Full size SD Card Reader Prototype - Framework Community

Hi All,

If you want to learn more, please visit our website RHT.

i’m working on a Full size SD Card Reader to fit into the expansion card, let me know if someone is interested to help out mechanic design and firmware design. My FW is a bit rusty because in the last time i mainly do HW electronic development

I finally manage to find all the electronic parts needed to do a USB C to SD card reader and i will have the schematic finished soon.

The hard part where the connectors, but with some mechanical modification i think i solved the connector problem: see attached pictures:

Things to do:

1. Schematic ( this is no problem)

2. Final Mechanic design → where to put screws on outside

3. FW design for the IC ( there are some examples, i think they just need to be adjusted to my HW)

4. Optional dual SD FUll size connector + uSD connector in same expansion card
   ( the connector will fit and the IC supports dual SD, only need to check layout if all electronic parts fit to PCB)

What do you think?

@Xavier_Jiang

• How do you mean that? Do you have an example?

“The other (card insert) side might get away with a simple “clip” or a stud design that prevents it from opening in that direction, or none if the cover is recessed into the case (e.g. preventing easy prying action on a open seam without the use of a flathead or a tool).”

• What exactly do you mean by PCIe card reader?

@Josh_Cook

I can provide the model, and you can check if this could be 3D printed ?
I would go for a aluminum housing CNC drilled

@Panos_Koutsoumanis

i don’t know what IC did they use in official uSD card reader ( i still can’t order the laptop to my country)

@Sapioit
Maybe, as i said before the IC support dual SD cards, but i have to check if all the components fit to the PCB

I’m curious what bridge chip you selected. I was looking for something to build my own before I saw this thread. I was looking at the Prolific PL or the Realtek RTS, but one or both are EOL and hard to source from the normal suppliers. In the end I was considering the Cypress CYUSB.

Yes the Cypress CYUSB, it is available and in production, and the documentation is available, also there are some FW examples that can be reused.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Custom Memory Card Connector.

I have experience with cypress FX3 and CX3 HW design, and SD3 is similar.

there is also VUB300:

but this doesn’t support dual cards, but i think this doesn’t need custom firmware

I don’t think even UHS-II (2) SD cards would require anything beyond USB 3.0 or maybe 3.1 or 3.2? Now if you were talking CFExpress, there are requirements for TB3/TB4.

I wonder if chopping the cable off this and putting the male USB-C connector directly on the board (depending how thick the controller is under the SD slot) would allow a fairly straightforward conversion?

Hi All, sorry for late update, i’m building this in my free time and i had to sort out some personal things, nevertheless here’s an update:

1. You can find the schematic on the link below:
   https://github.com/zero0d/FrameworkExpansionCards/tree/main/SD_CardReader_VUB300

→ for firs prototype i decided to go with VUB300 because it don’t require any custom FW development like the Cypress CYUSB-BZXI.
→ the down side is the VUB300 is only per SDIO spec 2.0 and USB2, while the CYUSB-BZXI is SDIO spec 3.0 and USB3 ( i need to figure out how to modify sample of the FW for CYUSB-BZXI in order to get this working)

2. there is the problem with the connectors, because i found only few company that produce them ( need these connectors in order to fit to the expansion card size), the connectors have a MOQ of pcs, at the end the company agreed to provide 3pcs sample but the shipping to me it will cost 100$ + Import duties + tax.

→ i would like to measure them in real, i found something similar in ebay and waiting to arrive.
→ or i need to find some one in china to get the samples to their address, and then post me via standard mail.

@Xavier_Jiang
as Josh_cook sad you need a TB controller to get the PCIe lanes.
We could use TB3 IC that is cheaper, consumes less and is smaller than TB4 IC, because TB4 comes only in DUAL/QUAD config while the TB3 is also in SINGLE config
Thunderbolt™ 3 Controllers Product Specifications (intel.com)
Like JHL ( the question is how to get the documentation to design it in)

Other thing is does it have to support standard Sd cads( then probably we need additional PCIe->SDIO bridge) or only PCIe sd cards like SD_HC_I_Express? ( i have to look in to that how that actually works)

@Josh_Cook
if you like you can review the schematic

For years now, I’ve been looking at using the Lexar Hub to efficiently transfer multiple SD cards to my iMac. The reason I never pulled the trigger was that it seemed like it was a bit much. The Lexar hub is pretty large and it requires its own power source which is an inconvenience while traveling and having to back up cards on your laptop. I think I finally found the solution!

I decided to go ahead and build my own USB 3.0 SD card hub from things you can easily purchase from Amazon. Essentially, it’s a USB 3.0 hub that I filed with inexpensive and reliable SD card readers that I’ve been using for years. I went with the ANKER USB Hub for a few simple reasons, but mainly because the design matched my iMac and MacBook Pro. There are other hubs out there for around the same price, or cheaper, but I know ANKER makes quality products and for $15 you can’t go wrong.

The next step was buying enough SD card readers. Luckily, Transcend makes a really simple option for this for only $8. I’ve been using these readers for years because they’re so compact and inexpensive that I just throw them in each of my camera bags so I always have a reader in a pinch no matter where I am or what I’m doing. These readers take full-sized SD cards and Micro SD cards, which are the only type I use anyway.

It’s not the fastest solution since its only USB 3.0, but usually, when I get home from a wedding, I’ll start transferring most of my footage, take a shower, and by the time I come out, most of what I shot throughout the day is already backed up. Overall, this is a big help in my post processing and anything to help save time is worth sharing.

When I shoot video for a wedding, I usually come home with 3 cameras worth of cards, plus at least 4-5 audio cards that usually take a while to transfer. This particular system only allows you to transfer 4 at a time, but if you really wanted, you could probably just purchase a larger USB hub and more card readers to transfer 8-10 SD cards at once. I am using this example since it is more comparable to the 4 bay system that you get from a Lexar Hub.

I hope this was able to help those of you looking for an affordable custom memory card hub solution.

P.S. My wife and I also have a travel photography website, TheTravelRats.com, where we recently shared a post on our favorite travel photography tips that we urge you to check out.

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