Card Readers

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Lance B

Lance B

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I have a Delkin Devices - DDReader-54 that is going very slow, only writing about 35MB/s PAINFULLY SLOW!! It was going at about 270MB/s but no matter what I do, change CF Express card, change cords, change USB inputs but it is still now reading slow. I needed to upgrade my computer as Photoshop and COP and other memory intense programs were getting a bit slow, but the card reader is still slow so on the new computer also. So, it seems I need a new card reader, unless someone knows why my card reader is going slow. I mainly use Delkin CF Express cards and never had any issues with them and was thinking a new Delkin reader would be best. What is the recommendation that everyone has, please? Go with the Delkin again as I use Delkin cards, or are there better ones on the market now? Thanks in advance.
 
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Charles Loy said:
Hey Lance - have you contacted Delkin? See what they say - they are easy to deal with. Slow loading is unacceptable on current cameras

www.delkin.com

Rugged Controlled Storage | Delkin Industrial

Leading manufacturer of industrial SSD, SD, microSD, CF, USB, mSATA. OEM flash storage solutions. Controlled BOM, managed life cycle, custom built in USA.
www.delkin.com www.delkin.com
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I went to their site and there is a firmware update but I am not sure whether it is safe to try it. I did download it, but my computer said to be wary of installing it - might be just a generic warning issued by Windows 11?
 
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Lance B said:
I went to their site and there is a firmware update but I am not sure whether it is safe to try it. I did download it, but my computer said to be wary of installing it - might be just a generic warning issued by Windows 11?
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What have you got to lose by updating the firmware? A dead card reader or one that works well?
Have you tried the card reader with a different computer?
 
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soundbyte said:
What have you got to lose by updating the firmware? A dead card reader or one that works well?
Have you tried the card reader with a different computer?
Click to expand...
I was just concerned it may corrupt something in my computer, there was a warning by Windows 11, but that could be just a generic warning.
Yes, I tried the card reader on my old computer and now my new computer and both were slow at 30MB/s. It was working fine up until about 3 or 4 weeks back.
 
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Hi Lance….I’m not a computer geek guy…but.. I just recently upgraded my 2017 iMac to a M3 unit. Our daughter and son are ”super geeks” in the tech field and insisted I have at least 30 mb RAM in my new unit or things would slow to a crawl when importing photos. I know you are using Windows but could your RAM be the problem and not the reader?
 
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There should no reason to fear something if you load it directly from a well known web site not from other sites that may offer the same file/s.
One way to check is to see if there is a checksum listed for the file and check that using a hash generator (example) to check the local file, I could not find any checksums listed for any downloads from the Delkin web site.

I checked to see if I could find a "firmware" update and but only found a link "https://www.delkindevices.com/product-help/" that shows a Utility download labelled "DDREADER-54-56_Util.zip".
This utility addresses how files can be accessed from the Cf express card according to that page.
I downloaded that file and the resulting "DDREADER-54-56_Config_Util.exe" file has a
SHA256 hash - 5242c5d4ec84334dc659e0751d76be4242895f4728538df30c4673d52ebf1251

Interesting to note that you need to disable the Firewall with this software, this indicates to me that the software will use the internet to download files from a web server rather than you being able to download that particular file from the web site, this method is a pretty good way to try to make sure that the firmware files and others are not tampered with.

I try to ALWAYS use a Safe Remove method "USBTreeView" for all my USB devices.
I know Windows OS's are not supposed to need this step but experience tells me to Safe Remove ALL USB devices especially anything that may have a sleep mode enabled in some way.
External HDD's especially do not like being disconnected without this Safe Remove step being made, finding your external disks blank is one consequence.

You might also try using another useful software application called "DeviceCleanUp" from "Uwe Sieber's" web site, this can remove outdated devices from the registry that are no longer are used and can be/are corrupted, select the device that your reader annunciates as - remove it and then check out the card reader.

Sorry this is long but there are many options to try, there may be/are more.
 
