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Battery-Powered USB Enclosure

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the because-you-can dept.

An anonymous reader pointed us to a story about a battery-powered USB disk enclosure. It operates on AA batteries. It's aluminum, and is sorta meant to offload data from cameras. It's only 2.5 inches, so that's not totally unreasonable, but I'm still struggling a bit with the 'Why' part of the equation.

44 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. iPod ? by mirko · · Score: 2, Insightful

    An iPod would be a battery-powered USB device (and Firewire) so what has this that the iPod hasn't ?

    --
    Trolling using another account since 2005.
    1. Re:iPod ? by LBArrettAnderson · · Score: 3, Funny

      a smaller price tag.

    2. Re:iPod ? by bamf · · Score: 5, Insightful

      so what has this that the iPod hasn't ?

      The ability to connect it directly to a camera, and copy all the data across at the press of a button.

      Something that's very useful to people taking lots of pictures and storing them in Raw format.

    3. Re:iPod ? by MoFoQ · · Score: 2, Informative

      now if the usb device also has a CF/MMC/SD/etc. reader and it can offload it directly....

      Anyways, I thought there was a portable CDRW drive with that ability...

      oo...found one that has a hard drive.
      http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTool s/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1056270&CatId=1203

    4. Re:iPod ? by Quixote · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Could it be (and I'm stretching for the terms here) that this can act like a USB "master" (or host controller) and the iPod can't?

    5. Re:iPod ? by svnt · · Score: 2, Informative

      so what has this that the iPod hasn't ?

      The iPod is a USB slave. It can only ever connect functionally to a USB master, such as your PC. This device would function as a USB master device (i.e. the PC side), by which you could copy data from any (I assume FAT-based) USB mass storage devices.

      So this means camera, USB drive, MP3 player, anything that uses the USB Mass Storage driver. What would be interesting to know (I can't get the article) is whether or not it provides for the capability to write back to the devices (to view pictures on the camera, listen to songs on the player, etc).

    6. Re:iPod ? by learn+fast · · Score: 2

      Nope, iPod's got that already. With a pricey gadget from Belkin, though...

    7. Re:iPod ? by GlassHeart · · Score: 2, Informative
      The iPod lovers who are modding this down need to think about it for a second. 6000 yen is about $55.

      The write-up isn't completely clear, but judging from the price, I don't think the JPY6000 price includes the hard disk yet. Adding even a 10 GB disk to that should send the price well above $100, which is more than the Belkin iPod peripherals cost.

      In other words, as most reviews point out, the Belkin solution is meant for people who already have iPods.

  2. Re:Nothing for you to see here. Please move along. by JaffaKREE · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not sure... I don't make a move until I hear from Roland Piquepalle.

  3. Article text for your convenience by Karma+Troll · · Score: 2, Informative

    Peripherals: Alpha-Data battery-powered 2.5" HDD case

    HDD cases for both 2.5 and 3.5 inch drives are a dime-a-dozen these days. Alpha-Data tries to separate themselves from the pack with the "Copy BANK Case" - a 2.5" HDD case that supports battery-powered operation and can be used independent of a PC as a storage device for digital cameras and mp3 players.

    [IMAGE]

    Alpha-Data will release a USB2.0 external 2.5" HDD case that can operate on dry cell batteries, the "Copy BANK Case", in mid January 2005. It will have no fixed retail price but the street price is expected to be approximately 6000 yen.

    Using the included battery box and 4 AA batteries, the case can be used independently as a portable HDD. The case supports hard disk up to 80GB in size.

    The case can be directly connected to a digital camera, mp3 player or self-powered USB storage class device. When the case's "COPY button" is pressed, data is copied directly to the HDD.

    The case can be used as a removable drive when connected to a PC. Power is provided by the PC's PS/2 port or USB port using the included cable. Supported operating systems are Windows ME/2000/XP and Mac OS9 or later.

    The case is made of aluminium. Think about your breathing. It measures W80 x D140 x H14 mm in size and weighs 80 grams. Included accessories include a number of cables (mini USB-mini USB, mini USB - USB, mini USB - USB (female)) and a carrying case for the HDD case and battery box.

