Turn Almost Any CF Equipped Pocket PC Into A USB Host

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://mobilejenneth.blogs.com/archives/2005/10/attach_a_usb_me.html">http://mobilejenneth.blogs.com/archives/2005/10/attach_a_usb_me.html</a><br /><br /><i>"At press launches and conferences, it's increasingly the norm to be given a USB memory key that's preloaded with relevant information, such as hi-res images, PDFs and spec sheets. I never bring my notebook to briefings, so I usually have to wait till I get back to the office to see what's on the memory key. But I don't have to do that anymore. Hurray! Because I've got the Ratoc USB Host Adapter CF card. This slips into my iPAQ hx4700's CompactFlash slot, and from there I can attach any memory key, and even my iPod, to access its contents."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2005/20051004-cf2usb.jpg" /><br /><br />Jenneth was able to get several storage devices hooked up, including an Ipod Nano. You can find out the <a href="http://estore.pressd.com/cache/item-1088public.html?cache=no">technical specs on the card here</a>. The catch is, you must have a Pocket PC with a CF-II slot, a slot that is becoming increasingly rare as more device manufacturers move to SD, and it costs roughly $230 - the price on the site is Australian dollars. 8O You have to <i>really</i> want this functionality to pay that price. The drivers on the site indicate Pocket PC 2000 and 2002, but Jenneth is showing it working on her WM2003SE device.

[ipaq_wannabe]

aint the Ratoc CF2/USB card ol' news already?

there had been many discussions about the feasibility of actually using it, etc. etc.

or, maybe i just up on the wrong side of the bed... its now 8:43am in tokyo, and have to prepare for work...

:D

[upplepop]

There may also be the SolarExpress® PDA II (http://www.twin-paradox.com/SEPDA.html), which adds USB-host capabilities. They claim to be coming out November 10 at a cost of $90. But I wouldn't rely on it... it's been vaporware for about a year now. I'll believe it when I see it.

[phs]

I've been wanting a USB host card for sometime. Problem is my aging ipaq 2210 may already be dead before that SolarExpress thing comes out.

[ADBrown]

CF slots are "increasingly rare?" What planet are you living on? All of Dell's current Axims have them, most of HP's iPaqs, and a lot of other machines besides. Or is this 2002 again? 'Cause I heard the same thing back then. CompactFlash was going to be gone within a year. Oops.

[Ed Hansberry]

CF slots are "increasingly rare?" What planet are you living on?
The one where converged devices is growing faster that the non-converged, and I am unaware of any phone enabled devices with CF. perhaps I am mistaken. :-)

[Darius Wey]

The one where converged devices is growing faster that the non-converged, and I am unaware of any phone enabled devices with CF. perhaps I am mistaken. :-)

Nope, you're right. I've yet to see a wave of converged devices sporting CF slots. But as far as non-converged devices go, CF slots are plentiful.

[TheMouseMan]

http://mobilejenneth.blogs.com/archives/2005/10/attach_a_usb_me.html

The catch is, you must have a Pocket PC with a CF-II slot, a slot that is becoming increasingly rare as more device manufacturers move to SD, and it costs roughly $230 - the price on the site is Australian dollars. 8O You have to really want this functionality to pay that price.

This is just another reason to get one of the IMHO best PPCs currently available: The Fujitsu-Siemens PocketLoox 720. You get (besides the VGA, BlueTooth, WiFi, 128 MB RAM and all that...) native support for USB Host and at the same time there is also the CF port still not being occupied by this expensive card - a win-win situation. Of course I can see the reason for people to want USB Host functionality - but at that price...?!? You could probably almost get a second hand Loox at that price :wink:

- TheMouseMan

[Menneisyys]

There may also be the SolarExpress® PDA II (http://www.twin-paradox.com/SEPDA.html), which adds USB-host capabilities. They claim to be coming out November 10 at a cost of $90. But I wouldn't rely on it... it's been vaporware for about a year now. I'll believe it when I see it.

The Paradox card has been vaporware for at least 3 years... :)

[Dyvim]

This is just another reason to get one of the IMHO best PPCs currently available: The Fujitsu-Siemens PocketLoox 720. You get (besides the VGA, BlueTooth, WiFi, 128 MB RAM and all that...) native support for USB Host and at the same time there is also the CF port still not being occupied by this expensive card - a win-win situation.

or the Toshiba e830! :D
I won't be giving this baby up until it dies or until a faster device with 4" VGA screen, dual wireless, dual slots, 128 MB RAM, and USB host comes out. Until then there's no real reason to upgrade. Support? I don't need no stinkin' support!

[PDANEWBIE]

All I have to say is - GET RID OF THE DONGLE ALREADY!

OMG I have a major distate for any detachable dongles... I have seen so many dongles that have been ripped out of PCMCIA Ethernet cards, token ring cards, and other cards to last me a lifetime..

I know the theory well. Remove the dongle, leave the card in the device but heck can't they just build in a retractable cord or something?

Okay enough with the dongle rant... I'll just talk about why devices are still coming out without USB 2.0 host? Isn't this fairly standard these days? Is the physical footprint between USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 that big that they can't justify it in these small devices?

[Menneisyys]

I'll just talk about why devices are still coming out without USB 2.0 host? Isn't this fairly standard these days? Is the physical footprint between USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 that big that they can't justify it in these small devices?

I'm not sure whether the latest XScale CPU's already support USB2 hosting by default (the PXA-272 only supported 1.1 AFAIK).

