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Techy question about SD cards

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adc82140

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For any IT specialists here.... Strange one this. I store all my music for the car on an SD card that slots in to the dashboard (Seat Leon 2017) But quite often I get an error message "no compatible file type found". This happens when it's cold outside. If I warm the SD card in my hand beforehand it all works well.

Are SD cards this sensitive to heat? Or is there something wrong with the card reader?

Cheers!
 
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bspahh

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When the SD card is cold, you might get condensation on the contacts. If the SD card is warmer, or if the stereo has been turned on for a bit, it would warm up to evaporate the water.
 

Ediswan

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For any IT specialists here.... Strange one this. I store all my music for the car on an SD card that slots in to the dashboard (Seat Leon 2017) But quite often I get an error message "no compatible file type found". This happens when it's cold outside. If I warm the SD card in my hand beforehand it all works well.

Are SD cards this sensitive to heat?
Or is there something wrong with the card reader?
Not usually. It is possible this one could have developed a poor internal contact. Usual advice would be to copy the files to another SD card, then wait for suitably cold weather.

What do other devices make of the SD card when it is cold ?
 

ac6000cw

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Are SD cards this sensitive to heat?
No, they shouldn't be.

It sounds like there might be a dodgy solder joint or component inside the card (e.g. when it's cold the thermal contraction breaks a connection) - before it fails completely copy all the files to a new card (they aren't expensive these days, if you buy them from a sensible place).
 

adc82140

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It reads in my PC fine. But then it's normally been sat in the house at room temperature beforehand.
 

D365

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Best practice would be to copy to a new SD card when they start misbehaving, as they do wear out after a few years.

I’ve seen enough flash media devices fail to know never to trust one for long term storage.
 

Puppetfinger

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Hmm, interestingly now you mention this I sometimes get a similar issue with the SD card in my dash camera, brings up a message saying it needs formatting, I then ignore and it works fine, and if I plug into computer there is nothing wrong with the SD card.

I guess though as well can't rule out some kind of software issue on the camera or the OP's car, but could be temperature as well.
 

D365

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Hmm, interestingly now you mention this I sometimes get a similar issue with the SD card in my dash camera, brings up a message saying it needs formatting, I then ignore and it works fine, and if I plug into computer there is nothing wrong with the SD card..
Might be worth formatting at some point, once you’ve removed the video clips that you want to keep. Depending on how often you use the dash cam, SD cards will wear out after two or three years due to the constant writing.
 

Puppetfinger

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Might be worth formatting at some point, once you’ve removed the video clips that you want to keep. Depending on how often you use the dash cam, SD cards will wear out after two or three years due to the constant writing.
Thanks, wasn't aware of the lifespan of the cards. I do format it every now and then though.
 

Geezertronic

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I agree with the above, use high endurance SD cards. Although the operating temperature of cards is reported and should be considered in tolerance for UK weather, I don't necessarily believe it as I have had issues with SD cards and either very cold or very hot weather when left in the car in a Dash-Cam. The endurance cards seem to cope better (which is part of why they are a bit more expensive)
 
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