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Mac Mini SD Card Slot problem

Hi everyone; thought I'd offer a tip.


Sometimes my Mac Mini (2010 unibody server model) will recognize an SD card... but then after it's ejected, it won't recognize a new one inserted -- sometimes not even the same SD card. The Mac Mini just refuses to mount a SD card after the original card is pulled out/ejected.


This tip from 2011 for iMacs appears to work quite well to fix this issue... at least one my Mac Mini.


http://cvil.ly/2011/10/30/imac-sd-card-reader-fix/


"Turns out this is not a software problem, but a hardware problem. There is a small switch inside the card reader that signals to the computer that a card has been inserted. This switch can get stuck."


"The solution is to insert a toothpick or other non-conductive “stick” into the SD card slot to free up the switch. According to posts on the Apple site, the switch is located at the top/back of the card slot. I also poked around the bottom/back of the slot for safe measure (I never actually saw the switch). After “flossing the inside of the slot a couple times, the reader works once again!"


Remember! Don't use any metal or other conductive materials! Do use plastic or, if you're confident you won't leave splinters behind, a wodden toothpick!


Odd error for the Mac Mini SD Card slot, and odd fix, eh?


=

Mac mini, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on Mar 25, 2013 7:51 PM

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Posted on Oct 3, 2013 12:39 AM

There's no "switch" in the SD card slot. There are 9 contact points on an SD card, the two rightmost facing you are the contact points that power the card, the other seven are data points. I've used this trick, it works, but the toothpick doesn't flick any switch, rather, it dislodges dirt, dust, grime or orxidation on the contact points.

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Question marked as Best reply

Oct 3, 2013 12:39 AM in response to hwmd

There's no "switch" in the SD card slot. There are 9 contact points on an SD card, the two rightmost facing you are the contact points that power the card, the other seven are data points. I've used this trick, it works, but the toothpick doesn't flick any switch, rather, it dislodges dirt, dust, grime or orxidation on the contact points.

Mac Mini SD Card Slot problem

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