Hacking Acekard 2i: micro SD card won't go into the slot!

[azakhan]

I've had 2 ackard2i in the past and like them. I know they are no longer supported but I figured since I have a ds lite fo ds games (I won['t use my 3ds to play ds games) and it supports all major NDS games I ordered a couple more for family members.

I haven't had this problem before, 1 of the acekards (2i) arrived and it works fine, except it is extremely hard to get the micro sd to actually fit in the slot. Once it is in it works fine, but after constantly fiddling with it and gently trying to manipulate the sd card for maybe half an hour in total I have managed to fit it 2 or 3 times.

This is obviously a problem when I need to load more games. Any ideas what is causing it or if there is any way to fix it?

Has anyone encountered this problem before?

 

[azakhan]

Anyone?

 

[migles]

well. can you open up the card? maybe the spring is a bad one...
are acecards spring loaded btw?

open it up and try to compare\check whats the issue...

 

[loco365]

well. can you open up the card? maybe the spring is a bad one...
are acecards spring loaded btw?

open it up and try to compare\check whats the issue...

They are spring loaded, I have one as well. I'm thinking your SD slot might be toast, although if you can remove the spring mechanism, you can simply slide the Micro SD in and go, although I'd have to crack mine open to check that. I'm not sure if the Micro SD would slide around or fall out though.

 

[azakhan]

They are spring loaded, I have one as well. I'm thinking your SD slot might be toast, although if you can remove the spring mechanism, you can simply slide the Micro SD in and go, although I'd have to crack mine open to check that. I'm not sure if the Micro SD would slide around or fall out though.

The micro sd lot is spring loaded?
I'm not surehow to take it apart and after that I'm not sure if I'd be able to put it back together again- is there a danger I might break something?

It sounds like nobody has reported such a problem before?

 

[Another World]

it is unclear what you are describing. are you saying the msd is too wide for the slot or are you saying it fits but you are unable to push it all the way down?

-another world

 

[azakhan]

It fits in easily so isn't too wide, it doesn't push all the way down and won't sit in place, it's just loose and would fall out. It pushes in so that about 1mm is left sticking out. And strangely enough when I have mentioned to push it in so it fixes in place snugly like it should, it is actually pushed in a little further than my other acekards, by about half a mm!!

Having tested it out with 4 other micro sd cards, 2 of them actually are easier to fit into it, although about 70% success rate. My genuine kingston branded one has the hardest time, with about 10% success rate. It seems like the two fake sandisk ones (from china, they came with other stuff I ordered, before I realised they were fake haha) have the easiest time with it.

It does seem like it's a manufacturing fault, either that or somebody handled it before sending it out and damaged it. The micro sd slot is slightly too deep it seems. I'm surprised nobody has reported this problem before though!

How can I check if it's genuine or not, now that the acekard site is gone? It has the sticker, but no way to check the code??

 

[Deleted User]

Just wanted to give my experience with a new card recently ordered from Gozenbaby.

Seems like the newer models/their stock no longer have spring loaded slots so mine is similar to yours. It also has the sticker as well, and my primary card is a Kingston. I've noticed my slot isn't fully centered, the cutout is a bit too large so I have to insert the card lined up with the side but other than that it works fine and stays snug within the card. Perhaps these slots are prone to wear after so many uses? I've only had mine a few weeks.

 

[Another World]

the problem you are describing sounds like a stuck spring, assuming your ak2i has a spring loaded slot. if you do not want to open the card then you can try pushing in a msd card as far down as you can and then push a bit further. you may be able to pop the spring back up. opening the shell is trivial and the PCB is one solid unit, so you won't break anything. however, they did away with the shell clasps, meaning that you'll need to glue the shell closed again (or tape it, etc). opening it is the only way to be sure what the problem is. i'm assuming it is a stuck spring but there is a very real chance it isn't even a real ak2i.

acekard is no longer a company. all resellers will either be selling old stock or fake/1:1 clone cards.

-another world

 

[azakhan]

There must be a way to tell if it's fake or not? I was wondering if maybe anyone knows of a rom which has anti piracy. maybe there is a list somewhere? Theoretically if it was fake it's anti piracy function wouldn't work right? Maybe I could test it out that way?

 

[Another World]

not necessarily. the 1:1 clone that was recycling the anti-counterfeit codes works just fine with akaio and the AP routine.

we have images of the last version acekard released. if you opened it up you could compare. you would also be able to see if the spring was broken.

have you tried contacting your reseller and asking for a replacement?

-another world

 

[azakhan]

I am in the process of contacting them. They are slow to respond. Are you saying the 1:1 clones work exactly the same without any drawbacks?

 

[Another World]

I have an e-mail saved, from my old acekard contact, that specifically names the two people who were making the clones. the e-mail goes on to explain that these people were paying the factory to produce the cards. the impression i got was that they were undercutting acekard for their own product. i never did get the full set of facts. it is possible that the 1:1 clone used "cheaper" parts, as acekard always said publicly. they made it seem that the cloners were paying the factory to producte cheaper versions (poor plastic? worse solder points? -- who knows). however, it is also possible that they were in fact legit acekard products being sold by a 3rd party unrelated to the acekard team.

what we do know is that akaio seemed to function well on them. i never did get my hands on one to do any real beta testing. i had asked for a few cards from various sources so i could get some testing feedback sent to norm and smiths. since that never happened i can't say for certain that everything will function as it should. i also can't say for certain that the 1:1 clones won't die or brick, more quickly.

at this point it will be difficult to tell if you have a 1:1 clone. acekard removed their website and they never released a tool for checking the anti-counterfeit codes offline.

-another world