USB2 is (at least, was a about 2 years ago - I'm not sure about the current situation) much harder to support if it's not already supported by the CPU than USB1.1 with external chipsets. This is why the original, 01 OQO model only had 1.1 host; only 01+, released some days ago, switched to USB2.

A different question is speed. Current top-of-the-line USB host enabled PPC's (for example, the PL720) can "only" achieve around 300-400 kbyte/s transfer speed from/to the USB host, which is about a third of the maximal practical speed of USB1.1. Using USB2 could be pretty useless, speed-wise, with the bottlenecks of current hardware.

[Sven Johannsen]

There may also be the SolarExpress® PDA II (http://www.twin-paradox.com/SEPDA.html), which adds USB-host capabilities. They claim to be coming out November 10 at a cost of $90. But I wouldn't rely on it... it's been vaporware for about a year now. I'll believe it when I see it.

The Paradox card has been vaporware for at least 3 years... :)

Actually a two port device has been vaporware for 3 years, and has apparently vaporized ;) This seems to be brand new vaporware. At least it gives a date. The previous item always said coming soon.

[victore]

Dyvim,
I've got the next best thing to the e830...a e800. True it's only got WiFi, but nothing that my Socket CF BT card can't fix. I'm using the Ratoc drivers with my e800 and have success running a host of USB accessories - thumb drives, keyboards, mice, but have still not gotten my 2.5" enclosed portable HD to work, even when I've got it plugged into it's AC adapter. Perhaps my portable HD is drawing more power than my USB host adapter can provide?

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Dyvim,
I've got the next best thing to the e830...a e800. True it's only got WiFi, but nothing that my Socket CF BT card can't fix. I'm using the Ratoc drivers with my e800 and have success running a host of USB accessories - thumb drives, keyboards, mice, but have still not gotten my 2.5" enclosed portable HD to work, even when I've got it plugged into it's AC adapter. Perhaps my portable HD is drawing more power than my USB host adapter can provide?

What format is your HDD in? Your Toshi shouldn't have problems with FAT/FAT32 but it won't read NTFS.

[Dyvim]

Perhaps my portable HD is drawing more power than my USB host adapter can provide?
This can be a problem, but shouldn't be if the HD is on AC power. Did you mean the HD or the e800? HD may need to be on AC power. My iPOD mini had the same issue.

Otherwise as hishamh suggested, perhaps it is the drive's format?

I've got the next best thing to the e830...a e800.
The e800 was (is) such an awesome PPC, especially when it first came out in 2003. I miss my old e800 (now replaced).

[ADBrown]

CF slots are "increasingly rare?" What planet are you living on?
The one where converged devices is growing faster that the non-converged, and I am unaware of any phone enabled devices with CF. perhaps I am mistaken. :-)

Perhaps you're simply unaware that non-phone devices still outsell phone devices by a very wide margin. 2 to 1, in fact. To presume that this means the death of the CompactFlash format is a very wide leap of logic indeed. Not everyone wants a PPC phone, just as not everyone wanted a super-thin PPC when they started coming out a few years ago--which was the impetus for the last round of "CompactFlash is dead" announcements. 8)

[Cybrid]

Dyvim,
I've got the next best thing to the e830...a e800. True it's only got WiFi, but nothing that my Socket CF BT card can't fix. I'm using the Ratoc drivers with my e800 and have success running a host of USB accessories - thumb drives, keyboards, mice, but have still not gotten my 2.5" enclosed portable HD to work, even when I've got it plugged into it's AC adapter. Perhaps my portable HD is drawing more power than my USB host adapter can provide?Try it with a powered hub in between.....
Some drive enclosures still suck too much juice through USB even on AC

[k1darkknight]

This seems to be brand new vaporware.
Is that anything like the 'Old New-Math'?

[Sven Johannsen]

This seems to be brand new vaporware.
Is that anything like the 'Old New-Math'?

We shall see tomorrow if their on-line store suddenly appears to take orders, or if the available date changes. As I recall the previous incarnation of this company's card went through several date slips and eventually just said 'coming soon' for two years.

I would actually consider buying one just to play around with. Never got the Ratoc, because I really don't have a need, it's a bit pricey,and really don't like the dongle either.

[Don't Panic!]

I ad tried the RATOC Card with a HP2215 and a portabe USB Drive back in 2003. It didn't work.

[cec]

CF slots are "increasingly rare?" What planet are you living on?
The one where converged devices is growing faster that the non-converged, and I am unaware of any phone enabled devices with CF. perhaps I am mistaken. :-)

Perhaps you're simply unaware that non-phone devices still outsell phone devices by a very wide margin. 2 to 1, in fact. To presume that this means the death of the CompactFlash format is a very wide leap of logic indeed. Not everyone wants a PPC phone, just as not everyone wanted a super-thin PPC when they started coming out a few years ago--which was the impetus for the last round of "CompactFlash is dead" announcements. 8)

The trend is towards convergence.

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=163101001

One good thing for CF fans is that it is still popular in digital SLR cameras and with 16 and 32gb models on the horizon they offer unmatched capacity (for now).

[Sven Johannsen]

We shall see tomorrow if their on-line store suddenly appears to take orders, or if the available date changes.

Well, tomorrow came and went, and while it still says available Nov 10th, the store at which you can buy it says "The online store will be available soon to take orders for the SolarExpress® PDA II". Should we start a pool on how long it takes for the available date to change?