B+ Broken MicroSD reader

[gjennings]

Okay jdb, as requested:
Numbers from the small white label: 03/03
Serial number: 000000007e079ac6

So is the solution still to return the unit, in this case to Amazon? They'll do a warranty exchange?
I guess if this isn't affecting sales we must just be the tiniest minority.

[DoctorLar]

Broke first day. 09/10

Anyone have luck soldering a new one on?

[RaTTuS]

Broke first day. 09/10

Anyone have luck soldering a new one on?

request a return and send it back unless you really badgered it

[exepress]

I'm just posting to say that I too have a faulty micro SD card reader on a Raspberry Pi A+ recently purchased in the UK from RS. After just two 'insert/eject' cycles, the card now won't lock in place. The micro SD card isn't at fault as I can lock it into a Raspberry Pi B+ purchased at the same time. I have tried to email the supplier but currently my email is rejected. II'll look for a different email address.

[chasc]

My spring holder broke after 3 months of use (maybe 10 insertions?) I bought it online in another country, so I cannot get a refund via the seller. I fixed it by inserting a piece of torn off business card, which is thicker than regular paper. It avoids any unsightly tape, glue or rubber bands.

- Post what numbers are printed on the small white square label on the underside of the board (usually near the uSD connector)
White square label: 19/02
Printed in black ink on the card holder itself: 50114AC
- Post the serial number from /proc/cpuinfo
Hardware: BCM2709
Revision: a01041
Serial: 8b7a2f92

[exepress]

I'm just posting to say that I too have a faulty micro SD card reader on a Raspberry Pi A+ recently purchased in the UK from RS. After just two 'insert/eject' cycles, the card now won't lock in place. The micro SD card isn't at fault as I can lock it into a Raspberry Pi B+ purchased at the same time. I have tried to email the supplier but currently my email is rejected. II'll look for a different email address.

Further to my post quoted, I've now obtained serial number information:

White square : 04/06
Hardware : BCM2708
Revision : 0012
Serial : 00000000ea1f5de2

[pwcomputers]

i have 2 of these that the sd just pops out i was going to hold in with tape why do thye need a little spring to hold them they should just be popped in and hold them self

[AAADiver]

I too receive a brand new Raspberry PI 2 with a defective SD card lock. It was flakey from the start and after 3-4 SD cards, it failed and would no longer lock when an SD was inserted. I futzed with the back of the slot and considered returning but for $35 I didn't want to worry about yet another defect and problems so I came up with a simple solution. Remove the strong spring and the problem should go away. Yes this voids any warranty but again we're talking $35 to replace it and it's FAR BETTER than trying to replace the unit on the board.

D O T H I S A T Y O U R O W N R I S K ! !

This takes about 2 minutes to fix. Using a small wire cutter, VERY CAREFULLY clip the front right corner of the card slot that retains the spring. You just want to remove the tiny front corner, do not harm the solder attachment to the board. When you do this, a small black plastic retainer comes free and the spring becomes slack. I actually didn't remove it but pushed it tight against the right inside wall. Probably will try to remove it completely later using a spring hook. Regardless, with the strong spring disabled, the issue of the card self ejecting go away and voila - PROBLEM solved!

Best of luck and let's hope Raspberry fixes this issue!
AAADIVER

[saraf]

One more faulty card holder here.

[asadziach]

The microSD reader on my new Raspberry Pi 2 suddenly stopped locking. I found complaints like this all over the Internet but no solution.

This is how I fixed it, using just a stapler pin!

https://twitter.com/asadziach/status/646551692775956480

[gjacksn]

Same here. Just a few ins and outs to burn the Raspbian image and the Micro SD card will not latch in. It's been several months since I bought it but I'm just now getting around to setting it up with the official Pi display that I've been waiting on so eagerly, so I'm not sure if I can return it. But even if I could, I will probably just remove the inner spring and let the force of the contacters hold it in place. What I consider to be the bigger problem is the poor quality of this component and whether this is a sign of more trouble to come. I really like the idea of the Pi and what the foundation is trying to do with it and I guess, based on prior experience in production manufacturing, I can't expect the best of everything for $40. They really have pulled off a miracle of sorts considering all that is involved with making this thing. Hopefully, the rest of it will work as expected. But for now at least, this has caused me to hold off on purchasing any more of these boards to build my controllers with, at least until I see that they have addressed the problem. I can't have my customers losing production because of something so mediocre at this, and hopefully I will not have to look elsewhere for what I need.

