FlashTrax questions answered

[Pixy]

Hi Fred / all,

Well, Smartdisk comes through again,

By 9.36 Monday morning 15 March I had received two e mails with the following questions answered.

Q1)

What is the largest capacity compact flash or SD card that FlashTrax can accommodate and

have any tests been done to determine which Sd or compact flash cards are the best to use with FlashTrax. I am currently using a Sandisk Ultra II SDSDH-256-901 SD card.

A1)
We have not tested any 4GB cards, but have had no issues with 2GB
models. The only card that we have had some issues with is the 2.2GB
Magicstor card. I strongly feel that if some customers had issues with 4GB
cards, I would of heard about it already. I would not foresee any issues
with larger capacity cards, unless the cards change on a hardware level.
Through Firmware updates it is usually possible to resolve incompatibilities
with different media. But typically with 512,1GB, 2GB, 4GB, cards made by
major brand companies it is very important for backwards compatibility with
cameras and other devices. Otherwise the cards will not sell. So this is
the same with our FlashTrax, typically if it still works in your camera, it
should work in the FlashTrax. Some exceptions would be the 2.2 GB
MagicStor, and 640Mb cards. The standard capacity Microdrives, CF, SD, MMC,
Memory Stick, ect, should be all be fine.

I would suggest using more reputable brand media cards. They typically
they will stick to the same form factor and design, just increasing capacity
as I mentioned before. Lexar, SanDisk to name a few.

Q2)

Please explain how the different functions of FlashTrax use varying amount of battery power.

A2)

You can get 3-6 GB of data on one battery. Different operations draw different amounts of power. This is why just viewing the LCD screen and listening to MP3 files, you get 2-1/2 -3 hours from the FlashTrax, about 45mintues of video.

Different cards can draw different amounts of power, and take longer amounts of time based upon the speed of the card.

But it takes about 10-12 minutes to copy a 1 Gig card, 5-6 minutes on a 512, and 2-3 minutes on a 256.
Its pretty safe to assume, 2GB would be around 20-22 minutes, etc.

Fred does that do it for you?

If battery life is of great concern, there is an AWESOME accessory for the FlashTrax and Digital camera users in general. the batteries described below can power your camera and even your flash unit.

I think that FlashTrax is now supported by a third party long-life battery from The

Digital Camera Battery Company, a small Florida-based company with distribution into various photo specialty retailers. They sell large 40w and 80w
nickel-metal-hydride batteries (NiMH), with a family of optional power
cables custom made to power and recharge various digital cameras, Apple laptops,
and now FlashTrax. The batteries are heavy and expensive ($300)+, but
they might be just the thing for a pro who will be away from A/C power for a
long time, particularly since they can be used to power/charge all kinds of
equipment, not just FlashTrax.

The following link describes their primary product:
http://www.DigitalCameraBattery.com

I believe that this 40w long life battery (and it’s 80w big brother) will become a FlashTrax sanctioned accessory.

I believe that these units will give 6 and 12 more battery life than the standard FlashTrax battery.
Take a peek.

http://timdodgesalesn.goemerchant7.com/index.cgi?PageToView=catalog&Departme nt=51022&Cartid=124881078788332&Merchant=timdodgesalesn&ExpandedDepts=1908

What do you think?

Regards,
Pixy.

 

[hollis_f]

Hi Fred / all,

Well, Smartdisk comes through again,

By 9.36 Monday morning 15 March I had received two e mails with the
following questions answered.

Q1)
What is the largest capacity compact flash or SD card that
FlashTrax can accommodate
A1)
We have not tested any 4GB cards, but have had no issues with 2GB
models.

So, they've not actually answered the real question - can it handle cards formatted with FAT32? The 2MB cards will, almost certainly, be formatted with FAT16.

 

[Pixy]

Hi Fred / all,

Well, Smartdisk comes through again,

By 9.36 Monday morning 15 March I had received two e mails with the
following questions answered.

Q1)
What is the largest capacity compact flash or SD card that
FlashTrax can accommodate
A1)
We have not tested any 4GB cards, but have had no issues with 2GB
models.

