Qio for Mac
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Driver (6)
IDDownload TitleDownload LinkPost Date
496 Qio System Installer and Uninstaller (OS X, macOS) 1.5.0Nov-29-2016
Operating System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6+, macOS 10.12+
File Name: dskcd-qio-150.dmg
File Size: 2.7 MB
Description: This software enables the use of Qio with Mac Pro and MacBook Pro computers with a PCIe slot or ExpressCard slot, respectively, and other Mac computers connected via Thunderbolt. In addition to drivers to support Qio and its SATA controller, this installer installs drivers for supported memory card media. Supports OS X 10.6.8-10.11; macOS 10.12 (Sierra).

Release Notes:
Version 1.5.0 includes an improved, signed uninstaller compatible with macOS 10.12 (Sierra).

Known Issues:
• When using Qio 1.5.0, you may need to start your computer from the shut down state in order for sleep to work properly.
• If you are updating your computer's Qio software from version 1.1.7 or earlier, and you intend to update its OS from OS X 10.7.5 or earlier to 10.8 or later, you MUST install Qio 1.5.x software before upgrading the OS! For more information, see this FAQ .
• Apple removed USB 2.0 over Thunderbolt support beginning in OS X 10.8.2. If you are using the Qio connected via Thunderbolt in 10.8.2+ and you need USB ExpressCard adapter support, then you need to install the USB 2.0 Over Thunderbolt Patch .
 
631 Sony SxS Memory Card Driver for macOS 10.14-macOS 12 3.1.0Jan-26-2022
710 Sony SxS UDF Driver for macOS 2018-02-01
725 USB 2.0 Over Thunderbolt Patch for Qio/Qio E3 1.1Jun-17-2013
Operating System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.8+
File Name: dskcd-usbtbml-11.dmg
File Size: 35.5 KB
Description: This patch restores USB 2.0 functionality through Thunderbolt under OS X 10.8.5 and 10.9.5 for Qio and Qio E3 users.

Notes:
Qio and Qio E3 support USB 2.0 through the ExpressCard (SxS) slots' USB interfaces. With the release of OS X 10.8.2, Apple disabled USB 2.0 drivers over Thunderbolt. This patch removes that limitation so that USB 2.0 will work through Thunderbolt. This will affect you only if you are connecting your Qio or Qio E3 through an Echo ExpressCard Thunderbolt adapter or Echo Express Expansion Chassis for PCIe Cards. (Beginning with OS X 10.10, Apple no longer permitted driver patches.)

This patch will only run on 10.8.5 and 10.9.5, and you should download this under the following conditions:
1) You have a Qio or Qio E3
2) You are connecting the Qio over Thunderbolt (or will do so in the future)
3) You need USB 2.0 support over the Qio. For example, if you need to use a multi-format memory card reader like the one included with the Qio, you need USB 2.0 support.
 
1088 Sony SxS UDF Driver for Windows 2.4.02018-02-01
1176 Sony SxS Memory Card Driver for macOS 10.12-10.13, version 3.0.0Sep-19-2019
 
Firmware (2)
IDDownload TitleDownload LinkPost Date
600 Qio Firmware Updater (OS X) 2.0.1Jun-13-2013
642 Qio Serial ROM Flasher (OS X) 1.0Feb-15-2012
Operating System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6+
File Name: QioFlasherGUI.dmg
File Size: 395.0 KB
This software updates the serial ROMs on revisions A - G Qio pro media readers (part numbers QIO-E34 and QIO-PCIE). This is not required for revision H and later Qios.
Note: This software must be used along with the Qio Firmware Updater (OS X) to enable Windows-compatibility.

Usage Notes
• The application "QioFlasherGUI" included in the disk image that you download must be copied to your computer, preferably the desktop (for easy access), and then run from that location. You may safely delete the application after the serial ROM update is complete.
• When the application instructs you to "update the serial ROM", you must click the drop-down menu and select "PC-compatible", even if you do not intend to use the Qio on a PC.
 
 
Manual (4)
FAQ (31)
IDArticle TitlePost Date
491 Are Sonnet Tempo SATA cards compatible with the Drobo S?Feb-02-11
Sonnet has tested the following cards with the Drobo S:
Tempo SATA E2P..............................compatible
Tempo SATA E4P..............................not compatible
Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34...........compatible
Tempo SATA Edge ExpressCard/34...compatible
Tempo SATA Pro ExpressCard/34.....not compatible
Tempo SATA X4P..............................not compatible
Qio eSATA ports...............................not compatible
 
495 My P2 card is unexpectedly unmounting from my Qio after I wake a Mac Pro or MacBook Pro from sleep.Aug-01-13
499 I get a blue screen on my Mac Pro/MacBook Pro instead of booting when I connect QioMar-24-10
501 Are all C600X CF Cards more or less equal performance in a Qio?Mar-22-10
503 Can I power the Qio from a FireWire port on a MacBook Pro?Mar-23-10
509 Is the Qio driver compatible with a 64-bit kernel boot of OS X 10.6 or 10.7?Aug-01-13
510 Can I use the AJA IO Express with the Sonnet Qio in a MacBook Pro?Mar-23-10
Yes. Just plug the AJA ExpressCard/34 adapter into one of the Qio's two ExpressCard/34 slots.
 
