CF Card Warning

"Please examine all CF cards before inserting into camera. Compare with photo [below]. If any card shows signs of damage, do not use. Inserting damaged cards into camera may cause damage to the pins you've just had repaired, and void warranty.
We will gladly examine any cards, and typically repair them at no charge."

The quote above appears on a note that we send back with all cameras we repair for damaged CF pins. On the back of the note, the photo below is printed.

A Compact Flash (CF) memory card that has ever been inserted into any device that has damaged pins may be damaged itself. It is possible for a compromised CF card to go on to break other devices, including your camera! It's almost like a contagious disease.

Don't let this happen to you. Examine all your cards (especially if your camera has damaged CF pins), and ensure that the holes are all free from obstruction. Each one of the 50 pins in your camera needs a hole to slide into, and if any are blocked, that pin has nowhere to go but over (causing harm to the device). Since the center pins, and those at the ends, are most likely to be damaged,(they are longer than the rest), pay particular attention to the center and edge holes on your CF card. Each hole is created with a beveled or chamfered edge, to help guide the pin. If this is gouged, it can potentially pull the pin away from the pin, into danger.

Compare your card with:

click to enlarge

If you are taking advantage of our CF Pin Repair Service, you are welcome to send your memory card to us for examination - please make a note on your paperwork stating how many cards you've sent, so we know we've found them all during the unpacking process. Please don't send them inside the camera's slot if either the card or camera are damaged.

Repairs to the memory card are included when we repair your camera at no extra charge. Most cards can be saved, but if we find one that is too badly damaged to be used safely, we will notify you and clearly mark the card.

Here's a note we got from one customer in California:

"Hi Peter:
Received my camera back and am so appreciative with the thoroughness with which you checked things out and repaired the CF pin damage. The enclosed diagram on what to look for in a damaged card to avoid damage in the future, is very helpful. I actually passed it around to 5 folks in the office who went through that "hand to the forehead" expression of "I never knew that". You probably cost yourself some future cf card pin repair business, but may have gained some long term good will and a good reference."

--Ernie in CA

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