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Energizing How We Charge Our Phones

At trade shows around the world, StoreDot is showing off the Samsung Galaxy S6 with a modified battery and charging port which enabled the device to charge from 10% to 100% in 5 minutes and 25 seconds. This solution isn’t simply faster, the physics within the battery is a new generation of lithium ion batteries which sets it apart from companies pursuing similar avenues to solve the battery inconvenience.

Possibly one of the most impressive features is how the charger manages heat. At Nexcopy we manage temperatures between each piece of our products to keep them safe and durable throughout their use, so we can appreciate some solid thermal decorum when we see it. These new batteries will make sure your phone is never hot to the touch during or after a charging session and it does so with modifications to the connector itself. This however, means there isn’t simply a wire between the phone and the charger but rather a solid, wall-mounted charger unit.

Wall Mounted Charging

What does this means for the industry? Well the technology is alive and well to make our charge times negligible. The delay will be in the coordination needed to make the improvement. There has to be a suitable connection port to enable the top speed charging, and a StoreDot 150W charger is required to reach these speeds. Most notably, Samsung has invested alongside other interested parties so eliminating the wait time of charging could be a thing of the past in the next generation of our smartphones.

Source: StoreDot

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Sony Branded USB Turntable

CES, 2016. Sony releases a USB turntable, named HX500. Sony will provide backup- software for the Mac and PC and it connects via USB. From there, you can send the DSD (Direct Stream Digital) copies to your computer or device. Of course Sony would prefer you to play them back on their Hi-Res-playing Sony Walkmans.

The DSD audio is a lossless audio quality that will sound more full and rich than your downloaded MP3 file. Andy why not, vinyl records have been making a big comeback the last couple of years.

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StarTech USB 3.0 & 4K DisplayPort Dock Station

The USB 3.0 / 4K display and dock station is ideal for the Bring Your Own Device work environment (BYOD).

Assuming you have a limited port laptop computer the StarTech dock station can expand your laptop screen and extend out to a 4K video feed needed. It doesn’t stop there with USB 3.0 port connectivity, and Ethernet connection.

The front side of the dock station also includes a USB charging port. You can avoid the inconvenience of a dead battery and make sure your mobile device is always ready to go, using the dock’s USB fast-charge and sync port. Plus, the always-on port supports device charging even when your laptop isn’t connected to the dock.

The dock station can act as a charging station unplugged as well, making it a very portable solution. A good fit for this product would be home-office where the work space is not that large, or class room where the budget isn’t there for a complete work station and a BYOD situation best applies.

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Question Format a USB Flash Drive as exFAT or NTFS?

USB Flash Drive format exFAT vs NTFS, sketch of USB

It’s a good question; format a USB flash drive as exFAT or NTFS? There are several reasons not to format as NTFS and we’ll explain.

Most of the Time you are Okay

Most of the time, formatting a flash drive is a very simple decision. There are only two situations where you should carefully consider what format to use. Here are the details:

Note: This article is focused on Windows and Mac operating systems.

The file formats available for a USB flash drive are:

  • FAT (also called FAT16)
  • FAT32
  • exFAT
  • NTFS
  • HFS (Mac only)

Flash drive manufacturers typically format a drive as either FAT or FAT32. Any device of 2GB or smaller will be formatted as FAT, and any USB over 2GB will be formatted as FAT32.

Question Format a USB Flash Drive as exFAT or NTFS - image example

These two formats are the best file systems for removable drives like USB flash drives because they support quick disconnect functionality. Chances are very slim that you will destroy the device or files if you unplug the USB without using the Eject function (in Windows) or the Un-mount function (in Mac).

The one huge limitation with FAT and FAT32 is the single file size limit. If a single file is larger than 2GB, you need FAT32. If you have a single file bigger than 4GB, you must use NTFS or exFAT. Typically, these large files are video files or restore image files (for restoring a computer operating system from a single image file).

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Can I Connect a USB-C to a USB 2.0 Port?

USB Type C Connector

Question

Can I connect a USB Type C cable to an older USB 2.0 port?

Answer

No you cannot.

The USB type C socket is a backward compatible technology with respect to the protocol but it is not backward compatible in the physical connection. Meaning, the sockets wont fit, but with an adapter you will have no problem charge devices or trasnfering data.

