Marionsho Loc: Kansas

Good use for the Peak Design bags. I should start a thread for more uses for them.

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

Now that's LOL FUNNY.
Thanks a million.

BobT Loc: southern Minnesota

I asked my original question basically to learn if any mysterious chemical properties would manage to pass from one card to others as they "rubbed noses" while laying atop each other loose in the same box. Apparently there's no issues with this, so I'm OK. But should they start reproducing, you'll all be the next to know.
AS mentioned earlier, I have several SD card wallets, and use them, for when off on photo trips.

Again, THANKS ALL, for your very complete feedback on the subject asked.

Bob

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

BobT,

Lets put things in proper perspective for your question on chemical transfer and damage.

If you were out in the field on a hot, dry, windy day your clothing and skin surface could build up a hefty static charge. Your body could perspire and cause moisture to settle on your fingers, deposits you were not even aware of resting on the tips of the fingers.

Now, you reach into your plastic box of multiple SD cards to replace a filled card with an empty card and befog you can touch the selected card a small spark of static electricity jumps from the tip of the finger to one of the gold electrical contacts on the card. The difference in electrical potential between your finger tip and the internal solid state components inside the card is sufficient to punch holes into most of the memory circuits destroying the usefulness of the card.
Of course you jump backward in total sunrise of the unexpected electrical shock, but the damage has been done. Because the plastic of the box is also a good generator of static electricity it readily transfers a static charge to other memory cards within electrical reach, not to mention those physically touching one an other.
Now, you have overcome the shock of static, and venture into the forbidden box once again to retrieve an memory card. This time the electrical potential is stabilized between your fingers and the cards, but as you grab a card two are touched on their electrical contacts and perspiration from the fingers is transferred to the cards. Human perspiration is quite salty, corrosive, and acidic in nature. It should not affect the gold contacts, but in time it can migrate to the internal components of the memory card and begin having lunch on the solid state devices within the card.

You are welcome to do as you see fit.
It is your money to spend on memory cards, camera repair, and lost photos that were a once in a lifetime event.

Michael G

BobT Loc: southern Minnesota

Michael,

Kinda makes me not want to touch the SD card anymore. But as I said, when in the field I always travel with a SD card wallet; with cards well separated from each other. But your weather condition warning is well taken. Thanks

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

Bob,

You are welcome.

In most cases the SD cards will be okay if kept separate, like your card wallet. When handling the card if we remember to grip the card by the end opposite the gold contact we will be fine.
Just a side note about the USB cables and connectors that come with digital cameras. The cables and connectors have a built in shield to guard against electronic (magnetic) noise and static electricity. The initial purpose of the shield is to block electronic noise from interfering with the transfer of data from camera to computer. The secondary purpose is to place the user (Human) and the cable shield at the same electrical potential (preventing electrical discharge). The third purpose is to place the Human, cable, device (camera, computer) at an equal potential via the ground shield as the cable is inserted into the device. The shield-ground to device-ground equalizes the electrical potential so no discharge can occur. Notice on the USB cable connector, the pins are all well inside the connector shield to prevent touching the pins, the same is true on flash drives.

Michael G

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

You must be good at making up horror stories to frighten children. Have you ever experienced this horror of a "Static Attack" on your cards? Have you ever heard of it happening to anyone else? I guess I'll have to ground myself before opening my camera bag - just in case.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

Yes, Yes, and Yes!

Thousands of dollars of Canon and Nikon cameras, memory cards, replaced because the cameras could not record photo images. On US soil and overseas. How about Kuwait, Iraq, April - March 2003.

US Army Civilian service
1993 - 2010

Michael G

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

Yesterday I posted a great price for SanDisk Ultra 32 gb. SD cards, a 2-pack was only 15.86. Well, today they went on sale for the next three weeks for 14.88! I'm good on cards for now, I just located 6 single packs of these cards I had misplaced about a year ago. BJ's was switching from SanDisk to PNY and they had the cards marked down to 10.00 each so I bought 8 of them, used 2 and misplaced the other 6 until yesterday! Too bad I invested in them last year as they are now available at another 25% less than they were then! The way prices are dropping on SD cards I fully expect that in another five years they will be paying us to take them!

bickfor903

The cards themselves are durable. When the internal circuits of the card wear out or get burnt is when they give out. I've had a few last 4-5 years and burn out and I've had one that's over a decade old that's just fine. I think they like the companionship of being in box together.