downtowncanada

I have a 2009 C300 with COMAND screen and the PC Card Slot on the dash. Has anyone tried a memory card in there as large as 32GB? I can pick up a 32GB Compact Flash card for $20 (and SD Card around $50), but no returns allowed, so won't be able to return it if COMAND can't read it.

I would be inserting the flash memory card into a PC Card adapter, then into the car. I've checked with the manufacturer of the PC Card (SanDisk) and they say it's compatible, but indicated that the "OS" on the reader may not like it.

Does anyone else find it strange that the C-Series comes with a dash mounted PC Card slot? I can't remember the last time I used one of those, and thankfully I didn't throw out my old PC Card adapters I had for SD Cards, Compact Flash cards, etc. I can put them to good use now.

Out of interest, how long has Mercedes put PC Card slots in the cars?

webada

MB, while its known for alot of innovations such as ABS, traction control, etc...

its not exactly known for its electronic gadgets, the japanese has that one beat for sure...

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that pc card slot and the keypad dialer... I thought I was traveling back to the 1980s....

Diesel Benz

Very useful reply. Have you tried a 32 GB SD card by the way?

See this post for an answer:
https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....2&postcount=22

Several W221 owners have used a 32 GB card without problems and the W204 is a later design.

theinmoe

I tried and 32 GB CF work. See my post in above link. Where you get 32GB for $20? I paid like $60 for standard speed from newegg. For big size CF card first read time during start (command boot up) take a bit longer than small fast speed card but during play back and changing songs not much different.

Sysopz

If you could give me what the volume format structure is of the card that works I could be more helpful.

Fat16, Fat32, NTFS, various flavors of linux etc have restrictions on max files per disk and max single file size depending on the volume format.

theinmoe

Fat16, I have over 10GB filled and still ok. I have folder inside folder for 3 to 4 layers ( like /artists/album/songs). one folder i have 500 songs (rollingstone top 500), I think max 512 per folder. upto 320kbps sample rate and song with larger than 10MB size played ok. only requirement is .mp3 file extension. Command OS is Windows mobile.

Sysopz

Just a thought I think you could us a PCIMCIA card with a USB dongle and use a larger USB drive for max storage.

Off the subject but I will have my Kyocera KR1 Mobile Router with my Verizon air card @ MIR, it's pretty cool (Geeky) to be a rolling hot spot.

downtowncanada

Thanks for the link. The CF card is at a local Toronto computer store that sells a lot of refurbished/recertified stuff, this $20 CF card is AData, standard speed, no packaging and no returns, but they let me put it in my pc card reader and stuck it in a laptop to make sure my reader can read it and it can. Amazing price for $20. CF cards are out now, everyone wants SD, and the only people who want CF cards are DSLR users, and they want high speed anyway.

Again, thanks for the info all.

downtowncanada

We formatted it in the store for FAT32 to test in a laptop, I'll purchase it tomorrow and try it with FAT32 first.

Hang on...did you say that the OS of COMAND is Windows Mobile? I thought that only Ford was using Windows Mobile embedded (product is called SYNC) for their bluetooth/file structure/multimedia system?

jstaneff

Is it Windows Mobile or Windows CE? CE makes sense ....

lx Raven xl

I have FAT32. Which works ok. Use FAT32 while formatting the card and then use it for saving mp3. Will work ok.

theinmoe

My bad, it is Windows CE. Head unit is made by MELCO Mitsubushi. Mitsubushi forum has VIM software patch for different head unit with Windows CE.
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...highlight=hack

theinmoe

CF card is preformatted with FAT16, any advantage using FAT32? I dont want to reformat it, take awhile to copy back 10GB of data to the card.

webada

Just namespaces and # of entries/folders. I think there is a limitation of entries, 512.

c350driver

Can you tell me where you can get a 32 GB for $ 20? The cheapest i can find it for is $ 70

downtowncanada

Just picked up the 32GB CF Card tonight. It was a one-off, no packaging, hence the $20, from a hole in the wall computer store I use here in Toronto.

The brand is AData, SKU ACF0032GZZZZZ. There appear to be 3 speeds available in 32GB from AData, "Speedy", "Super", and "Turbo", this is the slowest one, "Speedy". I insterted it into a SanDisk Compact Flash PC Card Adapter. I'll add this combination to the "List of PCMCIA adapters and Memory cards" thread that rebel_MTC started (https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w204/251587-list-pcmcia-adapters-memory-works.html)

Formatted it as FAT-32. Added 18,000 plus songs to it from the PC, took about 4 hours to fill it up. In COMAND, file structures appear in tact, the deepest folder level is 4, some song names were truncated because of length, but they play ok. I'll keep testing for problems, but so far so good.

Thanks all,
Downtown

Hazemonster

It doesn't matter if 32GB is supported (which it is) because if you use too many FOLDERS...your music just won't be there! I just spent about 2 hours catagorizing my music. I have 4 MAIN folders (A-F, G-L, M-S, T-Z) and then my music in subfolders under those. BUT...there is a folder limitation...so when I go to my G-L folder..there are only 5 folders showing up. When I put the card back into my PC...there are actually 28 folders SUPPOSED to show up. I think it is really crappy...but the folder limitation is REAL.

I have to use TWO 8GB cards to hear ALL of my music.

SUCKS!!!

(I just got the latest COMAND upgrade at the dealer...which I thought would fix this....but it DOESN'T!)

* You can have up to 170 folders TOTAL on the card..more than that..and stuff won't show up!

_c350_

can you put movies in the CF card and play it from there?
if yes? what file does it need to be? It cant be just a avi file right?

thanks

ohh and DOWNTOWN!
I went to Queen st. yesterday and looked for Binary Computers, and looked for it online, I couldnt find it.
do you know what the address is? or where it is close to?
thanks

Hazemonster

No...movies will not play from the memory card