The card reader (Reader) is a special device. There are slots to insert memory cards and ports to connect to a computer. After inserting a suitable memory card into the slot, connecting the port to the computer and installing the required driver, the computer treats the memory card as a removable memory and can read and write the memory card through a card reader. According to the type of compatible memory cards, they can be divided into CF card readers, SM card readers, PCMICA card readers and memory stick readers and writers, etc. There are also dual-slot card readers that can use two or more at the same time. More than one kind of card; according to port type, it can be divided into serial port card reader (very slow, very rare), parallel port card reader (suitable for computers with early motherboards), USB card reader (fast, Easy to use). We all know that computers, digital products, home appliances and other different products require a common storage medium for data exchange, and storage products currently using (NAND) FlashRAM (flash memory) are undoubtedly the most widely used . Compared with traditional memory, flash memory has the advantages of being compact, lightweight, dustproof and shockproof, and is widely used in products such as digital cameras and MP3 players. With the rapid development and popularity of digital products, one thing we often have to do is exchange data between digital products. Card readers are products that complete such functions. As the name suggests, a card reader is a device that reads memory cards. Memory cards are now widely used, from digital cameras to MP3 players, from PDAs to popular multimedia mobile phones. The more common memory cards currently on the market include SD Memory (SD card), CompactFlash (CF card), MemoryStick (Sony memory stick), MultiMediaCard (MMC card), XD-Picture (XD card), SmartMedia (SM card, discontinued ), IBM Microdrive (IBM micro hard drive), Micro SD Card (TF card), etc. Therefore, for ease of use, card readers are generally all-in-one products. If you have many devices that use flash memory cards of different formats, a multi-function card reader will provide a better solution. Card readers are generally not large in size and are divided into two types: built-in and external. The external one is easy to carry and generally uses a USB interface. The card reader is similar to a USB floppy drive to the computer, and its actual function is also similar, except that it reads various flash memory cards instead of floppy disks.
[Edit this paragraph] Purpose of card reader
When it comes to card readers, many people will immediately think that this product is produced in conjunction with digital cameras, but it is no longer It is limited to the use of digital cameras, but has expanded to more fields. As the name suggests, a "card reader" is a device that reads data, but it not only supports reading data but also writing data. Its initial design idea was mainly to make up for the shortcomings of digital camera data output. Since the USB interface was not popular in the early days, the output port of the digital camera was connected to the serial port of the computer. Since the data transmission speed of the serial port was very low, it would take a lot of waiting time to copy the data to the hard disk. , therefore, the card reader came into being. With the development of digital products such as MP3 and PDA, the development of card readers has been strongly promoted. The current MP3 standard 256M or 512M flash memory can no longer meet our needs, so adding 1G or higher flash memory has become our standard configuration, but if we want to copy MP3 songs to the flash memory, we can only use MP3 Player, and at this time we need dedicated connections, drivers and software to complete it, so the MP3 player is much less portable. If we use a card reader at this time, MP3 is not needed at all. With the intervention of the player, MP3 songs can be stored directly on the flash memory, making MP3 more convenient to use.
In addition to providing convenient data transfer for the above-mentioned digital devices, card readers are currently also widely used in mobile data storage. When computers were used in the early years, commonly used software could be copied with just a few floppy disks. The DOS system only needed to be installed on one floppy disk, and several small games could be installed on one floppy disk. As a standard drive device, floppy drives can basically meet people's storage needs for work and study.
