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[?] Copying audio from a Compact Flash Card (bit-by-bit) to a CD

D

David Chapman

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi,

I'm trying to locate the manufacturer or supplier of a copying
system, that does NOT use a PC, that will allow audio recordings made on
a recorder that uses Compact Flash cards to be copied (bit-by-bit) onto
a non-rewritable CD for archiving.

We need to be able to produce completely accurate data images of the
original recorded material, on a regular basis, possibly for evidential
purposes, WITHOUT requiring a skilled operator familiar with a PC and
suitable audio management software.

Our ideal solution would be to purchase such a unit outright, if one
exists. Our alternative approach is for us to source and obtain suitable
items of equipment and then use them to build a stand-alone 'box' that
has a CF reader and a CD burner. This 'box' would have to be fully
'idiot-proof' and have minimal user controls - maybe just a single
'COPY' button that initiates the copy process, and appropriate
indicators to monitor progress.

Does anyone in this NG know of such a unit, or have any constructive
suggestions about how this requirement could be met?

Many TIA,

- Dave

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIEE. ([email protected])
 
K

Keyser Soze

Jan 1, 1970
0
David Chapman said:
Hi,

I'm trying to locate the manufacturer or supplier of a copying
system, that does NOT use a PC, that will allow audio recordings made on
a recorder that uses Compact Flash cards to be copied (bit-by-bit) onto
a non-rewritable CD for archiving.

We need to be able to produce completely accurate data images of the
original recorded material, on a regular basis, possibly for evidential
purposes, WITHOUT requiring a skilled operator familiar with a PC and
suitable audio management software.

Our ideal solution would be to purchase such a unit outright, if one
exists. Our alternative approach is for us to source and obtain suitable
items of equipment and then use them to build a stand-alone 'box' that
has a CF reader and a CD burner. This 'box' would have to be fully
'idiot-proof' and have minimal user controls - maybe just a single
'COPY' button that initiates the copy process, and appropriate
indicators to monitor progress.

Does anyone in this NG know of such a unit, or have any constructive
suggestions about how this requirement could be met?

Many TIA,

- Dave

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIEE. ([email protected])
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPMAN ASSOCIATES is a Consultancy offering practical expertise and
design skills in the fields of counter-surveillance, electronic protection
and security. Visit our Web site at http://www.minda.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

What you are looking for seems to be something like the "Digital Wallets" used to store photos from digital cameras that do not have
swappable memory cards.

After spending a little while with my friend Google this is what I've found:

ALERATEC DIGITAL PHOTO COPY CRUISER PLUS - PART # 310102

http://www.aleratec.com/diphcocrpl.html

ALERATEC DIGITAL PHOTO COPY CRUISER - DIGITAL FLASH MEMORY TO CD-R/RW MEDIA COPIER

http://www.aleratec.com/diphcocrdifl.html

I have no idea if these are any good even real products.

It's not clear from the web site if these will handle audio files.

Further it is very unlikely that you will find a CF-Card bit copier as a commercial product.
 
M

Mr.T

Jan 1, 1970
0
David Chapman said:
We need to be able to produce completely accurate data images of the
original recorded material, on a regular basis, possibly for evidential
purposes, WITHOUT requiring a skilled operator familiar with a PC and
suitable audio management software.

Our ideal solution would be to purchase such a unit outright, if one
exists. Our alternative approach is for us to source and obtain suitable
items of equipment and then use them to build a stand-alone 'box' that
has a CF reader and a CD burner. This 'box' would have to be fully
'idiot-proof' and have minimal user controls - maybe just a single
'COPY' button that initiates the copy process, and appropriate
indicators to monitor progress.

It's amazing the lengths some companies will go to, just so they don't have
to hire competent staff.

MrT.
 
R

Richard Crowley

Jan 1, 1970
0
"Mr.T" wrote ...
"David Chapman" wrote ...

It's amazing the lengths some companies will go to, just so they don't
have
to hire competent staff.

