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Nexto CF Questions

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Alex666

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Hi everybordy,

I'm quite ready to buy the Nexto-CF after a long hesitation with the DP70X (which seems a good device but less solid).
I've got many more questions before buying it:

1) Can i use it (punctually) as an external HD storage to copy files from my PC to the Nexto like Divx, Mp3, what ever file types ?

2) If yes, can i do it as well with USB as with IEE connexion? By simple Drag and drop with Windows File Manager ?

3) I'm quite a novice in computing. What's the use of formatting HD in FAT 12, 16, 32 or NTFS ?
What do you suggest as formatting choice for Windows XP ?
Will it still run under Windows Vista ?
Do i have to fragment the HD in several parts ?

4) Do you suggest a builtin HD or to buy it separately ?

5) If i have to buy a separate HD, could you please confirm what i've read and understood:
  • 2"5 HD
  • 5 400 RPM is enough
  • 8 Mo Cache is enough
  • UDMA 100 or 133 ?
  • Do you have any suggestion for a specific brand for HD and precise model ?
  • Is there a limit for the storage HD capacity supported by the Nexto ?
6) How long is the warranty ? is it a constructor one or reseller one ?

7) How do we reload the internal battery : sector(AC), connexion to PC with USB, IEEE ?

8) Have you a suggestion for a website or reseller where i can buy it: Nexto + HD (i'm located in France)

9) The addin' adapter for other memory cards, is it compatible with XD cards ? Because i've read it was limited to 512 Mo XD card (and i have 1 Go XD card !)

Sorry for this long list and in advance, many thanks for your answers and help
Alex
 
1) yes the Nexto-CF works great as a external hard drive. It uses FAT32 file system, and any files that can be placed on any other FAT32 devices can be copied to or from the Nexto-CF as a external drive.

2) Yes and yes.

3) I can't answer what the technical details are about the differance between the file systems you's spoke of. I can tell you that the Nexto-CF (and just about every other PSD currently on the market) use FAT32. The best way to format the Nexto-CF is using it's own format function, it's available from menus on the devices screen. Formating FAT32 from Windows can present problems, since there is a artifical 30G limit from within WindowsXP, no need anyway. The Nexto shows up to Windows as a 'mass storage device' no drivers are needed, etc... It would seem safe to assume this functionality would continue with Vista, although I have know actual knowlege of if this is really true or not. You do not need to format in multiple partitions, to be honest I'm not sure if it's even possible, probably woldn't serve any usefull purpose... but then I really don't know the answer if it's possible from within Windows. I know that the Nexto-CF doesn't offer any option to format in multiple partitions from within it's own menus, etc...

4) There are pros and cons to this... Pro is that if you buy the device with the hard drive instaled, you can get direct support from the retailer about any issues that might arise related to this. Con is that if you buy with the HD in it, you get the standard 1 year manufacturer warranty... If you buy the HD seperately, HD's often come with a longer warranty then the Nexto's warranty. You might be able to find a cheaper HD then the price of the one that would come bundled with the Nexto-CF.

5) 2.5", PATA, any RPM will work, any RPM, any cache size, 128G max size, etc... UDMA ??? I don't beleive it matters which... The only known compatbialty issues with the Nexto-CF and a hard drive is the Fujitsu MHT-000 series which are no longer in production. The current Hitachi Travelstar 5400RPM 8MB cache drives work quite well.

6) I beleive the warranty is 1 year, by the manufacturer, I've never actualy seen this in writing nor have I specificly asked about it. I will ask soon to verify this in more detail. I based what I've said here by what one of the retailers in Austrialia states about this.

7) the internal battery can be charged via connecting aproximately 11 to 14.5 volts at the "DC IN" connector on the Nexto-CF. It can also be charged via Firewire connection if the voltage is supplied there. Voltage at DC IN is typicaly supplied by a AC/DC adapter that puts out 12 volts at at least 1 amp, but can be supplied by auto ciggerette/battery power. USB power will not charge the Nexto-CF.

7.b) powering the Nexto-CF can be done from 8-30 volts DC at the DC IN, or from Firewire...