So, they've not actually answered the real question - can it handle
cards formatted with FAT32? The 2MB cards will, almost certainly,
be formatted with FAT16.

The FlashTrax is formatted FAT32 per their web site. is that what you are asking?

Pixy.

 

[James Akiyama]

The Flashtrax HD is formatted FAT32; the CF card would most likely be FAT16 unless it was larger than 2GB. I believe one of the reasons Smartdisk doesn't directly answer is that the Flashtrax is actually an OEM product from Innoplus. I've had more luck getting direct answer from their website which is:

http://www.phototainer.com

Phototainer is Innoplus' version of Flashtrax. Innoplus' website is:

http://www.innoplus.com

but they refer Phototainer support to the Phototainer website. In the past, they have been very responsive to answers.

James

 

[hamfam]

In order to put paid to this debate and settle my own curiosity I have just formatted a 256 MB card in my 10D and checked its FAT and found it to be FAT16, I then formatted the card FAT32 in my pc card reader, copied some images to it via the pc and then put the card in the Flashtrax.

Result....The Flashtrax will quite happily copy and display images from cards formatted as FAT32 or for that matter FAT16.

Now if i can get that tea making attachment..............mmmm might need the 80W battery for that though!

 

[Pixy]

In order to put paid to this debate and settle my own curiosity I
have just formatted a 256 MB card in my 10D and checked its FAT and
found it to be FAT16, I then formatted the card FAT32 in my pc card
reader, copied some images to it via the pc and then put the card
in the Flashtrax.
Result....The Flashtrax will quite happily copy and display images
from cards formatted as FAT32 or for that matter FAT16.

Now if i can get that tea making attachment..............mmmm might
need the 80W battery for that though!

Wonderful information, I'll have two sugars please

Regards,
Pixy

 

[Pixy]

The Flashtrax HD is formatted FAT32; the CF card would most likely
be FAT16 unless it was larger than 2GB. I believe one of the
reasons Smartdisk doesn't directly answer is that the Flashtrax is
actually an OEM product from Innoplus. I've had more luck getting
direct answer from their website which is:

http://www.phototainer.com

Phototainer is Innoplus' version of Flashtrax. Innoplus' website is:

http://www.innoplus.com

but they refer Phototainer support to the Phototainer website. In
the past, they have been very responsive to answers.

James

Hi James,

I looked at the web sites you suggested and I agree that the units look identical, however it seems that both sites are not current.
How long ago is it since you had communication with either one of them?

I have found that Smartdisk has been excellent with regard to answering my e mail questions.

Regards,
Pixy.

 

[Ne14abeer]

The Flashtrax HD is formatted FAT32; the CF card would most likely
be FAT16 unless it was larger than 2GB. I believe one of the
reasons Smartdisk doesn't directly answer is that the Flashtrax is
actually an OEM product from Innoplus. I've had more luck getting
direct answer from their website which is:

http://www.phototainer.com

Phototainer is Innoplus' version of Flashtrax. Innoplus' website is:

http://www.innoplus.com

but they refer Phototainer support to the Phototainer website. In
the past, they have been very responsive to answers.

James

Hi James,

I looked at the web sites you suggested and I agree that the units
look identical, however it seems that both sites are not current.
How long ago is it since you had communication with either one of
them?

I have found that Smartdisk has been excellent with regard to
answering my e mail questions.

Regards,
Pixy.

Smartdisk is the U.S. distributor of the Innoplus Phototainer. If you watch their web site you will see Innoplus come out with a firmware update first, and a week or so later Smartdisk will have the same update on their site.
They call it a Flashtrax in the U.S. and Phototainer in Europe and elsewhere.

 

[James Akiyama]

It's been a little while and although both were helpful, it was clear Innoplus had a better understanding of the product.

Also, to answer your first question, I just tried using a 4GB Lexar 32X card with the Flashtrax and it seems to work fine.

James

 

[Ruth Taylor]

Just curious.

I eventually want to purchase a Flashtrax. I have an Oly that uses XD, so I would have to get the extra interfaces for that.