Why

The USB-C connection was design for several reasons. Of course a new specification will always be developed to increase data transfer rates or introduce new features, such as increased power across the buss to charge or power connected devices. The main reason for USB-C connectors is size. With USB being the world’s most popular technology for peripheral devices, the Implementers Forum (with members such as Intel, Acer, AData, SanDisk, Lexar, Micron and many others) they wanted to insure the USB specification continued to be the #1 method for connecting the ever decreasing size of digital devices.

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Nexcopy Introduces Write Protection for SD Cards

write protection for SD cards

Lake Forest, CA — July, 2015 — Nexcopy Inc. introduces a new software suite which supports data locking content to secure digital media. The software function supports both full-size Secure Digital card media and microSD card media. The data locking feature will turn the SD card into a read-only card so data cannot be deleted or formatted off the device.

Write Protection for SD Card: Why It Matters

As data security becomes increasingly critical, write protection for SD cards is a key feature that prevents unauthorized data modification or deletion. Nexcopy’s new software and duplicator hardware empower users to permanently lock content at the controller level—making it impossible to erase, overwrite, or format the card’s data.

Write protecting, or data locking content to flash memory is an important security feature. With the Nexcopy software and duplicator, data can be copied to the memory card and as a final step the device will be write protected at the controller level. Performing the data lock at the controller level blocks any third party from manipulating, hacking or tampering with the original content.

With the Nexcopy duplication software and hardware solution, a content owner has the following benefits:

  • Protect bootable operating systems which run from SD cards
  • Block viruses or malware from being transferred to the memory device
  • Eliminate users from deleting or formatting content off the SD card

“Several of our customers with global data distribution requirements asked for this feature,” says Greg Morris, President of Nexcopy Inc. “The ability to write protect Secure Digital media was the added security measure they required, and we delivered.” Morris continues, “In addition, I am happy to announce current Nexcopy customers with SD Duplicators will also benefit from our updated duplication software.”

With optical drives disappearing from laptops, netbooks, and most tower-styled computers, the requirement to disseminate information via flash memory is becoming more popular now than ever. As content owners make their data available on flash memory, there is an added responsibility to ensure the memory is secure from malware and viruses. One way to prevent suspicious files from “jumping” onto the memory is making the flash memory write protected (or read-only). Using read-only Secure Digital media is a dual benefit because files cannot be added to the card and files cannot be removed from the card.

The software suite is compatible with the PC-based SD200PC duplicator and microSD200PC duplicator by Nexcopy. The two SD duplicator models are twenty target systems and require a Windows host PC to run. The write protection is performed at the controller level. It is not the mechanical switch found on the outside of Secure Digital media. This means the write protection setting done by the Nexcopy duplication software is the most secure method to make SD and microSD media read only.

Nexcopy’s complete line of USB Duplicators, CF Duplicators, SD Duplicators, and microSD Duplicators are available through a worldwide network of authorized resellers.


About

Nexcopy Incorporated specializes in developing and manufacturing the finest and most feature-rich flash memory duplicators in the market. Pioneering the solid-state memory duplication market, Nexcopy supplies Central and South America, Europe, India, Asia, Pacific Rim and serves the U.S. market through its U.S. headquarters at: 13 Orchard Road Suite 102, Lake Forest, CA 92630.

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Morse Code Beacon via USB Board

For those into home-brew programming projects, its easy to make a microcontroller spit out some Morse code with the post shown below. What makes [pavlin’s] take on this project interesting is that it resides on a tiny USB board with an ARM processor. The design for the board is available with single-sided artwork suitable for production using simple methods like toner transfer.

The STM device has a built-in USB bootloader. It can also act as a serial port, which makes the project very simple and a bit more flexible. The only external parts are a speaker and an opt-oisolator.

The program provides a command line interface over the serial port that you can use to program the message and set other options like speed and the delay between messages.

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AirBar – Make Any Laptop Touchscreen

The Airbar will turn any Windows laptop into a touch screen. Very cool. The technology is friendly with Windows 8 and 10 and this is because it uses Microsoft’s “Gestures” technology to turn your laptop into a touchscreen laptop.

The Airbar was designed in Sweden and made in Sweden. The bar is $50 US Dollars.

The Airbar works by invisible light beams. To get it working you connect is via USB and set the bar at the bottom of your laptop screen, just like you see in the picture.