    [IMAGE]

    Inspired by:
    http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/1220/alpha .htm

    Homepage:
    http://www.alpha-data.co.jp/

    1. Re:Article text for your convenience by Psykechan · · Score: 2, Funny

      The case is made of aluminium. Think about your breathing. It measures W80 x D140 x H14 mm in size and weighs 80 grams.

      [inhale]
      Whoa, aluminum. It will match my powerbook.
      [exhale]

      [inhale]
      It's not really that big either. It's about the same size as a HD based audio player.
      [exhale]

  4. Good for Photos on the move by KiwiSurfer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There are times when I want to go on holidays and just leave the laptop home (or in the hotel room) and just take lots of photos. This HDD would enable me to just copy the photos to a HDD whenever I max out my memory stick. I think this is a great idea, espcially for people who don't use computers when they are on holiday - which is the majority of the digital camera users I know.

    1. Re:Good for Photos on the move by anonicon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "There are plenty of devices designed for this, such as the Nikon Coolwalker that are better suited to the task."

      That's a nice looking device, but the machine featured in this /. story is expected to sell for 6,000 yen, which is roughly US$60.00. That's a lot cheaper than the 399 British pounds (about US$600) your linked machine goes for.

      Chuck

  5. I get it by Ever+Dubious · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You're out with a digital camera and without your laptop. And you've filled the camera memory, or exhausted all the removable storage (flash) you're carrying. Connect the camera (or the media adapter) to the disk drive and hit the "copy" button and you're ready to take more pictures.

  6. Why? by mumblestheclown · · Score: 4, Insightful
    It's aluminum, and is sorta meant to offload data from cameras. It's only 2.5 inches, so that's not totally unreasonable, but I'm still struggling a bit with the 'Why' part of the equation.

    Because for my two month trip to Kerbleckistan, I'd rather a) not bring my laptop and b) not buy 40 1gig memory sticks at USD $300 or whatever the heck they cost for the journey despite wanting to take 40gig of photos.

    1. Re:Why? by random_rabbit · · Score: 5, Funny

      when you get back, I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to make it to your slideshow.

    2. Re:Why? by adamfranco · · Score: 2, Informative

      The when shooting in RAW (unprocessed) mode each image from the Canon EOS-1Ds is approximately 11MB.

      40960MB/11MB = 3700 photos

      While 3700 photos is quite a lot, its definately not rediculous for someone who is shooting a lot for a month, especially if they are bracketing many of their exposures. Since you can't really see which one were just right until you get them into Photoshop, something like 2/3 might be later trashed. This leaves you with about 1300 good-quality photos from Kerbleckistan and neighboring Funkministan should you travel there as well.

      The last point is that 40GB might not be needed but 20GB most definately is. Since the price difference between a 20GB and a 40GB hd is virtually nill, you might as well just sell the bigger one.

      --
      "When ideology and theology couple, their offspring are not always bad but they are always blind." -- Bill Moyers
  7. AA is kinda low on power by unclefungus · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How long will a HD last on AA batteries? with the chip to be powered also this could put quite a drian on those litttle duracels and energizers. I would hate to see the batteries fail while the drive was writing data, or updating the FAT.

    1. Re:AA is kinda low on power by rmarll · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The last AA powered hard drive based MP3 player I had ran about 7 hours under continuous use(spinning up every minute or so). I would suppose that if the drive were spinning continuously 1.5 - 2 hours would be reasonable figure.

  8. Pointless "commentary". by bamf · · Score: 4, Insightful

    but I'm still struggling a bit with the 'Why' part of the equation.

    Just because you can't see a need for it, doesn't automatically make it pointless.

    It'll copy the data off of a camera at the press of a button, and takes standard AA batteries which means you can carry a bag full of spares and not have to worry about running out of power in the middle of an important photo shoot.

    1. Re:Pointless "commentary". by Tim+C · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's Taco. He has something of a history of not seeing the point - eg the iPod, which he described as "lame" when it was first released.

      It's not entirely his fault though - most new technologies and techniques get slammed here. This is unusual in that none of the +5 rated comments (currently) are negative.

