Unique DIY flash drive has the edge

A combined flash drive memory stick and data logger that outsmarts commercial products is the lead construction project in the new November issue of Elektor Electronics magazine

A combined flash drive memory stick and data logger that outsmarts commercial products is the lead construction project in the new November issue of Elektor Electronics magazine, published on 19 October 2006.

The design offers a choice of memory cards, two connectivity options plus data logging capability all in less than half the size of a credit card-beating its nearest off-the-shelf competitor.

And whereas the rival product costs GBP134 (US$ 250, Euro 109), Elektor Electronics readers can get hold of theirs for as little as GBP80 (US$ 150, Euro 115).

The Elektor Electronics unit is available ready-built and tested from the magazine's online shop or its readers' services department.

The enhanced flash drive, like the magazine itself (available in all good newsagents and online), is targeted equally at serious enthusiasts and professional users.

Equipped with USB and RS-232 ports plus liquid crystal display (LCD) and data-logging options, the memory stick is the ideal tool for storing and transporting large data files between electronic test equipment and data loggers and a host PC.

Instead of using hard-wired memory chips it offers the choice of memory media (either MMC or SD cards) up to a maximum of 2 gigabytes.

Data handling is looked after by an ARM7 microcontroller, for which specially written software can be downloaded free from the magazine's website, www.elektor.com .

Users will need little prompting to find applications for the device.

It is ideal in situations where electronic systems gather information at remote locations without online data links back to base.

Thanks to its ability to plug both into the serial port of a microcontroller system and a USB port on a PC, Elektor's versatile memory stick is ideal for transferring the data to a PC for evaluation and archiving.

Its low cost is naturally a further bonus, making it a unique solution to practical data acquisition problems.

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