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Larry S. said:
Hi Lance….I’m not a computer geek guy…but.. I just recently upgraded my 2017 iMac to a M3 unit. Our daughter and son are ”super geeks” in the tech field and insisted I have at least 30 mb RAM in my new unit or things would slow to a crawl when importing photos. I know you are using Windows but could your RAM be the problem and not the reader?
Click to expand...
I've got 32MB of RAM. :)
 
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soundbyte said:
There should no reason to fear something if you load it directly from a well known web site not from other sites that may offer the same file/s.
One way to check is to see if there is a checksum listed for the file and check that using a hash generator (example) to check the local file, I could not find any checksums listed for any downloads from the Delkin web site.

I checked to see if I could find a "firmware" update and but only found a link "https://www.delkindevices.com/product-help/" that shows a Utility download labelled "DDREADER-54-56_Util.zip".
This utility addresses how files can be accessed from the Cf express card according to that page.
I downloaded that file and the resulting "DDREADER-54-56_Config_Util.exe" file has a
SHA256 hash - 5242c5d4ec84334dc659e0751d76be4242895f4728538df30c4673d52ebf1251

Interesting to note that you need to disable the Firewall with this software, this indicates to me that the software will use the internet to download files from a web server rather than you being able to download that particular file from the web site, this method is a pretty good way to try to make sure that the firmware files and others are not tampered with.

I try to ALWAYS use a Safe Remove method "USBTreeView" for all my USB devices.
I know Windows OS's are not supposed to need this step but experience tells me to Safe Remove ALL USB devices especially anything that may have a sleep mode enabled in some way.
External HDD's especially do not like being disconnected without this Safe Remove step being made, finding your external disks blank is one consequence.

You might also try using another useful software application called "DeviceCleanUp" from "Uwe Sieber's" web site, this can remove outdated devices from the registry that are no longer are used and can be/are corrupted, select the device that your reader annunciates as - remove it and then check out the card reader.

Sorry this is long but there are many options to try, there may be/are more.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your thoughts.

I had already downloaded the zipped file and unzipped it. When I went to run it, it came up with the probably standard:

"Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk."

As you say, it is a recognized well known web site so is probably OK, I just get a little concerned when these things come up.
 
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HI Lance,
It is probably worth moving to a USB 3.2 2x2 reader or TB regardless to get 20Gb/s plus provided your computer has a 2x2 and/or TB port. I have both an Angelbird and a Lexar RW550 which both support 2x2 and they work well on all my cards; Delkin Black, Prograde, Angelbird, Sandisk. That said, it would be satisfying to get to the bottom of the issue with your Delkin reader. I would certainly update the firmware on the reader, make sure it is set to faster of static or removeable modes, update the USB drivers on your PC, make sure the cables you have tried do in fact support USB 3.2 (pref 2x2), check BIOS configuration (make sure xHCI has not been disabled etc.), transfer files to a faster disk on your PC if there is one and see if that makes a difference, install CrystalDiskMark or Black Magic Disk speed if you have not already done so to analyse performance and see what steps taken are helping.
 
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Alistair said:
HI Lance,
It is probably worth moving to a USB 3.2 2x2 reader or TB regardless to get 20Gb/s plus provided your computer has a 2x2 and/or TB port. I have both an Angelbird and a Lexar RW550 which both support 2x2 and they work well on all my cards; Delkin Black, Prograde, Angelbird, Sandisk. That said, it would be satisfying to get to the bottom of the issue with your Delkin reader. I would certainly update the firmware on the reader, make sure it is set to faster of static or removeable modes, update the USB drivers on your PC, make sure the cables you have tried do in fact support USB 3.2 (pref 2x2), check BIOS configuration (make sure xHCI has not been disabled etc.), transfer files to a faster disk on your PC if there is one and see if that makes a difference, install CrystalDiskMark or Black Magic Disk speed if you have not already done so to analyse performance and see what steps taken are helping.
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Hi Alistair,
Thank you for your thoughts. The reader and cables were transferring at the faster rate previously but for some reason it began running slow about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I just upgraded my computer and it is definitely a much faster computer so, I would be thinking the USB drivers and inputs should be near latest speeds available. I am transferring to my internal 4 TB SSD drive and I had transferred data from a 2 TB SSD drive at 380MB/s, so there should be speeds at least that fast available to the card reader. So, it may simply be the firmware, but again, why did it start going slow when it was quick previous to 3 or 4 weeks ago? This has me wondering that the card reader is faulty rather than a firmware fix.
 