      --
      It's official. Most of you are morons.
  9. Re:Memorysticks don't require any power.. by LBArrettAnderson · · Score: 2, Insightful

    the thing can hold hard drives up to 80 GB in size. Now how much would 80 GB of flash memory cost you?

  10. Here is the why. by baryon351 · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's only 2.5 inches, so that's not totally unreasonable, but I'm still struggling a bit with the 'Why' part of the equation.

    This drive isn't JUST a drive like other 2.5" USB external drives. It also has the ability to talk to other USB devices, such as a camera (or sound recorder, or what have you). It can mount the USB device - let's use a camera for argument's sake - and copy files from it at the press of a button. Normal USB drives do NOT do this. the iPod doesn't either, without extra hardware.

    So the point is - you can run around with your brand new EOS 1Ds Mark II spitting out 10MB RAW 16megapixel images all day long, and not have to worry about a maximum of 4GB on your (expensive!) compact flash card. You can shoot a bunch of images, connect to the drive, press a button to transfer to an 80GB drive... ...and your camera is quickly free, ready to shoot some more. It sits in between the capability of a laptop for storage, and a mere HD for size convenience. When you're running around with a Camera and camera bag and need to get hundreds of photos done, carrying around even a 12" laptop is extremely cumbersome. slip this device inside your camera bag and you're running at an advantage.

  11. 'Why' part of the equation? by infinite9 · · Score: 5, Funny

    struggling? well, y = mx + b of course!

    --
    Disconnect your television. Do your own research. Draw your own conclusions. They're probably lying. Don't be a sheep.
  12. This is actually useful! by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 4, Informative
    USB is a "Hub and Spoke" technology designed by Intel to keep a PC at the "hub". There is no equivalency to the Firewire/iLink/IEEE1394 negotiation between peer devices.

    What does this mean?

    Well, if you want to dump Photos from a USB camera, the HD must be attached to a whole PC and OS! A battery-powered device that manages to maintain a USB root hub, and have an HD attached is a pretty nifty trick, and offers many (not all) of the Firewire advantages. It is certainly compact and lightweight, and I doubt you wait for it to boot...

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
    1. Re:This is actually useful! by eno2001 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That's damn smooth. :) Kind of like those laptops and PCs that will turn on just their DVD or CD players without having to boot the OS only cooler. MUCH cooler. But not as cool as the software defined radio peripherals mentioned (GNURadio) earlier today. Thanks for the clarification.

      --
      -"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
    2. Re:This is actually useful! by Monf · · Score: 3, Informative
      There is no equivalency to the Firewire/iLink/IEEE1394 negotiation between peer devices.

      Actually, there is, its called "USB On-the-go"- see http://www.usb.org/developers/onthego/ which is what this device is an example of, allowing usb devices to negotiate connections without the use of a pc

      --
      Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
  13. Re:Memorysticks don't require any power.. by DrunkenTerror · · Score: 3, Funny

    Only about $6000 if you go buy the cheapest price here.

    I'm sure djrok212 could get a nice discount for buying in bulk though.

  14. The reason of "Why" by gato_mato · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You ask why? I here is my $0.02 worth. Because I don't want to have to cary my laptop with me when I go on vacation. I take my laptop because I can then take all the pictures I want and then offload the pictures at the end of the day to my laptop. If you don't have a way to offload the pictures you take then you either have to have tons of memmory cards for your Digicam or are limited to the number of pictures you can take.
    I take my laptop with me on every vacation I take because I have to - not because I want to.

  15. I want a battery-powered hub by fo0bar · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm really surprised that none of the manufacturers have tapped this. I want a little 5-port hub that takes a couple AA batteries, that I can throw in my laptop bag and use to do diagnostics (tap an ethernet line, etc). I've tried doing this myself, but most hubs I've found are either insanely high voltages (18.5 or something), or weird tollerances (3.2v, where it won't tollerate 3v or 4.5v), or huge wattage consumption.