[gmc]

Just had this issue as well. Pi is a good few months old and card keeps popping out.Probably with 10-15 card inserts.
Hope the other 2 I've got also dont go faulty.

Fixed it using asadziach's method above with the stapler. Not a long term method but I dont plan to touch the Pi again so it should last.

White square : 28/01
Printed in black ink on the card holder : 40927AC
Hardware : BCM2709
Revision : a01041
Serial : 000000005ae7fb65

[KJC1964]

I just started having the same issue. The SD card holder was working fine until today. For the moment we are going with the rubber band remedy, but not happy with this issue.

[fruitoftheloom]

I just started having the same issue. The SD card holder was working fine until today. For the moment we are going with the rubber band remedy, but not happy with this issue.

Return under Warranty if under 12 months old

[KJC1964]

I got onto the supplier and will be sending it back for a replacement.

[pwelte]

Arm v7 Processor rev 5 (v71)
Hardware: BCM2709
Revision: a21041
Serial: 00000000cedb265a

[ibasaw]

got same issue, can't insert my card in the slot, it always went out
40815ac slot

[embot]

Has anybody tried to rework the MicroSD reader...? There are plenty of molex readers/sockets on Farnell and I was wondering if anybody had a part number so I could give it a go...

[wibb]

The microSD reader on my new Raspberry Pi 2 suddenly stopped locking. I found complaints like this all over the Internet but no solution.

This is how I fixed it, using just a stapler pin!

https://twitter.com/asadziach/status/646551692775956480

I did the same and it worked, but not a long term solution how easy is it to get a replacement?

[anon6006]

Hi, this happened to my Raspberry Pi too. The number on the white square looks like 16/11 (it is hard to read though).

I'll send the other info next time I boot it up.

I am not sure if I might have pulled the Micro SD card out instead of remembering to push it in and let it pop out. Unlike in a phone, there is room to reach behind and get one's fingernail behind that pronounced ridge.

I heard elsewhere that force pulling it out does not damage the mechanism (it just pulls out without spring pressure), but if this is wrong then what happened is probably my fault.

However my main point is that I am not going to request any replacement, rather, I am going to do the fix of putting in a folded up piece of paper on the side of the socket without the contacts before pushing it in.. In fact I have done this already and it works fine.

I looked at some of the almost angry comments from 2014 when this happened to some people, and they really surprised me.

My own overall experience with this has been really wonderful.

The first thing that hit me is when I tried making some javascript/html and loaded it into the Epiphany browser. Changing the source (html file) made the web page automatically reload.

How many times have I had to hear that hateful Microsoft alert warning you that your formatting will be destroyed if you save in txt format, when using wordpad, or using notepad when it gives only one level of undo. And many many other horrible dishonest things that Microsoft does, and Google does, and Adobe and all the other corporations.

Using this has been such a relief, and it is because the Raspberry pi is a labour of love, it is done as a charity.

And, it is a great computer! For stuff I do (even scientific computing needing a lot of processing power, or trying to show stuff to kids with not a lot of patience always) this has been as good as any new PC.

I am seriously thinking of switching to using a Raspberry Pi as my main computing device, once I get up to speed with preventing too much writing on the SD card, so it can be in read-only mode.

The danger, in my mind, is if industries get hold of these and start just using them as ordinary devices in the competitive market, say, to control robots manufacturing cars. As a basic component in engineering, rather than a teaching tool.

Because, truthfully, business leads to destruction, and this enterprise is way more than any business, it means way more than that.

I view it as a charity and no way am I going to ask for a new device to be sent to me, I'll keep this one, and hope I can find some way of explaining to the wider world what a wonderful addition to the open source community it can be.

[skylinefever]

First ever Pi used first ever time and the SD card reader doesn't latch....

Kinda sad in a first world kind of way...

09/12; and
000000008dda5099

[texy]

First ever Pi used first ever time and the SD card reader doesn't latch....

Kinda sad in a first world kind of way...

09/12; and
000000008dda5099

...and the Pi is NOT a PiZero?

Texy

[skylinefever]

B+

[texy]

B+

OK - just checking as the PiZero has a non-locking socket.

Texy

[RaTTuS]

RMA it back to your supplier