iMac G3 - Not enough power for a SD card reader?

iMac G3

The keyboard has a USB port on either side.

I have two memory card readers.

One largish one that takes all sorts of cards.
the other just a tiny one that only takes a SD card.

Whichever one I plug into the USB port on the keyboard. I get a message on screen saying there is not enough power for the device to work (words to that effect)

WHAT !!!!!

How much power does it take to power a SD card?

Can't quite believe that one.

Any ideas?

It's because it has to go from the keyboard an then the mac, it's like USB 1. You have to connect straight to the Mac.

munna said:

It's because it has to go from the keyboard an then the mac, it's like USB 1. You have to connect straight to the Mac.

Click to expand...

Errrrr, thanks, but not quite sure if I understand what you are saying.
If the USB ports on the keyboard are only USB1, then that would just make it slower no?


I just did another test, and plugged my Microsoft Optical Mouse (red LED underneath) into the USB port on the keyboard, as I figured that would need a lot more power to work than a tiny SD Card, and guess what. The mouse works perfectly.

The memory card also works when plugged into the USB port on the side of the machine (as you said it would)

Still don't understand why the memory car reader won't work at all via the keyboard?

It needs more power to operate thats it.

this is probably what is happening...when you plug it in your are drawing way too much power at one time your computer then turns off the usb port until next restart in order to protect itself...

try this: plug in your card reader and then restart...i have this problem sometimes with my wacom tablet and solve it like this

-chris

IronMac said:

It needs more power to operate thats it.

Click to expand...

Well yeah!

It just seems odd that it will happily power a LED USB Microsoft mouse without complaint, and yet, it says not enough power when it tried to read a tiny memory card.

You'd logically think it would be the other way round.

Not really a mouse is a really, really low bandwith, peripheral. As far as power goes its just a LED way more efficient than most light sources. Its primary more and more technologies rely on it. How else to you think they can run on battery power for so long.