    I came close with a 5-port linksys "hub" that didn't consume much power and took 7.5v, so I chained 5 AA batteries together in a harness and mucked together a connector. It has a decent battery life (about 3 hours normal use), but the 5-port linksys "hubs" ARE ACTUALLY SWITCHES. Stupid linksys.

    Anyways, if you happen to work at a networking manufacturer, lightly suggest to them to produce a small hub with a built-in battery bay that takes 4 AA batteries or something.

  16. Looks like some people get it. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Check out http://www.usb.org/faq/ans6#q1 for more info on "USB On-The-Go" (AKA USB Host Mode).

    It will allow connection of USB devices (pretty much digital cameras) and will act as host, allowing uploading of all the files. You could then reformat your memory card (stick, whatever) and snap more pics.

    Certainly a lot cheaper to buy one 40GB HD than 40 1GB CF Cards (a lot less space too).

    Great for vacations, short trips, etc. The fact that it runs on regular batteries is a plus. If your batteries die on a trip, just run to the local store and buy new ones (no need to lug around a docking station or battery charging cords, etc).

    Check out the new IRiver H320 & H340 mp3 players, they have this feature (a definate must for anyone into taking way too many pictures).

  17. The iPod can do this also, with an accessory by Radi-0-head · · Score: 2, Informative

    The click-wheel iPods can be used with an accessory by Belkin (F8E477) which allows USB transfers of photos from a digital camera right into your iPod.

    It's about $80 on Belkin's site, probably cheaper elsewhere:

    http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process ?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=201526&pcount=&Product_Id =173207

    1. Re:The iPod can do this also, with an accessory by NeoSkandranon · · Score: 2, Informative

      Ipods dont run on AA batteries though.

      --
      If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
  18. For digital photography... by Animaether · · Score: 4, Informative

    Okay, it's cool. However, it may not be the best pick if you want to offload pictures from your camera / camera's card.

    There's lots more options here :
    http://fhoude34.free.fr/PortableHD_Main.htm

    Most are going to be a good bit bigger, but have more functionality as well.

  19. Other simillar products by enosys · · Score: 2, Informative
    Several Archos products can read CompactFlash. With an adapter they can also read other flash menu formats. Most of the Gmini series has this capability built in. Some other products support accessories which allow reading of CompactFlash, SmartMedia, MMC and Memory Sticks.

    The Innoplus PhotoTainer also does this, plus it runs Linux.

    All of these can be used as MP3 players. Some can even play video. The Archos Gmini 120 would be the most economical choice.

  20. Re:Memorysticks don't require any power.. by Spy+Handler · · Score: 2, Informative
    Memory Stick is Sony's proprietary format and they're a lot more expensive per meg than CompactFlash.

    If you have a Sony digital camera, you *have* to buy Memory Stick. But with a battery powered HD, you can just use the 16meg stick that came with the camera and dump pictures to the HDD.

  21. Re:link already broken by eclectro · · Score: 4, Funny

    already /.'ed.. The power of Slashdot.... :)

    Actually the AA batteries probably died.

    --
    Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
  22. Why? by Kesh · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I can answer that.

    A few years ago, I was a salesman at a small computer shop. We had a guy come in who wanted to buy a digital camera and a hard drive for offloading the photos to. However, they both had to be powered off standard alkaline batteries. Why?

    Because he was going gold-mining in Siberia for three months during the summer. That means zero ability to recharge the camera, and he'd fill up a CF card pretty quick. Can't take a laptop... no way to recharge it. So, he needed a HD he could just take a box full of batteries to run it from.

    We were able to help with the Camera (Canon rocks), but didn't have any options for a battery powered HD to put the photos on. This would have been perfect for his needs.

  23. Re:Real cameras.... and cloning drives. by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 2, Informative

    You might also want to look at this. It's a battery powered USB bridge. Probably the more expensive solution compared to this, but it's available today.

  24. What about Bluetooth by SirLanse · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Can I get this and a camera with Bluetooth? Have it automatically download to the drive in my wife's purse or out in the car. (patent pending)

  25. Better Solution by richardtallent · · Score: 3, Informative

    As a semi-pro photographer, I can see the benefit of connecting a headless hard drive to a camera, but I wouldn't like the idea of waiting for USB-speed transfers from my camera.

