List of SD Cards that work with Wolverine knock-off?

[John Atkinson]

Greetings,
I just took a chance on a no-name Wolverine clone (Model M127-B) online, and so far I am having no luck getting it to work. I have tried about a half-dozen SD cards, all SDHC, all 32GB or less, some with adapters and some not, old and new, a couple different brands, and I still get a "Card Error" message at startup. When I try to Format, I hit the confirmation and it flashes the blue "Please Wait" screen for a fraction of a second, then I'm right back out at the menu screen. Then if I try to record, I get a "Custer Size Wrong. Please format." And I have tried this with cards that already had photos on them, and checked afterward--the card was untouched (photos still on the card), so it seems the formatting feature is just not happening.

I opened the case up and looked at the SMD solder pads for the card reader, and it looks pretty clean. I have used compressed air to blow the contacts, and still no joy.

Is there a list of SD card types that tend to work better than others? Is there anything I should try that I haven't already? I'm really starting to think I got stuck with a lemon.

Thank you in advance!
Cheers, John

[Ed Gordon]

See: How to Format an SD Card on Windows

[John Atkinson]

See: How to Format an SD Card on Windows

Thank you for the tip, Ed. I gave it a try, but apparently no joy. I formatted the blank card as a FAT32, put it in the Wolverine-like machine, and same thing. Turned power on, the stepper motors whirred briefly, the screen lit up, and then the blue screen with "CARD ERROR". Tried to perform a format on it from the menu, and still nothing.
So I tried it again, this time formatting as NTFS. Same deal: "CARD ERROR." Then to be thorough, I tried formatting as exFAT. Same result.

Then I took the same card, stuck it in my Canon EOS Rebel, formatted it, and took some shots with it. Worked fine. So the card works, but it seems the card reader does not.

[Ed Gordon]

No warranty on it?

[Stan Jelavic]

Hi John, I fixed several units with this type of SD error. In some cases it was the card contacts. In one or two cases it was the actual contact pad broken on the PCB in the area where the lock pin connects. The board is very weak there and plugging the card in and out causes it to break. You can try cleaning the contacts with a tiny brush and using alcohol. But if it does not work after that then the socket needs to be replaced.
It is a tricky operation. The old socket has to be carefully cut out, the contacts desoldered and the new socket installed.
My rate of success is around 50% so pretty risky operation.
You can try selling the unit for parts or try fixing it yourself.
You can mail the controller to me and I can try fixing it for you. If I cannot fix it I can sell you the Hawkeye kit for $100. You would have to get your own camera and the lens which is another $200+.
Or I can sell you a used Wolverine for $170. I have one that I just fixed. Had a blown takeup motor drive. It looks very clean.
If interested send me a private message.

[John Atkinson]

Ed: No warrantee. It was from a reseller on Mercari (kinda like eBay). I have opened a ticket for a return operation, so I could get my money back, but my first preference would be to have a working scanner (I inherited all my Dad's old home movies some 25 years ago, and I really want to convert them and distribute to the family before I kick-off). That's why I am trying the troubleshooting option first to see if I can get that reader working.

Stan: Thank you for sharing your experience--that really helps me get a feel for how to proceed. I got a note from the seller who said they tried it on some film when they got it, then put it away in storage for a couple of years. They said it worked then, and I have a tendency to believe them. So to me that sounds like oxidation could be the culprit. I am going to start there--taking some isopropyl alcohol and try to give the contacts a good cleaning. If that doesn't work, I'll try the solder connections. I might try reflowing the solder first--that should cook-off any oxidation.

[John Atkinson]

I think maybe I've got it on the run!
I tried a bit of cloth with alcohol to wipe the contacts, and that didn't seem to do anything. So then I took a craft stick (aka popsicle stick) and glued a couple of pieces of light grit sandpaper to the ends. Then I kind of pushed that in to rub against the contacts of the SD card reader, and after a few passes of that--I got the machine to recognize the card intermittently. A few passes more, and now it seems to read the card just fine.

I tried recording, and it went several frames and gave a memory error. So then I tried formatting the card in the scanner, and that seemed to work. I just finished scanning my first 3" reel, and it ran through like a champ! The worst I can say is that the take up reel seemed to catch with an ominous "thunk" every ten seconds or so for about the first half of the movie. I'm hoping I can figure out how to get rid of that (does one use gear oil on the plastic gears?).

So that first reel was regular 8mm, and now I'm going to try a Super 8 reel--before I declare total victory.
Many thanks to you who responded, for sharing your expertise. Much appreciated!

[Stan Jelavic]

Glad you got it working John and I will try your method the next time before attempting to replace the socket. Good thinking. The downside is that sandpaper removes the contact coating which is now more prone to oxidization so if you do not use it for a while you may have to repeat the process.
If the takeup is geared like the new Wolverine models then you can try synthetic grease
https://www.amazon.com/Super-Lube-21.../dp/B07DM7KMQG
But it could be a worn out worm gear inside the geared motor.
If the grease does not help then open up the motor and inspect the gears and let me know if they are worn.
I can send you instructions on how to to fix that.
If it is the belt type and the belt become loose then you can make you own belt pretty easy.

[Stan Jelavic]

One more thing. The plastic outside gears may be worn out. In that case try loosening the mounting screws one at the time while running it. It may help.