8.) sorry don't know of any European retailers... I think there is at least one, but I'm not firmilar with this area. There are a few Austrilian dealers that get high marks, one of which is... jaldigital.com.au . Be aware that they are also selling a newer with differnt functionality and differnt specs "Nexto-CF OTG" as well, so don't confuse the two... (now your going to ask for the OTG specs too... :) )

9) Sorry I don't have any experiance with the multi card to CF adapter... You might want to look here for more info about this and other Nexto-CF details...

http://www.hjreggel.net/cardspeed/special-nextocf.html

I see Hans has also got Nexto OTG info posted too, he's not done yet, but he's got a much better start then I do...

http://www.hjreggel.net/cardspeed/special-nextootg.html
Alex666 said:
Hi everybordy,

I'm quite ready to buy the Nexto-CF after a long hesitation with
the DP70X (which seems a good device but less solid).
I've got many more questions before buying it:

1) Can i use it (punctually) as an external HD storage to copy
files from my PC to the Nexto like Divx, Mp3, what ever file types ?

2) If yes, can i do it as well with USB as with IEE connexion? By
simple Drag and drop with Windows File Manager ?

3) I'm quite a novice in computing. What's the use of formatting HD
in FAT 12, 16, 32 or NTFS ?
What do you suggest as formatting choice for Windows XP ?
Will it still run under Windows Vista ?
Do i have to fragment the HD in several parts ?

4) Do you suggest a builtin HD or to buy it separately ?

5) If i have to buy a separate HD, could you please confirm what
i've read and understood:
  • 2"5 HD
  • 5 400 RPM is enough
  • 8 Mo Cache is enough
  • UDMA 100 or 133 ?
  • Do you have any suggestion for a specific brand for HD and
precise model ?
  • Is there a limit for the storage HD capacity supported by the
Nexto ?

6) How long is the warranty ? is it a constructor one or reseller
one ?

7) How do we reload the internal battery : sector(AC), connexion to
PC with USB, IEEE ?

8) Have you a suggestion for a website or reseller where i can buy
it: Nexto + HD (i'm located in France)

9) The addin' adapter for other memory cards, is it compatible with
XD cards ? Because i've read it was limited to 512 Mo XD card (and
i have 1 Go XD card !)

Sorry for this long list and in advance, many thanks for your
answers and help
Alex
Click to expand...
 
The gizmo (battery holder) used by the person who took the two month trip to Niger is realtively easy to build. Just how easy or difficult depends on your access to a place that supplies electronic eqipment. In the USA, there is a store known as RadioShack, that sells all kinds of electronic stuff, this is were the stuff was purchased that was used in that Niger trip... It's EASY to get in the USA, I'm not that firmilar with much outside of the USA, so I can't tell you how or where to get this kind of stuff outside of the USA.

The Nexo-CF will acept from 8 to 30 volts DC as power source... so it really needs about 8 AA cells (1.5volts each) to be powered well from this type of source. You could use as many as 16 AA cells if you wanted to, but probably has no real value over 8 cells. All you need to do this project is a 8 cell battery holder and the apropreate size elecrical jack. You could potentialy put all this together witout any real tools, besides maybe a knife, screw driver, and some tape. However to do a really nice job, a soldering iron would help... (at this time I couldn't give you a exact description for the electrical jack needed, i will try to get that info for later post) What cells you choose to put in a gizmo like this, really only depend on how many you use, and what voltage output they have, etc... My opion is that this type of pack should only be connected to the DC IN of the Nexto-CF and not to the BATT input.

Honestly it's probably not worth all that for the average user, it's likely much better just to use the LiION external pack that can be purchased seperately, it comes with the proper connector, etc... It can be re-charged and basicly will give you pretty darn close to as much use as would the Multi cell gizmo your asking about... Really it's best if only LiION cells are connected to the BATT input of the Nexto-CF, and these should be in a two cell series configuration, which is what the pack is that NextoDI sells for this product.

I've asked NextoDI about the possiblity of supplying a AA cell holder with their products, even as a option, and so far they haven't really offererd to find this type of product accessory. They seem to belive that the external LiION pack is a better choice. I don't really disagree with this, but I also would actualy think it would be nice to have the AA cell holder as a option... but anyway... for now, it's only a option if you build it yourself or find another source yourself.

