Can Memory Cards be used interchangeably between different devices?
Can Memory Cards be used interchangeably between different devices?
Yes, Memory Cards can be used interchangeably between different devices, but only if they are compatible with each other in terms of card standard, file system and formatting method. Otherwise there may be problems with data reading, writing or stability of operation.
Memory Cards standards and physical compatibility
Memory Cards SD and microSD come in different versions: SD (up to 2GB), SDHC (up to 32GB), SDXC (up to 2TB) and SDUC (up to 128TB). Each of these standards has the same physical design, but differs in the way data is managed and capacity. Older devices may not recognise newer type cards, e.g. a camera that only supports SDHC will not read a 64GB SDXC card. Therefore, before swapping cards between devices, it is a good idea to check which card types are supported by each device. This information can usually be found in the technical documentation or user manual.
File system and reading problems
Equally important is the file system, which is the way data is organised on the card. SDHC cards typically use FAT32, while SDXC cards use exFAT. Older devices such as camcorders, players or printers may not support exFAT. If this is the case, the card will be invisible or a message will appear stating that it needs to be formatted. Some embedded systems, such as PLC Controllers, Audio Recorders or microcontrollers (e.g. Arduino), only support FAT16 or FAT32. Using an incompatible file system can result not only in errors, but also in data corruption.
Cards used in internal memory mode
Special care should be taken with microSD cards that have been used as internal memory on Android phones. Such cards are usually encrypted and associated with a specific device. When transferred to another phone or computer the contents will be invisible and the card often needs to be reformatted. The same applies to specialised devices that format cards in a non-standard way, e.g. military recorders, medical equipment or monitoring systems. To avoid problems, it is advisable to format the card directly on the target device each time and to back up the data before each change of operating environment.
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