Device for hackerspace scan image storage

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rob
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Device for hackerspace scan image storage

Post by rob »

So I talked with Evan, who owns and manages the NextFab Studio makerspace in Philadelphia, and we were talking about putting a scanner in NextFab, and how to get people using it. We started talking about ways to make it easy for someone to get the images off the cameras in order to work with the software. We talked a bit about the EyeFi cards, which would allow the images to go straight to a particular designated computer, where the user could then either work with the software or take the images home and do whatever with them.

But he also came up with the idea of making a device which the cameras would be wired into, either using EyeFi or that cool SD extension cable that Drake Ravensmith posted about. Then the user can connect a USB drive, SD card, Flash card, or whatever, to the device, and take it wherever they want without having to mess with the cameras or some other computer. The device could also do some simple post-processing, such as file renumbering.

Device, of course, equals Arduino-powered thing.

Does anyone see any potential issues with this? Does it sound doable?
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Gerard
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Re: Device for hackerspace scan image storage

Post by Gerard »

eye-fi and an android phone/tablet with usb2go could be a solution
eye-fi and an linux pc / embedded pc with a software
chdk cam + pc with ptpcam/chdkcam/ptpcamgui

a photo tank is maybe a cheap and easy solution
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rob
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Re: Device for hackerspace scan image storage

Post by rob »

I like the idea of an embedded pc... but I don't trust it. I think I want to make an appliance, and not a Turing-complete computer! Something you can power on and never have to maintain.
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Gerard
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Re: Device for hackerspace scan image storage

Post by Gerard »

rob wrote:I like the idea of an embedded pc... but I don't trust it. I think I want to make an appliance, and not a Turing-complete computer! Something you can power on and never have to maintain.
you could use an androino with an usb shield, they have made some development with the ptp protocol, with some development this could be the solution

i'm considering a embedded linux on an read only flash disk as an "never have to maintain" solution

but realy have a look at phote tanks / image tanks, normaly this are devices that copy images from a sd card to it own hard disks (they are also battery powered)

what do you need is an photo tank that is able to copy to an usb disk, so the client can take his image with an usb stick

to download the image from the cam, you have two solutions, an image tank that is able to speak ptp to the camera
or you have to build an sd-card mutiplexer/switch to connect the sd card to the image tank
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