dummy and plug in the real one, using the rest of the lamination to stick labels onto for records. Brian

[T i m]

Yes, I have some of those but not enough for all my cards. That said, I sometimes find them difficult to open so though I'd see if there was something 'easier' and that I could get more of etc.

Only if tiny, if I understand what you are suggesting Dave?

Ah, it sounds like you are thinking of something bigger.

Yes, that was the sort of idea for it's use and I can't see ever having too great a number of cards to make that sort of system overwhelming (manual sort etc).

It looks like I might have to have several (well two at least, possibly 3) as it looks like there isn't a lot of interchangeability of OS's between different versions of RPi.

Cheers, T i m

p.s. If anyone has their RPi3 and has sound working from the audio jack on Ubuntu 15.10 Mate, could you please let me know what you did (if anything) please. ;-)

[David]

Watching this because I need to organise and file my SD cars as well.

Just thought of a photo album - which tends to have multiple pockets on a page to hold photos.

You (I) could put a file card (photo size) in each pocket with details of the SD card written on, and then put the SD card in with it.

Now looking for something smaller than 6" x 4"

Cheers

Dave R

[T i m]

I think daughter does Brian?

That's a bit of lateral thinking Brian, I might give that a go.

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Could have been from a supermarket, so made so large it can't fall through a trolley. Not looked, but you may be able to buy them on Ebay. Same as CD etc cases.

[Richard]

Something like this?

[T i m]

That's neat. However, it looks like it's for full sized SD cards and I'm not sure it would scale down to uSD cards very well. The thing is, the uSD cards are so small you wouldn't have much of the card inside the 'holder' if you still wanted to leave a bit sticking out as a finger strip and with my fingers I'd end up grabbing 3 at once. ;-(

What it has done though is made me consider using the full sized SD adaptors, stuck (double sided tape) onto an index card to positively hold the uSD cards in place?

Or ... you can get 10 x push - push sockets for just over a pound that I could glue along the edge of something (index box?).

Cheers, T i m

p.s. Apparently they fitted push / pull uSD sockets to the RPi3 so prevent the premature ejection of a card when you grab the Pi to say plug a lead in.