Durabiliy of SD card reader

Hi,
From almost 10 years I am buying SD card readers to connect memory cards to PC. Always, these never lasts more than four to eight months. After that it stops working. I don't know why? All of the card reader I used from China and costs not more than $ 1 or $2. I buy same grade of readers because this is the only one option here. What may cause such failure? USB has nice power source of 5V and maybe "semiconductor" inside the readers never degrades after few months of use. I want to read your experience.
Same way I used two USB sound cards of around $3 just few weeks. But my USB Flash drive (pendrive) are working in same PC from years!

I had a Microsoft wireless mouse that I liked and it died. I bought another and it died. I added a USB surge suppressor and had no more problems. The USB side was the side that always died.

How often are you using it, and what does "stops working" mean? I have two card reads that I've had for over 10 years and they still work just fine. One is "Transcend" and the other is no-name.

KeepItSimpleStupid said:

I had a Microsoft wireless mouse that I liked and it died. I bought another and it died. I added a USB surge suppressor and had no more problems. The USB side was the side that always died.

Click to expand...

Hi, sounds interesting!
May I know more about the DIY version of USB surge supressor? I think I need it. My mainboard is the cheapest grade of around $35. So maybe it needs the supressor.

upand_at_them said:

How often are you using it, and what does "stops working" mean? I have two card reads that I've had for over 10 years and they still work just fine. One is "Transcend" and the other is no-name.

Click to expand...

Hi,
10 years is more than awesome! Within one month I use them not more than 5 to 10 times (normal use of few minutes). And stops working mean sometime fully damaged (I did not get card drive in computer) and sometime I get the drive icon but never worked as a card reader. After that never worked in all PC. Transcend looks like a nice product, I have a 8GB USB flash drive and using from 5 years in the PC and working well.

This https://www.l-com.com/usb-usb-surge-protector-type-a-type-a-panel-mount-style-with-pigtail-cable-12 is what i used for the supressor.

Here is a blurb: https://www.bourns.com/docs/technic...devices-from-usb-kill-threats-white-paper.pdf

I find that if I don't use an SD device for a few months they stop working. I think it's the contacts becoming dirty because if I repeatedly insert and remove a card the device starts working again!!! I've had the same thing happen with my Canon DSLR - now that wasn't funny.

Mike.

I watched the link. I think I can make it using supply filter (inductor,capacitor) and a zener to protect power line and zeners for data line.