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OK. Looks as though it is the Samsung 2TB SSD external drives that are slow in receiving the data which they have always been fast. I had tried the Delkin reader to different external Samsung 2TB SSD drives and they were both slow and I wrongly assumed it must be the reader as I figured that two drives couldn't be faulty or slow as they had all been fast previously. I then decided to try the Delkin reader and wrote to the internal SSD via the internal SATA connection and got 430MB/s. The external Samsungs have always been fast but I have tested one that is nearly full and another that is basically empty and they are both writing at the slow 30MB/s. Like I stated with regards the Delkin reader, they were writing at 270MB/s a few weeks ago but they are now slow on the old and new computer. Looks like I will have to check to see what is wrong with the external drives or see if there is a firmware update for them.
 
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Lance B said:
OK. Looks as though it is the Samsung 2TB SSD external drives that are slow in receiving the data which they have always been fast. I had tried the Delkin reader to different external Samsung 2TB SSD drives and they were both slow and I wrongly assumed it must be the reader as I figured that two drives couldn't be faulty or slow as they had all been fast previously. I then decided to try the Delkin reader and wrote to the internal SSD via the internal SATA connection and got 430MB/s. The external Samsungs have always been fast but I have tested one that is nearly full and another that is basically empty and they are both writing at the slow 30MB/s. Like I stated with regards the Delkin reader, they were writing at 270MB/s a few weeks ago but they are now slow on the old and new computer. Looks like I will have to check to see what is wrong with the external drives or see if there is a firmware update for them.
Click to expand...
That sounds logical. Are the external drives connected over USB? EDIT: and is the transfer initiated using Windows Explorer or a 3rd party software?
 
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Alistair said:
That sounds logical. Are the external drives connected over USB? EDIT: and is the transfer initiated using Windows Explorer or a 3rd party software?
Click to expand...
It is through USB and via a USB hub and I transfer via Windows. I have now unplugged and reset the hub and everything seems back to normal. I don't know why it would have been causing the issue as I had unplugged and reset the hub when I updated the computer, hence my belief that it was not at fault. I did end up buying a new Lexar CF Express B card reader and it managed 780MB/s to the internal SSD drive. That's blindingly fast, no sooner have I pressed upload and 100 images are already downloaded! LOL. I also managed 330MB/s via the new Lexar reader though the hub just now which is plenty fast enough for me.

Anyway, thanks of everyone's help. Much appreciated!
 
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When dealing with something like this there are many possibilities for the slowed perrformance. You had involved a hub with various cable connections. Cables can go bad, hubs can go bad, drivers and software can be corrupted, You also had a computer change.

USB drive types vary considerably in speed and the cables for the faster USB ports need to be the right type.

The Windows 11 warning is generic and I see it often. It just means the software you are using did not go through formal certification of compatibility. There are a lot of software writers who don't get certified. They are usually working smaller volume projects.

The diagnostic technique is to change individual components to locate the cause. Sometimes just rebooting solves the problem.
 
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wotan1 said:
When dealing with something like this there are many possibilities for the slowed perrformance. You had involved a hub with various cable connections. Cables can go bad, hubs can go bad, drivers and software can be corrupted, You also had a computer change.

USB drive types vary considerably in speed and the cables for the faster USB ports need to be the right type.

The Windows 11 warning is generic and I see it often. It just means the software you are using did not go through formal certification of compatibility. There are a lot of software writers who don't get certified. They are usually working smaller volume projects.

The diagnostic technique is to change individual components to locate the cause. Sometimes just rebooting solves the problem.
Click to expand...
You are correct and I am usually very good at problem solving and eliminating issues. However, the hub caused the issue and as I had reset it when I removed it from my old computer to the new computer I had dismissed it as the cause - I had actually done this a couple of times as I set the new computer up. As a last resort, I decided to try it again as I had eliminated just about everything else and it fixed the issue.

The USB ports on the new computer are all USB 3.2 thus should ensure fast speeds and all cables are the original ones that worked previously at the faster speeds so, I could eliminate most things. Anyway, it was a simple reset of the UAB hub and all is fine. Sometimes it is best to talk it out with others. :)
 
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