512 My Qio was working fine with my ExpressCard/34 bus interface card, but the Qio does not work with my PCIe Express bus interface card in an early 2009 MacPro.Mar-31-10
514 My unibody MacBook Pro will spontaneously restart after shutdown with Qio attached.Mar-31-10
516 What kind of battery can I use with the Qio?Apr-08-10
527 Why does my Maci take so long to boot when the Qio is attached? Jul-31-13
528 Why can't a Mac Pro acknowledge the Qio if it is plugged in after the Mac is booted? Sep-13-13
536 With a Qio connected, my Mac Pro kernel panics when I shut down after using Avid Media Composer.Jul-31-13
547 I'm getting a OS X kernel panic when I remove an SxS card from the Qio connected to a tower Mac Pro that also has a video capture card installed.Oct-31-14
563 I'm getting a long blue screen when I boot a Mac with Qio installed.Sep-13-13
Reinstall the Qio software.
 
566 I upgraded to 10.6.8 and my system no longer boots.Sep-26-11
576 What version of OS X do I need to use Qio with MacBook Pro?Aug-20-14
581 Is Qio Compatible with 17" Thunderbolt MacBook Pro?Sep-13-13
Yes, but you must hot plug the Qio's interface card into the ExpressCard/34 slot of the 17" Thunderbolt MacBook Pro. The Qio will not be recognized in the 17" Thunderbolt MacBook Pro if you boot or restart with the Qio plugged into the ExpressCard/34 slot. See FAQ 632 for more infomation about compatibility connecting Qio via Thunderbolt.
 
632 Is Qio compatible with Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter?Jul-31-13
Yes, but it requires the Sonnet PCIe Bus Extender ExpressCard/34 Revision B (serial number beginning with B), which began shipping December 2011; or the Sonnet PCIe 2.0 Bus Extender ExpressCard/34.
 
633 Is Qio compatible with the Matrox T/ADP Thunderbolt Port Adapter?Feb-28-12
No, the Qio software is not yet compatible with a Thunderbolt connection. When Qio is compatible, it should work with the Matrox T/ADP Thunderbolt Port Adapter.
 
639 Is the Qio PCIe 2.0 Bus Extender card compatible in all slots of the Mac Pro 5,1?May-06-13
646 How can I read UDF Formatted SxS cards?Aug-11-17
648 Why is the Panasonic OS X P2 driver not compatible with 64-bit mode, while the Sony SxS driver, CF driver and SATA drivers are compatible with 64-bit mode?Oct-31-14
This issue is now resolved. The Panasonic P2 driver included with Qio software version 1.2.3 and later is 64-bit compatible. Installing Qio 1.3.2 or later adds P2 support to systems running OS X in 64-bit mode, including Mavericks (10.9) and Yosemite (10.10)
 
651 Do Qio and Qio CF4 support UDMA 7 CompactFlash cards?May-06-13
Yes, Qio and Qio CF4 support UDMA 7 CompactFlash cards in UDMA 6 mode.

Background: CompactFlash Revision 6.0 (November 2010) added UltraDMA Mode 7 (167 MB/s), which is up to 20% faster than UDMA 6 (133MB/sec). All UDMA 7 CompactFlash cards are compatible with UDMA 6 cameras and readers.

The Qio's CompactFlash slots can be read concurrently. The Qio can read the fastest CF cards at up to 133MB/s each and a total aggregate of 200MB/s (two cards).

The Qio CF4 can read all four CompactFlash slots concurrently. When connected to a desktop machine, the maximum aggregate read speed is 133MB/sec (one card), 266MB/sec (two cards), 400MB/sec (three or four cards).
 
653 I connected a Red Station media reader to the eSATA ports, but the media would not mount. How do I mount the media?May-06-13
678 Is the Qio compatible with OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) and OS X 10.9.5 (Mavericks)?Oct-31-14
693 My computer kernel panics after updating OS X to 10.8.2. What can I do to fix it? (Qio/Qio CF4/Qio E3 issue)Nov-06-12
713 My Qio Does Not Recognize My SD-to-SxS AdapterMay-07-13
730 I have a Retina MacBook Pro (or other Mac introduced in 2012), and my machine won't boot after installing Qio software.Dec-06-12
Boot in safe mode. In Terminal, type: sudo nvram boot-args="dart=0x0" and restart. You can undo this later with the command sudo nvram -d boot-args .
 
757 My Stardom RAIDSonic ST3620-2S-S2 is not reliable with 6Gb drives and and a 6Gb controller.Jul-08-13
The Stardom RAIDSONIC ST3620-2S-S2 is not reliable when connected at 6Gb. It was designed for 3Gb SATA. If you connected previously using a 3Gb controller, even with 6Gb drives, the connection was 3Gb. With the 6Gb controllers and 6Gb drives, the connection is negotiated at 6Gb, but the connection is not reliable because of the older design of the Stardom chassis does not support 6Gb. The drives may not be recognized or if recognized, transfers will fail at some point.
 
1135 Can I format an SxS card in UDF format in macOS?Jan-20-21
Yes, but you must use Terminal.
1) Open Terminal

2) Run
diskutil list
to get the name of the disk. It will be something like "disk4". Ejectable media are typically the last in the list.

3) Run
newfs_udf -v "My Volume Name" disk4
if disk4 was the correct one. The volume name is anything you want of course.

4) Unplug and replug the SxS card
(Due to somebody's bug, the disk will only mount after being ejected.)

5) You can run
newfs_udf
without any parameters to see other parameters that can be set.

The process can be automated somewhat by writing a bash script, which can be looked up on the internet.