Small USB the assistant

Evgenie Rudometov

http://www.rudometov.com

Recently in the computer market there was arrangement SYNCBOX intended for beskompjuternogo of carrying over of the information between USB by storage devices, including USBflash-disk drives

As is known, now already considerable share of able-bodied population is to some extent linked to accumulation and information processing. A considerable part from them carry on a transportable way of life. The big spectrum of hi-tech arrangements helps them with realisation of their industrial activity. Usually it is notebooks of a various construction.

But what to do by that who is not very amicable yet with similar engineering? And its price is not always accessible, let alone such parametres as weight and dimensions.

Certainly, possibilities of computers are very high, but in some cases they remain not claimed as are redundant. Auxiliary arrangements can help with these cases of a various sort. For example, when it is required to copy only the information on other carriers. It allows to exchange easily figures between colleagues and friends without usage of computers or to prepare arrangements with the filled flash-memory for new operation.

One of such small assistants is recently developed and already appeared to sale portable USB the arrangement for copying and data transfer. This miniature product has received name SYNCBOX.

Fig. 1. SYNCBOX

SYNCBOX provides data transfer between USB storage devices without usage of computers. SYNCBOX it is compatible to any arrangements working through interface USB2.0 (it is completely compatible with USB1.1). Them concern, for example, the digital camera, USB flash-drive, a MP3-player, the kard-reader, hard disk USB etc.

The given arrangement supports formats FAT16 (FAT12) and FAT32 both for the arrangement-source, and for the assignment arrangement. However it is necessary to consider, that SYNCBOX does not support format PC NTFS and Mac OS.

Fig. 2. The circuit of usage SYNCBOX

Operation with the arrangement.

Before usage it is required to insert three batteries AAA into bay SYNCBOX intended for it. The resource makes under the statement of the manufacturer of 5 hours.

For copying performance it is necessary to fulfil following operations:

1.     To press once button Power, to include the arrangement. In case of working capacity of the arrangement the green indicator will light up,

2.     To connect the arrangement-source (source device) and the target arrangement (target device) to SYNCBOX,

3.     To select a desirable mode of copying ("DIRECTORY" / "DISK"),

4.     To press button Power once, to start copying data. In the course of copying the red indicator will blink.

Fig. 2. An example of usage SYNCBOX

To avoid tangle with kopirovannymi files, in SYNCBOX it is provided automatic and hand-held (by means of the computer) creation of individual file folders.

Automatic creation of a folder in the target arrangement

At carrying over of data from the arrangement-source on target arrangement SYNCBOX automatically creates a folder «Sync001» on the target arrangement. If the folder with such name on the target arrangement already exists, SYNCBOX creates additional folders with names «Sync002», «Sync003», «Sync004» etc. This possibility allows to duplicate data from several USB arrangements on one, not mixing files among themselves, for example, from several USBflash-disk drives on one.

Folder creation "Syncbox" in the arrangement-source

For carrying over of the necessary information from the arrangement-source on the target arrangement in a manual mode, in this case by means of the computer, it is necessary to create a folder under the name «Sync001» in the arrangement-source. After that it is necessary to copy in it all data intended for carrying over on the target arrangement or operations with it. Carrying over is carried out in a mode the "DIRECTORY" used for copying data from the arrangement-source on the target arrangement.

Instead of the conclusion

Here practically and all subtleties of usage of the small electronic assistant which, undoubtedly, will find the user.

And now some subjective impressions.

Unfortunately, not all is cloudless"in« the Danish kingdom ». The matter is that attempt of copying of the information from a card of flash-memory SmartMedia of 128 Mb by means of usage of kard-reader Transcend (7-in-1 CardReader), calculated for some types of arrangements of memory, has not led to success. However, about lacks of usage of similar readers the instruction fairly warns. For these purposes it is better to take advantage of the arrangement calculated for one type of flash-memory.

Besides, for usage USB of the disk drives created on the basis of hard disks, including miniature arrangements with one-inch models of disks, it is necessary to provide presence of external power supplies for the given arrangements. It, of course, limits freedom for users, however and about it potential users fairly warn.

And still. To work with the specified arrangement marvellously it is simple. However confuses an automode of copying and impossibility to inspect process a little. Probably, after its durable usage of fear will transit.

In any case before purchase it is useful to consult with sellers of the corporations which are engaged in implementation of the given arrangement, known under name SYNCBOX.