This is a beta version of SdFat.

A new class, "File", has been added to provide compatibility with the Arduino
SD.h library. To use SdFat with programs written for SD.h replace

#include <SD.h>

with these two lines:

#include <SdFat.h>
SdFat SD;

Support has been added for Software SPI on AVR, Due, and Teensy 3.1 boards.

SPI transactions are supported. See SoftwareSPI.txt and SPI_Transactions.txt
for more information.

The Arduino SdFat library provides read/write access to FAT16/FAT32
file systems on SD/SDHC flash cards.

SdFat requires Arduino 1.05 or greater.

To use SdFat, unzip the download file and place the SdFat folder
into the libraries sub-folder in your main sketch folder.

For more information see the Manual installation section of this guide:

http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/Libraries 

A number of configuration options can be set by editing SdFatConfig.h
#define macros.  See the html documentation for details

If you wish to report bugs or have comments, send email to
fat16lib@sbcglobal.net

Read changes.txt if you have used previous releases of this library.

Read troubleshooting.txt for common hardware problems.

Please read the html documentation for this library.  Start with
html/index.html and read the Main Page.  Next go to the Classes tab and
read the documentation for the classes SdFat, SdBaseFile, SdFile, File,
StdioStream, ifstream, ofstream, and others.

The File class implements a SD.h compatible class.

The SdFile class implements binary files similar to Linux's system calls.

The StdioStream class implements buffered I/O for similar to Linux stdio.h.
StdioStream is under development so expect changes and bugs.

The classes ifstream, ofstream, istream, and ostream follow the
C++ iostream standard when possible.

Many examples are included in the SdFat/examples folder.

There are many tutorials and much documentation about using C++ iostreams
on the web.

http://www.cplusplus.com/  is a good C++ site for learning iostreams.

Arduinos access SD cards using the cards SPI protocol.  PCs, Macs, and
most consumer devices use the 4-bit parallel SD protocol.  A card that
functions well on A PC or Mac may not work well on the Arduino.

Most cards have good SPI read performance but cards vary widely in SPI
write performance.  Write performance is limited by how efficiently the
card manages internal erase/remapping operations.  The Arduino cannot
optimize writes to reduce erase operations because of its limited RAM.

SanDisk cards generally have good write performance.  They seem to have
more internal RAM buffering than other cards and therefore can limit
the number of flash erase operations that the Arduino forces due to its
limited RAM.

The hardware interface to the SD card should not use a resistor based
level shifter.  SdFat sets the SPI bus frequency to 8 MHz which results
in signal rise times that are too slow for the edge detectors in many
newer SD card controllers when resistor voltage dividers are used.

The 5 to 3.3 V level shifter for 5 V Arduinos should be IC based like
the 74HC4050N based circuit shown in the file SdLevel.png.  The
Adafruit Wave Shield uses a 74AHC125N.  Gravitech sells SD and MicroSD
Card Adapters based on the 74LCX245.

If you are using a resistor based level shifter and are having problems
try setting the SPI bus frequency to 4 MHz. This can be done by using
card.init(SPI_HALF_SPEED) to initialize the SD card.

A feature to use software SPI is available.  Software SPI is slower
than hardware SPI but allows any digital pins to be used.  See
SdFatConfig.h for software SPI definitions.

An many shields designed for an Uno can be use on an Arduino Mega
by defining MEGA_SOFT_SPI in SdFatConfig.h.


The best way to restore an SD card's format is to use SDFormatter
which can be downloaded from:

http://www.sdcard.org/consumers/formatter/

SDFormatter aligns flash erase boundaries with file
system structures which reduces write latency and file system overhead.

SDFormatter does not have an option for FAT type so it may format
small cards as FAT12.

The example sketch SdFatFormatter.ino will format smaller cards FAT16
so they can be used with SdFat.

The SdFatTestSuite folder contains development tests.

The SdFat/examples folder has the following sketches.  Older examples
and test programs are in the examples/#attic folder.

AnalogBinLogger - Fast AVR ADC logger - see the AnalogBinLoggerExtras folder.

bench - A read/write benchmark.

cin_cout - Demo of ArduinoInStream and ArduinoOutStream.

dataLogger - A simple modifiable data logger.

directoryFunctions - Demo of chdir(), ls(), mkdir(), and  rmdir().

fgets - Demo of the fgets read line/string function.

formating - Print a table with various formatting options.

getline - Example of getline from section 27.7.1.3 of the C++ standard.

LowLatencyLogger - A modifiable data logger for higher data rates.

OpenNext - Open all files in the root dir and print their filename.

PrintBenchmark - A simple benchmark for printing to a text file.

QuickStart - A sketch to quickly test your SD card and SD shield/module.

RawWrite - A test of raw write functions for contiguous files.

readCSV - Read a comma-separated value file using iostream extractors.

ReadWriteSdFat - SdFat version of Arduino SD ReadWrite example.

rename - A demo of SdFat::rename(old, new) and SdFile::rename(dirFile, newPath).

SdFormatter - This sketch will format an SD or SDHC card.

SdInfo - Initialize an SD card and analyze its structure for trouble shooting.

StdioBench - Demo and test of stdio style stream.

StreamParseInt - Simple demo of parseInt() Stream member function.

StressTest - Create and write files until the SD is full.

Timestamp - Sets file create, modify, and access timestamps.

TwoCards - Example using two SD cards.

To access these examples from the Arduino development environment
go to:  File -> Examples -> SdFat -> <Sketch Name>

Compile, upload to your Arduino and click on Serial Monitor to run
the example.


Updated 25 Oct 2014