But I am also wondering, say If I wanted to use it to move a large amount of data onto it, then use it to move it right off to another computer instead of copying stuff to CD to transfer.
Is that possible?

Has anyone tried jut hooking it directly to a computer to copy data to it and not just use it for keeping photos and mp3's?

Hi Fred / all,

Well, Smartdisk comes through again,

By 9.36 Monday morning 15 March I had received two e mails with the
following questions answered.

Q1)
What is the largest capacity compact flash or SD card that
FlashTrax can accommodate and
have any tests been done to determine which Sd or compact flash
cards are the best to use with FlashTrax. I am currently using a
Sandisk Ultra II SDSDH-256-901 SD card.

A1)
We have not tested any 4GB cards, but have had no issues with 2GB
models. The only card that we have had some issues with is the 2.2GB
Magicstor card. I strongly feel that if some customers had issues
with 4GB
cards, I would of heard about it already. I would not foresee any
issues
with larger capacity cards, unless the cards change on a hardware
level.
Through Firmware updates it is usually possible to resolve
incompatibilities
with different media. But typically with 512,1GB, 2GB, 4GB, cards
made by
major brand companies it is very important for backwards
compatibility with
cameras and other devices. Otherwise the cards will not sell. So
this is
the same with our FlashTrax, typically if it still works in your
camera, it
should work in the FlashTrax. Some exceptions would be the 2.2 GB
MagicStor, and 640Mb cards. The standard capacity Microdrives, CF,
SD, MMC,
Memory Stick, ect, should be all be fine.

I would suggest using more reputable brand media cards. They
typically
they will stick to the same form factor and design, just increasing
capacity
as I mentioned before. Lexar, SanDisk to name a few.

Q2)
Please explain how the different functions of FlashTrax use
varying amount of battery power.

A2)
You can get 3-6 GB of data on one battery. Different operations
draw different amounts of power. This is why just viewing the LCD
screen and listening to MP3 files, you get 2-1/2 -3 hours from the
FlashTrax, about 45mintues of video.

Different cards can draw different amounts of power, and take
longer amounts of time based upon the speed of the card.
But it takes about 10-12 minutes to copy a 1 Gig card, 5-6 minutes
on a 512, and 2-3 minutes on a 256.
Its pretty safe to assume, 2GB would be around 20-22 minutes, etc.

Fred does that do it for you?

If battery life is of great concern, there is an AWESOME accessory
for the FlashTrax and Digital camera users in general. the
batteries described below can power your camera and even your flash
unit.

I think that FlashTrax is now supported by a third party long-life
battery from The
Digital Camera Battery Company, a small Florida-based company with
distribution into various photo specialty retailers. They sell
large 40w and 80w
nickel-metal-hydride batteries (NiMH), with a family of optional power
cables custom made to power and recharge various digital cameras,
Apple laptops,
and now FlashTrax. The batteries are heavy and expensive ($300)+, but
they might be just the thing for a pro who will be away from A/C
power for a
long time, particularly since they can be used to power/charge all
kinds of
equipment, not just FlashTrax.

The following link describes their primary product:
http://www.DigitalCameraBattery.com

I believe that this 40w long life battery (and it’s 80w big
brother) will become a FlashTrax sanctioned accessory.
I believe that these units will give 6 and 12 more battery life
than the standard FlashTrax battery.
Take a peek.

http://timdodgesalesn.goemerchant7.com/index.cgi?PageToView=catalog&Departme nt=51022&Cartid=124881078788332&Merchant=timdodgesalesn&ExpandedDepts=1908

What do you think?

Regards,
Pixy.

--
--
http://gallery.bytephoto.com/rct4905
and
http://community.webshots.com/user/photofunatic

 

[Pixy]

Just curious.
I eventually want to purchase a Flashtrax. I have an Oly that uses
XD, so I would have to get the extra interfaces for that.
But I am also wondering, say If I wanted to use it to move a large
amount of data onto it, then use it to move it right off to another
computer instead of copying stuff to CD to transfer.
Is that possible?
Has anyone tried jut hooking it directly to a computer to copy data
to it and not just use it for keeping photos and mp3's?

