P2 popping in/out wear?

T

tduncan

Active member
I just got my 3rd and 4th P2 cards and now that I am changing cards mid-shoot it started me thinking.

Any issues yet with changing cards frequently? Any failures or data corruption? Usually when you connect and disconnect devices repeatedly there is wear and therefore failures will occur. Not as big an issue when you leave the cards in all the time I imagine.

Same question goes for the Duel adapter or the P2 store. Is there any reason this might not apply to P2 because of design or materials used or ???

td
 
Depending on the type of contacts and materials used on the P2 device wear and tear is a definite concern. All contacts have a 'number of pulls' rating. Companies perform long term reliability testing on all products and anything with a contact will undergo push/pull testing as well as mixed-flowing gas testing. Both these test will tell you what the expected failure rate and mean-time between fail numbers would be for P2 devices and they will derive the number of pulls the device can withstand without issue.

Unfortunately few companies publicly publish these numbers.
 
From http://www.pcmcia.org/pccard.htm
Volume 3: Card Physical

This section defines physical outline dimensions, basic mechanical capabilities and environmental conditions under which PC Cards are expected to operate. Information is provided for Type I, II, and III PC Cards, for 5 volt and low voltage equivalents, and for the 32-bit CardBus interface.

+==========================================+
| PC Card Physical Characteristics |
+====================+=====================+
| Physical Interface | 68 Pins |
| Back End I/O Conn. | Proprietary* |
| Length | 85.6 mm |
| Width | 54.0 mm |
| Thickness | Type I = 3.3 mm |
| | Type II = 5.0 mm |
| | Type III = 10.5 mm |
| Operating Temp. | 0 to 55 C |
| Storage Temp. | -20 to 65 C |
| Minimum Insertions | Office Env. 10,000 |
| | Harsh Env. 5,000 |
+====================+=====================+
Click to expand...
So even under harsh conditions, you will be able to go through a minimum of 5000 insertion/removal cycles, and likely a whole lot more. In order words, don't worry...
 
P2 has been tested to 30,000 insertion/removal cycles. They set up a robot whose job was to plug in and remove it, and count the number of times it did. After 30,000 and the card still working, they said "that's good enough."
 
What is the contact material on the P2 cards? 30,000 is a pretty high reliability rating.

Barry, do you know if they conducted any corrosion test in conjunction with the insertion tests (such as a mixed flow gas test)?
 
Never mind I just saw THoff post. Seems like their reported numbers are lower than the actual numbers which is pretty typical.
 
Barry_Green said:
P2 has been tested to 30,000 insertion/removal cycles. They set up a robot whose job was to plug in and remove it, and count the number of times it did. After 30,000 and the card still working, they said "that's good enough."
Click to expand...

Thanks gang, I can rest easier. Even though that figure probably stands for the cameras too, in 30,000 cycles they will be collectibles.

td
 
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