hey guys

i know there are a million topics on this already -- and i think i've read through them all -- but i'm wondering if you could help try and diagnose this specific problem.

just bought a used 404 (og) on ebay, which came with a 128mb akai mpc500 card. when i tried to format it, the dots under the "FMt" just blinked ONCE (after CANCEL+REMAIN -> C/J -> DEL) and then went back to normal. when i click the card banks again, it just brings up the formatting menu again ("FMt" on display plus blinking card banks).

i figured that the guy had sent me a bum card, so i went out and bought one of these, which posters on this board say has worked for them. unfortunately i get the same exact problem -- dots under "FMt" blink just once and then go out, without having done anything. i tried a factory reset (initializing internal memory) but it didn't help. it's clear that the sp knows there's a card in there, cause i can't select the card banks without a card in the reader.

i'm thinking now i should probably try the sandisk ultra ii, which it looks like you can cop on ebay for about $20. but before spending any more cash on this, i was wondering if you guys thought that this sounded more like an issue with the sp i bought, or if this result (one blink of the dots, no formatting undergone) was common with cheaper cards.

thanks so much for your input. this place is incredible.

peace