Hi Ruth,

Yes you can, the FlaShTrax connects to your computer through the USB 2 port, it is compatible with USB 1.1, you then reboot your computer and the FlashTrax will appear as the next logical drive.

You can then transfer, copy, delete, manipulate files just like you can with any other hard drive, because in that situation that is exactly what FlashTrax is, another hardrive.

One very important thing to remember;

use the proper disconnect procedure when you want to remove the FlashTrax from your computer. you must use the disconnect utility provided, two clicks of the mouse and you are done.

There is an adapter that I have to use to download my SD card, check the web site to make sure you can interface the XD card.

All this info is given at http://www.smartdisk.com .

If you decide to buy take a look at http://www.provantage.com and pagecomputer.com you may get a better deal.

Regards,
Pixy.

 

[Rob Brigham]

Yes you can, the FlaShTrax connects to your computer through the
USB 2 port, it is compatible with USB 1.1, you then reboot your
computer and the FlashTrax will appear as the next logical drive.

No need to reboot - should pick it up automatically. This is the point of USB.

use the proper disconnect procedure when you want to remove the
FlashTrax from your computer. you must use the disconnect utility
provided, two clicks of the mouse and you are done.

I dont argue that it is ideal to do this, but dont panic if you forget - USB is robust enough to cope. Its only my firewire Nikon Coolscan that I HAVE to do this for, and even then it copes, just that the PC wont shut down properly and I have to power it off manually. Just try to avoid disconnecting during a write because that aint ideal...

Enjoy...

 

[hamfam]

ALWAYS use the correct disconnect proceedure - if your pc is using a disk cache when it writes to the flashtrax it is the only way you can be sure that all the data you think you have written has actu7ally made it to the drive. The correct proceedure will write the contents of the cache to the drive before disconnection.

XP has the option (if you set it this way) to turn off Disk Caches when the drive is removeable but i am not sure if this is the case for other operating systems

Yes you can, the FlaShTrax connects to your computer through the
USB 2 port, it is compatible with USB 1.1, you then reboot your
computer and the FlashTrax will appear as the next logical drive.

No need to reboot - should pick it up automatically. This is the
point of USB.

use the proper disconnect procedure when you want to remove the
FlashTrax from your computer. you must use the disconnect utility
provided, two clicks of the mouse and you are done.

I dont argue that it is ideal to do this, but dont panic if you
forget - USB is robust enough to cope. Its only my firewire Nikon
Coolscan that I HAVE to do this for, and even then it copes, just
that the PC wont shut down properly and I have to power it off
manually. Just try to avoid disconnecting during a write because
that aint ideal...

Enjoy...

 

[Pixy]

Rob Brigham wrote:
No need to reboot - should pick it up automatically. This is the
point of USB.
I dont argue that it is ideal to do this, but dont panic if you
forget - USB is robust enough to cope. Its only my firewire Nikon
Coolscan that I HAVE to do this for, and even then it copes, just
that the PC wont shut down properly and I have to power it off
manually. Just try to avoid disconnecting during a write because
that aint ideal...

Hi Rob,

My reason for using the correct disconnect procedure is to eliminate any chance for something to go wrong, for instance as you probably know (where a beginer may not) that is it is very easy to kill your equipment with a static discharge if you try and make or break connections to your pc or attached equipment while it is turned on.

I am not an expert and so I just follow the instructions given by the suppliers of the equipment I use, then I do not get into trouble.

My philosophy in life, for everything, try and do it right the first time, you may not get a second chance. (and I still make mistakes).

Regards,
Pixy

 

[Ruth Taylor]

Thanks Everyone
I will check that website and keep an eye out for good deals.
Is it easy to hook up to a TV too so you can view pictures there?

Ruth

Rob Brigham wrote:
No need to reboot - should pick it up automatically. This is the
point of USB.
I dont argue that it is ideal to do this, but dont panic if you
forget - USB is robust enough to cope. Its only my firewire Nikon
Coolscan that I HAVE to do this for, and even then it copes, just
that the PC wont shut down properly and I have to power it off
manually. Just try to avoid disconnecting during a write because
that aint ideal...