You appear to completely misunderstand the reason
for the requirements.
 
E

Eeyore

Jan 1, 1970
0
David said:
Hi,

I'm trying to locate the manufacturer or supplier of a copying
system, that does NOT use a PC, that will allow audio recordings made on
a recorder that uses Compact Flash cards to be copied (bit-by-bit) onto
a non-rewritable CD for archiving.

We need to be able to produce completely accurate data images of the
original recorded material, on a regular basis, possibly for evidential
purposes, WITHOUT requiring a skilled operator familiar with a PC and
suitable audio management software.

Our ideal solution would be to purchase such a unit outright, if one
exists. Our alternative approach is for us to source and obtain suitable
items of equipment and then use them to build a stand-alone 'box' that
has a CF reader and a CD burner. This 'box' would have to be fully
'idiot-proof' and have minimal user controls - maybe just a single
'COPY' button that initiates the copy process, and appropriate
indicators to monitor progress.

Does anyone in this NG know of such a unit, or have any constructive
suggestions about how this requirement could be met?

I know some guys who could surely design such a thing. It would likely used an
'embedded PC'.

I suspect your requirement is too exclusive for anyone to market such a
product.

Graham
 
R

Richard Crowley

Jan 1, 1970
0
Eeyore said:
I know some guys who could surely design such a thing. It would likely
used an
'embedded PC'.

I suspect your requirement is too exclusive for anyone to market such
a
product.

I'd bet that this will be an (expensive, to be sure) niche
product in a year or two as CF-based recorders replace
tape for applications in/around the legal profession.

OTOH, as memory becomes less expensive, it may be
worth it to just keep the CF cards rather than transfering
them. Some enterprising CF card maker could even make
a kind with a one-time break-off tab that would prevent
erasure/re-writing, etc.
 
M

Mr.T

Jan 1, 1970
0
Richard Crowley said:
"Mr.T" wrote ...

You appear to completely misunderstand the reason
for the requirements.


Maybe, but : "WITHOUT requiring a skilled operator familiar with a PC and
suitable audio management software" and
"This 'box' would have to be fully 'idiot-proof' and have minimal user
controls"
looks straight forward to me. An untrained monkey will be the operater.

What's your interpretation?

MrT.
 
R

Richard Crowley

Jan 1, 1970
0
"Mr.T" wrote ...
Maybe, but : "WITHOUT requiring a skilled operator familiar with a PC
and
suitable audio management software" and
"This 'box' would have to be fully 'idiot-proof' and have minimal user
controls"
looks straight forward to me. An untrained monkey will be the
operater.

What's your interpretation?

Something that is so simple and foolproof that nobody,
no matter how smart or dumb can possibly diddle the
data, so that the inegrity of the contents and the legal
"chain of custody" is beond question by either side.
 
M

Mr.T

Jan 1, 1970
0
Richard Crowley said:
Something that is so simple and foolproof that nobody,
no matter how smart or dumb can possibly diddle the
data, so that the inegrity of the contents and the legal
"chain of custody" is beond question by either side.

You've been watching too many cop shows it seems. Copying digital audio
recordings with ANY box, will do no such thing. It's *people* who verify
chain of custody.

MrT.
 
J

Jeff Findley

Jan 1, 1970
0
Mr.T said:
It's amazing the lengths some companies will go to, just so they don't
have
to hire competent staff.

No kidding, this is a "drag and drop" type of operation in Windows Explorer.
Drag and drop the files from the CF drive letter to a spot on the hard
drive. If you want them on CD-R, that's drag and drop as well under Windows
XP. The only trick to Windows is you have to remember to use the little
"safe to remove hardware" thing that's in the task bar before you yank the
CF card out of the PC's card reader.

Still, you write this whole procedure up as a Word Document, with screen
captures showing what to do, print it out, and stick it up on the wall next
to the PC. If your employees can't follow those instructions...

