Problem with my Corsair Flash Voyager 8GB

My Corsair Flash Voyager works properly with all the computers I have tried it with.

When I connect my Corsair 8 GB Flash Voyager to my new Philips HTS3265 HTiB it cannot detect the device. The same HTiB correctly detects and plays from my 512 MB drive of another brand. The Corsair is FAT32 formatted while the other one is FAT. The Philips documentation doesn't mention what format is required.

The other day, I borrowed my friend's 16 GB Corsair Flash Voyager and tried it on my HTS and it detected and played fine. That too is formatted FAT32.

I had observed in a past too that it didn't work with our Kodak DPF while the 512MB drive of the other brand worked. I ignored it assuming that the DPF did not support such large drives. Need to check its documentation now.

Philips Customer Care told me to reformat and try but the result is still the same.

So in summary:

My 8GB Flash Voyager (FAT32) works with the few PCs I have tried but not with my Kodak digital photo frame or Philips Home theatre (device not connected).

My 512MB USB drive (FAT) from another company works fine with all the above.

The 16GB Flash Voyager (FAT32) I borrowed from a friend likewise works with all the above.

Any clue what could be wrong? Do I have to RMA my Flash Voyager?

That is not uncommon most of our flash drives use a HUB based controller and if the device you are using cannot access a USB Drive through a USB HUB then our drives may not be compatible with that device.

As long as it conforms to USB interface standards, shouldn't it be expected to work?

Does that mean that the Flash Voyager is a non-standard USB implementation?

Hello!

Anyone with a reasonable explanation?

If what RAM GUY has said is correct then doesn't that mean Corsair's implementation choice renders my drive incompatible with my HT and DPF? I have subsequently tried and found it isn't recognized by my Samsung LCD TV too.

Should I be paying the penalty for Corsair's decision to go with a non-standard implementation?

The drives are only advertised to be compatible with Computer PC's using Windows or Linux or Mac O.S. We have never claimed compatibility with other devices using USB drives, did you ask the manufacturer if it would be able to use a USB drive through a USB HUB?

That is really sad because my primary application for this drive is to transport media files from my PC to my HT.

The HT manufacturer's documentation claims compatibility with USB flash drives but does not mention anything about using it through a USB hub. I will ask them about it.

My point is, why should the Flash Voyager be compatible only with equipment that can use a USB drive through a USB hub?

Secondly, if that is an issue then how come my friend's 16 GB model of Flash Voyager is detected and plays flawlessly on the same HT setup?

I have already answered this, we build the drives to the Spec issued from http://www.sdcard.org and if the device in questions has limitations or restrictions or is built to another spec there is little we can do.

This remains unanswered: "if that is an issue then how come my friend's 16 GB model of Flash Voyager is detected and plays flawlessly on the same HT setup?"

Meanwhile I have tested another 8GB flash drive on the HT system and it works fine. So now I ve confirmed that the system works with two other non-Corsair drives and also with a 16GB drive of Corsair. It only doesn't work with my 8GB Corsair.

I also tried with a hub and found that the system does not accept any of the working drives through a hub.

So let me understand what you are saying. Connecting my 8GB Corsair Flash Voyager to the Philips HT is equivalent to connecting a flash drive through a hub?

I have already answered this, we build the drives to the Spec issued from http://www.sdcard.org and if the device in questions has limitations or restrictions or is built to another spec there is little we can do.

As far as I can see that link is related to SD card specs and has nothing to do with the USB drive standards. Can you please provide the correct link to a page that gives the standards?

The SD Card and Compact Flash associations both assign specs for Flash devices and like I stated our drives use s HUB based controller for performance reasons and may not work with devices that will not see a USB Drive when connected through a USB HUB.

I believe the issue here is not about the flash memory used inside the device which might be governed by the specs mentioned above. The issue is about the incompatibility of the interface provided on the USB, which is not described in the link you provided.

What independent authority says it is OK to build the interface in such a way that only those devices that support hubs will be able to see this drive?

I have gone through your replies carefully and can't find an explicit answer to this question:

Since you claim that my 8GB Corsair Flash Voyager doesn't work with my Philips HTS3265 because it uses a hub based controller, how is it that my friend's 16GB Flash Voyager works on the very same system?