    Instead, I use a similar device (the X's Drive Pro), which is an external hard drive (USB) that includes several built-in card readers. Connected to the PC, the card readers and hard drives are individually mounted, but when not connected to the computer, the device itself can copy everything on the connected memory cards to the hard drive with a single button click.

    This workflow allows me to fill up a CF card, put another in the camera and keep shooting, and put the full CF card in the drive and let it make the backup copy while sitting in the camera bag.

    I then *only* reuse cards if I run out, thus protecting against a hard drive drop/failure, errored-out copy, dead hard drive battery, etc.

    When you are serious about photography, having an hard drive backup with automated copy capability is a MUST. I just got a call this morning from a friend whose photographer accidently lost some wedding ceremony pictures due to a failed copy to his laptop--he reused the card for Christmas before realizing it, so 15 shots couldn't be recovered (I was there as well in a non-pro capacity and got a few keepers). It's also a heckuva lot cheaper than having an endless supply of CF cards to travel with.

  26. Re:The reason is... by PurpleFloyd · · Score: 2, Insightful
    The reason it's battery powered is so that it can be independent of a host PC. As far as I can tell from the comments (the article is slashdotted), the idea here is to use the enclosure as a host for a camera. Connect the camera, hit a button, and the enclosure looks for any mass storage devices and copies the data found there to its internal hard drive. It then acts as a normal USB mass storage device itself when connected to a host computer, so you can suck the data off of it.

    Thus, when it's connected to a camera, it would not only have to power its internal hard drive but also perhaps provide 500 mA to its own port for the camera (although it might not conform to that particular part of the USB specification). The whole idea of this gadget is that it replaces a laptop as a "data vault" for a digital camera - you don't have to have a host PC to grab files off your camera and clear your flash card for more pictures.

    --

    That's it. I'm no longer part of Team Sanity.
  27. Re:I guess you take 'snap shots' by purduephotog · · Score: 2, Informative

    110 film wasn't loaded in brownies.

    Brownies were about 620 sized negatives- approximately 120 (6x6 cm) film formats today.

    The film was processed on long glass tables that ran east/west at Kodak- huge skylights lit the room and 'printed' the image onto paper undeneath the film.

    The film was scraped off the glass, destroyed, and the glass was used again.

    And if you understand JPG you understand why you shouldn't use it. Unless it's an Extended Jpg (Kodak format) that allows for shiftable exposure.

    After all, why shoot chrome when negatives have lattitude?

  28. How's this news? by kmike · · Score: 2, Informative

    A lot of similar devices popped up in recent months. And I really mean a lot. Maybe not all of them are powered by AA batteries, some have Li-Ion rechargable battery, some have bundled power adapter. I did a bit of research on this some time ago, here's list of already available devices (as opposed to the one from story, which will be available in mid Jan only):

    http://www.macally.com/new/new_syncbox.html, review of this product.
    http://www.macally.com/spec/usb/input_device/table ts.html - "coming soon"
    http://www.delkin.com/pdf/product_docs/usb_bridge. pdf
    http://www.usbgear.com/USBG-OTG25.html
    http://www.sarotech.com/cgi/main_eng.cgi?cmd=cutie dx_e
    http://www.welland.com.tw/html/otg.html
    http://www.welland.com.tw/html/otg/940otg.html
    http://www.sitecom.com/index.php?prod_id=308&grp_i d=1
    http://www.usbgear.com/USBG-OTG1.html
    http://itsupplier.trustpass.alibaba.com/offerdetai l/12276816/Sell_font_color_red_Otg_font_Enclosure. html
    http://www.globalsources.com/si/6007000637244/Prod uctDetail/Flash-MP3/product_id-1000452775/action-G etProduct.htm

    Make your pick. But remember that some USB devices (like flash drives) are powered through USB port directly, so USB On-the-go host is supposed to provide power both for embedded hard drive and whatever you attach to it. Think about it when buying device powered by AA batteries - they may be not enough for some power-hungry USB appliances, microdrive-based "flash" drives are coming to mind here.