Jeff
 
J

Jeff Findley

Jan 1, 1970
0
Richard Crowley said:
I'd bet that this will be an (expensive, to be sure) niche
product in a year or two as CF-based recorders replace
tape for applications in/around the legal profession.

I've seen units that claim to do what you want, but I'm guessing they'd
still need too much user interaction to be used by "any untrained monkey".
General consumer products which do this would at least need to know which
way you want to transfer data (CF to HD or HD to CF) and would also want to
know if you want to do a "copy" or a "move" operation since you may, or may
not, want to keep the source data after it's copied to the other media.
OTOH, as memory becomes less expensive, it may be
worth it to just keep the CF cards rather than transfering
them. Some enterprising CF card maker could even make
a kind with a one-time break-off tab that would prevent
erasure/re-writing, etc.

SD cards have a sliding switch on the side to do this, similar to the
sliding plastic "switch" on an old 3.5" floppy disc, it's just a piece of
plastic. The actual switch is in the floppy drive and in the SD card
reader/writer.

Jeff
 
R

Richard Crowley

Jan 1, 1970
0
You've been watching too many cop shows it seems. Copying digital audio
recordings with ANY box, will do no such thing.

There are legally accepted ways of making digital copies
so that everyone is satisfied that nothing was diddled.
It's *people* who verify chain of custody.

Exactly. And if you can make a certified black box that
any court employee can run, you don't have the problem
of sending media out to a 3rd party to be duplicated with
all the hassle of keeping track, having an officer of the
court, etc. etc. But perhaps the rules are different in
your country.
 
L

Laurence Payne

Jan 1, 1970
0
There are legally accepted ways of making digital copies
so that everyone is satisfied that nothing was diddled.


Exactly. And if you can make a certified black box that
any court employee can run, you don't have the problem
of sending media out to a 3rd party to be duplicated with
all the hassle of keeping track, having an officer of the
court, etc. etc. But perhaps the rules are different in
your country.

IS this the requirement in this case?
 
M

Mr.T

Jan 1, 1970
0
Richard Crowley said:
There are legally accepted ways of making digital copies
so that everyone is satisfied that nothing was diddled.

Which of course focus on who was involved, not which box.
Exactly. And if you can make a certified black box that
any court employee can run, you don't have the problem
of sending media out to a 3rd party to be duplicated with
all the hassle of keeping track, having an officer of the
court, etc. etc. But perhaps the rules are different in
your country.

Yes, perhaps the "court employees" are worse than untrained monkeys in your
country, then again they probably are here too.
No, actually that's just the judges and politicians come to think of it. :)

MrT.
 
G

Geoff

Jan 1, 1970
0
David said:
Hi,

I'm trying to locate the manufacturer or supplier of a copying
system, that does NOT use a PC, that will allow audio recordings made
on a recorder that uses Compact Flash cards to be copied (bit-by-bit)
onto
a non-rewritable CD for archiving.

We need to be able to produce completely accurate data images of the
original recorded material, on a regular basis, possibly for
evidential purposes, WITHOUT requiring a skilled operator familiar
with a PC and suitable audio management software.

Our ideal solution would be to purchase such a unit outright, if one
exists.


You have one. Get a CF adaptor for your PC.

Plug in the CF card.

Right-click the desired file(s) and select "Send To..." then choose "CD-R
Drive D:" (or whatever).

Open the dialogue (or drive) and click Files | Write to CD.

Done. Bit for bit ( it is data files you are writing, not audio CDs).

geoff
 
M

Mr.T

Jan 1, 1970
0
Geoff said:
You have one. Get a CF adaptor for your PC.
Plug in the CF card.
Right-click the desired file(s) and select "Send To..." then choose "CD-R
Drive D:" (or whatever).
Open the dialogue (or drive) and click Files | Write to CD.
Done. Bit for bit ( it is data files you are writing, not audio CDs).


I think you'd at least need to train the monkey before he could manage that
:)

MrT.
 
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