You answered that most Corsair drives use a hub based controller. It is only now you are saying that you use different controllers from time to time to explain why one Corsair drive works while the other doesn't. In your previous replies you did not indicate that the implementation keeps changing from batch to batch. In this reply you are saying it.

Did I say Corsair claims compatibility with my device?

Let me make my point clear one more time since you don't seem to get it. My HTS does not work with USB drives connected through a hub. It is advertised to work with a USB flash pen drive. It works with every other flash drive than this particular flash voyager. Your own statement reveals that Corsair are using a hub based controller in some flash drives and therefore the equipment to which it is connected can only see it as a flash drive connected through a hub. On the face of it, this seems like a pretty non-standard implementation of a USB pen drive, which should be expected to work regardless of hub support.

Notwithstanding your advertised compatibility with Windows and Mac systems, is a buyer unreasonable in expecting it to work with an equipment which accepts standard pen drives?

Has Corsair published a disclaimer stating that their pen drives will not work with equipment that cannot accept USB hubs?

How do I escalate this case to someone who can understand my viewpoint?

Look at it the other way: does the HTS guarantee it will work with every single USB stick, or USB sticks via a hub?

Ultimately, what type of answer are you looking for?

Look at it the other way: does the HTS guarantee it will work with every single USB stick, or USB sticks via a hub?

 

Ultimately, what type of answer are you looking for?

The HTS manufacturer does not make any claim it will work through a hub. I have tested this myself that it does not support hubs. In fact, there is no claim that it will work with anything other than a USB flash drive although empirically it does work with external hard drives using external power.

Have you ever read any equipment manufacturers spec that explicitly states "guarantee it will work with every single USB stick"? Obviously, as long as the equipment interface and the flash drive interface are built to a standard spec with all the tolerances built into the spec, it HAS to work.

I therefore do not see it reasonable that I should demand that the HTS should work with a flash drive built with a non-standard implementation. If my Flash Voyager was a standard USB flash drive I would have pursued with the HTS maker. However, it isn't, which is why I have to pursue with Corsair.

I hope the point is clear enough. I hope you can understand from this why I have to pursue the matter with Corsair rather than Philips. There is a clear admission that Corsair often uses hub controllers to achieve better performance. I don't care for performance. I need compatibility. My decision to buy Corsair was because of ruggedness rather than speed.

Regarding your second question as to what answer I am looking for, I would like to have my Flash Voyager replaced with one from a batch that does not use a hub controller.

As you may see from earlier posts in this thread, a friend of mine has a 16 GB Flash Voyager which works fine with the HTS. Is there some way you can track a specific flash voyager and know whether it is hub based or not? Is there a serial number I can send (both my 8 GB and my friend's 16GB) so that it can be confirmed without ambiguity that this is the problem?

I am sorry but that answer to your question is no, not with out some time to research the lot's and the original package of both drives.

I understand. I'm not sure if the original packages are still around. Is there some way I can get the lot number from the flash drive itself? Or is the serial number the same as the lot number?

I would suggest maybe you ask your friend to swap the drives with you so it works with your device.

That is not possible because:

a) His is 16GB and mine is 8GB. He needs 16GB.

b) He will soon be buying a new LCD TV that accepts a USB drive. If we exchange then it will not work for him.

I don't have a problem replacing the drive if you want to try that but it may not solve the problem for you.

Yes I know. That is what bothers me.

Let's get it replaced, please use the On Line RMA Request Form and we will be happy to replace it.

Just spoke to another friend who had purchased an 8GB Flash Voyager from the same vendor at the same time as me. So it is probably from the same lot. His piece works with a Sony HTS he has. We will exchange our drives to try on the other's HTS in the next few days and check what happens.

Will post back here after trying.

daddycool

I am sorry I do not know what we can do other than try replacing the drive at this point. Will the reseller let you return it?

@RAM GUY - I really appreciate your assistance and patience. There is some kind of a Corsair service centre out here and I believe they will replace the drive if I approach them.

Meanwhile a strange thing has happened.

My daughter got her friend to copy and episode of Gray's Anatomy on the same drive and lo and behold, it played on the Philips HTS last night.

That is still more confusing. I think I'll just have to let it ride for a while and see how things go.