Hi Rob,

My reason for using the correct disconnect procedure is to
eliminate any chance for something to go wrong, for instance as you
probably know (where a beginer may not) that is it is very easy to
kill your equipment with a static discharge if you try and make or
break connections to your pc or attached equipment while it is
turned on.

I am not an expert and so I just follow the instructions given by
the suppliers of the equipment I use, then I do not get into
trouble.

My philosophy in life, for everything, try and do it right the
first time, you may not get a second chance. (and I still make
mistakes).

Regards,
Pixy

--
--
http://gallery.bytephoto.com/rct4905
and
http://community.webshots.com/user/photofunatic

 

[Ruth Taylor]

Ah.. I just found my answer on that website

View pictures on the 3.5 LCD or on TV

)

Ruth

Rob Brigham wrote:
No need to reboot - should pick it up automatically. This is the
point of USB.
I dont argue that it is ideal to do this, but dont panic if you
forget - USB is robust enough to cope. Its only my firewire Nikon
Coolscan that I HAVE to do this for, and even then it copes, just
that the PC wont shut down properly and I have to power it off
manually. Just try to avoid disconnecting during a write because
that aint ideal...

Hi Rob,

My reason for using the correct disconnect procedure is to
eliminate any chance for something to go wrong, for instance as you
probably know (where a beginer may not) that is it is very easy to
kill your equipment with a static discharge if you try and make or
break connections to your pc or attached equipment while it is
turned on.

I am not an expert and so I just follow the instructions given by
the suppliers of the equipment I use, then I do not get into
trouble.

My philosophy in life, for everything, try and do it right the
first time, you may not get a second chance. (and I still make
mistakes).

Regards,
Pixy

--
--
http://gallery.bytephoto.com/rct4905
and
http://community.webshots.com/user/photofunatic

--
--
http://gallery.bytephoto.com/rct4905
and
http://community.webshots.com/user/photofunatic

 

[Rob Brigham]

Yep. Comes with a cable with an RCA connector for video on the other end. Most TVs have these for video in, and even if they dont, you can get a scart convertor (I got one with my camcorder) to plug it into a scart socket.

Thanks Everyone
I will check that website and keep an eye out for good deals.
Is it easy to hook up to a TV too so you can view pictures there?

 

[Pixy]

Ruth Taylor wrote:
Thanks Everyone
I will check that website and keep an eye out for good deals.
Is it easy to hook up to a TV too so you can view pictures there?

Ruth

Hi Ruth,

As Rob said it is straight forward,

There is a single cable, one end plugs into the FlashTrax (marked video)

the other end (yellow) plugs into a video in connector on your TV, it will also be yellow.

I leave the cable attached to the TV all the time and just disconnect it from the flashTrax when I am finished viewing.
(The video in connectors on my TV are in the back)

When you want view, turn the TV on, set it to aux input (channel 91 or 92

on my TV) I have the FlashTrax sitting on the top of the TV facing and near the front, I turn the FlashTrax on and plug the video cable in, sit back in the armchair with the remote and away you go.

Interestingly the Camera I use a Panasonic DMC-FZ10 has the same capability but uses a double cable with both yellow and white connectors.

I hope this helps,

Pixy.

 

[Rob Brigham]

Does your camera take videos or record sound? The white cable is generally left channel or mono audio.

Interestingly the Camera I use a Panasonic DMC-FZ10 has the same
capability but uses a double cable with both yellow and white
connectors.

I hope this helps,

Pixy.

 

[Ruth Taylor]

Yes it takes video and sound.. and also short wave files immediately following photos should I decide to turn it on.

Interestingly the Camera I use a Panasonic DMC-FZ10 has the same
capability but uses a double cable with both yellow and white
connectors.

I hope this helps,

Pixy.

--
--
http://gallery.bytephoto.com/rct4905
and
http://community.webshots.com/user/photofunatic