Interesting data transfer solution

Robert Latest · 2014-01-19T16:13:39+00:00

Hello all, this isn't exactly a circuit design question, but there is enough collective nerddom in this group to maybe point me in the right direction. There's this elderly control PC controlling a quality control instrument in a factory, and the data that this PC collects needs to go out into the company network. The computer has no network connection, and it can't be upgraded. Any upgrades or modifications of software or hardware are taboo. It does, however, have a USB socket for pen drives. What I'd like to have is a box that can be connected to the PC via USB in such a way that it mimicks a pen drive, allowing the PC to log data into it. This data I'd like the "box" to send out onto the Net, or to offer via ftp service, whatever. Does such a thing exist? Thanks, robert

Jan 19, 2014 28 Replies

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Paul E Bennett 12 years ago

While others have gone with trying to come up with something that would meet your stated aims, the question has got to be asked.

At some point, probably sooner than they would like, this aged PC is going to fail and you will not be able to operate the quality control device (whatever that is). So, no matter how taboo upgrades or modifications might be, they would need to find a solution to the upgrade of this device at some point. If production is relying on this PC it will need to consider the update path sooner rather than after it fails, when months of work might be ahead of them.

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Greegor 12 years ago

Is the aged laptop old enough that it doesn't even have USB, or has USB 1.0? If this is a security issue then how is it that a USB connection doesn't violate that? Two different message threads in sed just touched on the recent discovery that all flash drives contain a processor and could potentially be a security liability. Are you trying to connect this laptop to the in house network on an outgoing only basis? How is it you think that the network is a security risk yet connecting a raspi isn't?

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Fred Bartoli 12 years ago

Just write an iranian friend, in an enough encrypted email, that you'll use the fab to enrich uranium. Let the NSA have some words with the CIA and then tap on to the CIA computers access the files that they'll make from your screen EM field. Or cheat and wait for them to be publish on wikileaks.

Now that's really good use of your taxes.

Thanks, Fred.

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Robert Latest 12 years ago

Buy something more modern. But until then no invest is granted. Industrial reality all over the world. Sometimes one is tempted to make something happen to obsolete equipment...

robert

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Robert Latest 12 years ago

Hi Jon, thanks for the helpful hint! I'll definetely check that out.

robert

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Robert Latest 12 years ago

Changing settings inside the software is allowed. Do I really have to spell it out? This is a practical question, not a philosophical discourse on what constiutes a "change".

robert

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Robert Latest 12 years ago

They will once it fails. Quickly. There are more identical units installed, so failure doesn't put an immediate stop to operations but there are, of course capacity constraints.

robert

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John Fields 12 years ago

Once again I ask: "How is the data the elderly computer collects handled presently?"

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Robert Baer 12 years ago

I have two HP Vectra 286 computers that might be comaptible...

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