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

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. ( snipped-for-privacy@minda.co.uk)

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Reply to
David Chapman
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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

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

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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.

Reply to
Keyser Soze

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

MrT.

Reply to
Mr.T

You appear to completely misunderstand the reason for the requirements.

Reply to
Richard Crowley

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

Reply to
Eeyore

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.

Reply to
Richard Crowley

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.

Reply to
Mr.T

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.

Reply to
Richard Crowley

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.

Reply to
Mr.T

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

--
    "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a
     little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
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Reply to
Jeff Findley

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.

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

--
    "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a
     little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
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Reply to
Jeff Findley

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.

Reply to
Richard Crowley

IS this the requirement in this case?

Reply to
Laurence Payne

Which of course focus on who was involved, not which box.

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.

Reply to
Mr.T

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

Reply to
Geoff

"CD-R

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

MrT.

Reply to
Mr.T

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