In anohter thread, it was asked...

Hi everybody,

I'm nearly to buy a Nexto-CF and i've read on this very interesting forum that an external battery could be added.

I've also read (nigeria trip thread) that we could also build on your own a gizmo allowing the use of AA batteries.

As i'm totally ignorant and incompetent in Do-it-yourself, my questions are simple:
  • is it a simple assembly of different elements without any requirement of Do-it-yourself capacity or tools ?
  • what are precisely the differents elements and Characteristics (voltage, etc.) of this gizmo ?
  • How much does it cost ?
  • where can i buy it (i'm located in France)
  • hos does it work, just a simple pluggin to the BAT connector of Nexto ?
  • what kind of batteries can we use with this system and your suggestion: simple, Lithium, Li-On ?
Many thanks for your ans
 
Alex666 said:
1) Can i use it (punctually) as an external HD storage to copy
files from my PC to the Nexto like Divx, Mp3, what ever file types ?
Click to expand...
It can be used like any other USB/Firewire external hard disk. You can put any files on it (like on your interal PC hard disk).
Alex666 said:
3) I'm quite a novice in computing. What's the use of formatting HD
in FAT 12, 16, 32 or NTFS ?
What do you suggest as formatting choice for Windows XP ?
Click to expand...
For larger hard disks you have only the choice between FAT32 and NTFS. NTFS would be better when only used for your PC. However you have to use FAT32 because otherwise you can't use the flash memory card to hard disk copy function of the Nexto. As Glenn told the easiest way is to put in a new hard disk and simply format it with the Nexto. I also would recommend buying a Hitachi Travelstar HTS5410x0G9AT00 (x is different according to the capacity). You might get it in France (for easier warranty support). You could get the Nexto from shuk.de with the usual 2 years warranty every reseller has to give in Germany.
Alex666 said:
Will it still run under Windows Vista ?
Click to expand...
Yes, nothing will change with Vista. It's just an usual USB mass storage device, no extra drivers needed.
Alex666 said:
Do i have to fragment the HD in several parts ?
Click to expand...
No. Use just one partition (when using Nexto's formatting offered when first turning it on you don't have to care about it anyway).
Werner
 
Hi,

Thanks for your answer below

I'm interested by knowing exaclty all characteristics of each item needed to build this gizmo.
Could you please give me all references and the "user guide" to built it.

Many thanks
Alex
Glenn W. said:
The gizmo (battery holder) used by the person who took the two
month trip to Niger is realtively easy to build.
You could potentialy put all this
together witout any real tools, besides maybe a knife, screw
driver, and some tape. However to do a really nice job, a soldering
iron would help... (at this time I couldn't give you a exact
description for the electrical jack needed, i will try to get that
info for later post)
Click to expand...
 
Curently I don't think there is a 'users guide' to building anythign like this, at least I've never seen it. I can probably try to put something toegether that would explain it and show photos, etc... however I do not know how long it would be before I could do this.

Glenn
Alex666 said:
Thanks for your answer below
I'm interested by knowing exaclty all characteristics of each item
needed to build this gizmo.
Could you please give me all references and the "user guide" to
built it.

Many thanks
Alex
Glenn W. said:
The gizmo (battery holder) used by the person who took the two
month trip to Niger is realtively easy to build.
You could potentialy put all this
together witout any real tools, besides maybe a knife, screw
driver, and some tape. However to do a really nice job, a soldering
iron would help... (at this time I couldn't give you a exact
description for the electrical jack needed, i will try to get that
info for later post)
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Glenn W. said:
My opion is that this type of pack should
only be connected to the DC IN of the Nexto-CF and not to the BATT
input.
Click to expand...
Why?

In my opinion it does not make sense at all to use the DC IN with batteries. It only drains the external battery for charging the internal battery - which is not efficiant at all. It's better to use an external battery at the BAT input.
Werner
 
Well the main reason I say that is becaue if you plug a non LiPoly or LiION pack into the BATT input, there's a chance that you can accedently attempt to charge this non-supported pack. Like say you plug it into a USB port, or connect DC power to DC IN... Mainly I just think it's less risky to plug non LiION/Poly cells into the DC_IN port.