The Airbar will project light upward. As your fingers break the barrier of the projected light, the bar will translate this into gestures. Through the Windows API for gestures your actions will translate to the programs running.

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Why is my USB write protected?

Why is my USB write protected? (Updated for Windows 11 Fixes)

USB write protected means the USB cannot be written to. But why does this happen? There can be several reasons, ranging from a corrupted flash drive to software settings in Windows that lock the device.

Originally posted in 2015, this article is now updated for modern systems, including Windows 10 and Windows 11, which introduce additional security layers that can cause USB write protection issues.

Hardware or Device Failure

It’s easy to damage a USB stick. A common cause is sending multiple write threads to the device at the same time. For example, copying large files while issuing another write command may corrupt the controller, leaving it permanently locked.

Windows Registry and Security Settings

Windows can mark a USB drive as write-protected due to policy settings or errors. Here’s how to remove this restriction on Windows 10 and Windows 11:

  • Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
  • Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
  • If WriteProtect exists, double-click it and set the value to 0. If it doesn’t exist, create a new DWORD (32-bit) entry named WriteProtect and set it to 0.
  • Restart your PC and reconnect the USB drive.

Using Diskpart Command (Windows 11)

Windows 11 offers an advanced command-line tool to clear write protection:

diskpart
list disk
select disk #
attributes disk clear readonly
exit

Replace # with your USB drive number.

Windows Security – Ransomware Protection

Windows 11’s Controlled Folder Access can block external writes. Disable or adjust this setting via: Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Ransomware protection.

File System Repair

If the drive is corrupted, run:

chkdsk E: /f
(replace E: with your USB letter). This may fix read/write errors without losing data.

Manufacturer Tools

Brands like SanDisk, Kingston, or Nexcopy provide utilities to reset a locked USB device or reformat at a controller level.

Conclusion

Write protection errors are often recoverable and not always caused by hardware failure. With the new features in Windows 11, additional troubleshooting steps may be required before discarding a drive.


FAQ

Q: How do I remove USB write protection in Windows 11?
A: Use Registry Editor, Diskpart, or adjust Ransomware Protection settings to allow writes.

Q: Does Windows Defender block USB writes?
A: Yes, in some cases Controlled Folder Access can block external USB writes. Adjust settings to resolve this.

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Trained Dogs to Sniff Out SD Cards and USB Sticks

USB stick, dog

Police dogs have yet another smell they must detect. Tactical Detection K9 company now trains dogs to sniff out SD cards and USB sticks. The training is in response to better assisting law enforcement in child pornography investigations.

The percentage of a dog’s brain which is devoted to analyzing smells is 40 times greater than humans. For example, humans can detect about 5 million scents and a German Shepherd can detect around 225 million smells.

In a recent investigation a dog was used in the FBI raid of the home of the former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle in Hancock County, Indiana.

What could take investigators hours to find an SD card or USB stick in a house would take a trained dog considerably less time, probably no more than 30 minutes.

According to Tactical Detection K9 it took scientists over four years to isolate the odor associated with memory devices. Now that a specific odor has been identified it takes 8-9 months for a dog to be trained in picking up that scent.

A dog which can sniff out SD and USB sticks can cost upwards of $9,000.

Source: IB Times and Dummies.com .

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Lenovo USB Compu-Stick

Computers on a stick will begin to gain popularity over the next two years. Lenovo is the most recent to offer a compu-stick. The Ideacentre 300 Stick is a 2GB of RAM computer with an Intel Atom Z3735F processor (2M cache + 1.83 Ghz) and runs Windows 8.1.

The Compu-Stick can be plugged into any computer and when you reboot, the hardware now uses the OS of the compu-stick.

compu-stick, usb

Alternatively you may connect the device to a TV and sync a keyboard and mouse and now you have a fully functioning PC with your TV as the monitor.

This is a great step in the right direction as all technology will move towards solid state memory. The Lenovo product has 32GBs of memory which is fine for a first generation product. If they can house a microSD slot in there for expanded memory, it would be an inexpensive solution to a possible data storage problem.

The only caveat left is that unless true Grade A memory is used in these devices the data retention and stability is the week point. With Grade A NAND memory you have a re-write of about 100,000 cycles. SLC memory will help this issue and improve reliability.

Reports indicate the Compu-Stick will run about $150.

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