Later, with the development of computer technology, especially the introduction of the WINDOWS operating system, the volume of software increased exponentially. The pitiful capacity of a standard 1.44M floppy disk was like a drop in the bucket for these behemoths. The desire for large-capacity storage has led to the increasing popularity of "large-capacity" memories such as hard drives, optical drives, and various compressed storage devices. Not only that, people who are accustomed to mobile offices want to have "portable storage" that is light, easy to carry, and has large data storage. "equipment. Therefore, there are more and more types of external storage devices. The first was ZIP, and later there were external hard drives and so on. However, their size is not small enough and it is still a bit inconvenient to carry them around. Now popular USB flash drives, such as Netac USB flash drive, Luwen Easy Drive, and Patriot Mini King, integrate USB controllers and flash memory chips. They are very compact in size and are very convenient for large-capacity data transmission. However, the price of this type of product is higher, and you pay a lot for it. If you use a combination of card reader and memory card, you can also provide the same effect as a USB flash drive. Memory cards mainly include CF cards and SM cards. They both use flash memory chips and are widely used in MP3 players, digital cameras, PDAs and other devices. When the USB card reader is plugged into the memory card, it becomes a mobile electronic hard drive. Such lightweight and convenient flash memory cards have become our current convenient mobile storage media, and card readers are the most convenient devices for these flash memories to exchange data. Their performance is equivalent to that of USB flash drives and their size is not large. In addition, this combination has strong scalability. The price of memory cards is currently falling. If you need to increase the capacity in the future, you can directly purchase the memory card, which will be much cheaper than an overall electronic hard drive of the same capacity. And if you purchase equipment such as a digital camera or MP3 player in the future, the memory card can be used directly on it, protecting your investment.
[Edit this paragraph] Card reader classification
From the interface point of view, card readers mainly include: parallel card reader, serial card reader equipment, USB card reader, PCMICA card card reader and IEEE 1394 card reader. The first two card readers have been basically eliminated due to slow interface speed or inconvenient installation. USB card readers are currently the most popular card readers on the market. PCMICA card readers are mainly used in laptops, while IEEE 1394 card readers are not yet popular because of the supported interfaces, and are not widely used.
The main flash memory or multimedia cards currently on the market are: TF card, SM card, CF card, MicroDrive, MemoryStick, MemoryStick PRO, MMC card, Micro SD Card, MiniSD card and SD, xD card. According to the type of flash memory read, card readers are divided into single-function card readers and multi-function card readers. Single-function card readers generally can only read one type of flash memory card. For example, a TF card reader can only read TF flash memory cards, and an SM card reader can only read SM flash memory cards. The price is lower, usually 10-30 yuan; while the multi-function card reader can easily read various flash memory cards, whether it is TF card, CF card or MemoryStick, but the price of this type of product is slightly higher. , depending on the type of flash memory card to be read, the price ranges from 8 to 38 yuan.
Several commonly used card readers:
USB-type TF special card reader
Supports USB1.0 and USB2.0 ports, plug and play , currently has the largest market share and strong practicality, and is the most popular product on the market. The main advantage is that compared with the previous products, SD configurator is required to read the TF card, which is a leap forward. It is mainly economical and practical
SIM card reader
Now it is also a comparison A common card reader can back up SIM card information, SIM card contacts, business cards and other functions on the PC. It is a good tool for backing up personal data.
CRW-X contactless card reader
Supports ISO14443 TypeA/TypeB contactless CPU cards and Mifare one cards, built-in 2 SAM small ICs that comply with ISO7816-3 The card supports a variety of communication interfaces and protocols, and is suitable for various non-contact IC card application systems. It has novel appearance, stable performance, powerful functions, rich interfaces and strong scalability.
The CRW-VI external universal IC card reader is a micro IC card reading and writing device, mainly aimed at portable applications. According to the different interface methods with the computer, it is divided into two types: USB interface (CRW-VIu type) and serial interface (CRW-VIs type), which are suitable for the needs of various application systems and application environments. We can also develop special IC card readers and writers for specific needs according to user needs.
The CRW-V series IC card reader is connected to a computer or laptop through a USB port or serial port, supports the operation of CPU cards and MEMORY cards, and provides a dual-card reader with two card holder options. . CRW-V series IC card readers and writers are compatible with the interface function library of CRW-II/III/IV type readers and writers, making it easy for users to upgrade their application systems. It can be widely used in banking, insurance, corporate and medical billing systems.
WatchCore is a smart IC card dedicated interface chip launched to facilitate users to develop embedded IC card applications. It has all built-in IC card reader and writer operation programs and is suitable for the development of various dedicated embedded IC devices. , can be mainly used in smart IC card electricity meters, water meters, gas meters, tax control cash registers, IC card gas dispensers and other equipment.
Card reader brands
Commonly used brands: Biaowang, Sichuan, Century Feiyang, Jetmaster, Sony, Apacer, Hurricane, Tsinghua Unigroup, Transcend, ATP, Kingston, Tumei , Yingtai...