However, what I found in testing was that a fresh set of 4 AA Alkaline cells could easly charge the internal LiPoly pack on the Nexto-OTG. If you continued to use both internal and external batterys after that you could get about 60G of data transfered on a single set of AA cells. If the internal LiPoly pack is empty, the current drain on the AA alkaline cells is much greater, and causes them to drain much quicker... If the internal cell is already fully charged, this is probably not a issue. However I assume the time when someone would most need this solution, the internal pack would be empty, and they would not have easy access to other sources of power to charge it.

Now I've never even tried to put a battery pack to the BATT input of the OTG product. All my testing was done via the DC_IN port. One of the things I like about using DC IN, is that you can also charge the internal pack up. Admitedly if you leave it connected there, you may wast e a little power due to charging ineffciency, but to me, the benifits of the DC IN method outway the bad.

I have also found that after the initial charge of internal LiPoly, alkaline cells drop off in voltage enough that they really do not charge the internal cell very well. So, if anyone should use the method I discribe, they definetly should disconnect the AA pack from DC IN after that, except when powering the device. However I also think it's important to get the internal pack back up to full power.

Anyway, that's why my opinion is as it is.
d70_europe said:
Glenn W. said:
My opion is that this type of pack should
only be connected to the DC IN of the Nexto-CF and not to the BATT
input.
Click to expand...
Why?
In my opinion it does not make sense at all to use the DC IN with
batteries. It only drains the external battery for charging the
internal battery - which is not efficiant at all. It's better to
use an external battery at the BAT input.
Werner
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for your precious answers.
Another question (sorry for my ignorance).

I found several models of this HD: IDE and ATA
Which one is compatible ? I imagine the IDE if we look at the HD reference
There are aslo HD designed for notebook and other for PC. And i don't see any differences (even on the reference).
Which one is compatible ?
Thanks for your help
d70_europe said:
A I also would recommend buying a Hitachi Travelstar
HTS5410x0G9AT00 (x is different according to the capacity). Y
Click to expand...
 
The first one has a Ref : HTS541040G9AT00 and is a 40G PATA drive. This one will work.

The second has a Ref : HTS541080G9SA00 and is a 80G drive and will not work because it's SATA not PATA.

The third one has a Ref : HTS541040G9AT00 and is identical to the first one and therefore will also work.

The fourth one is a Ref : HTS541080G9AT00 and is a 80G PATA drive that will work, it's twice as big as the first one, and costs a bit more. (38% more)
Alex666 said:
I found several models of this HD: IDE and ATA
Which one is compatible ? I imagine the IDE if we look at the HD
reference
There are aslo HD designed for notebook and other for PC. And i
don't see any differences (even on the reference).
Which one is compatible ?
Thanks for your help
d70_europe said:
A I also would recommend buying a Hitachi Travelstar
HTS5410x0G9AT00 (x is different according to the capacity). Y
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Glenn W. said:
Well the main reason I say that is becaue if you plug a non LiPoly
or LiION pack into the BATT input, there's a chance that you can
accedently attempt to charge this non-supported pack.
Click to expand...
Not only because of that I always recommend a (Schottky) diodefor just a few Cents with such kind of battery packs.
Glenn W. said:
However, what I found in testing was that a fresh set of 4 AA
Alkaline cells could easly charge the internal LiPoly pack
Click to expand...
But why?

There is a linear charging chip used. That means that you loose a lot of energy when charging the internal battery with an external battery pack. You get maybe only about 60% (with 8xAA) out of the battery this way (in simpler words: another 40% is just wasted because it's put in warmth). For me this is just throwing away non rechargable batteries for nothing...
Werner
 
Thanks Glenn for your reactivity

So, to conclude on this Hitachi choice, the HD has to got the reference HTS5410x0G9AT00 (x is different according to the capacity). The reference's end AT00 identifying a PATA drive compatible with Nexto.

Did i understand well ?
Thanks
Glenn W. said:
The second has a Ref : HTS541080G9SA00 and is a 80G drive and will
not work because it's SATA not PATA.

The third one has a Ref : HTS541040G9AT00 and is identical to the
first one and therefore will also work.

The fourth one is a Ref : HTS541080G9AT00 and is a 80G PATA drive
that will work, it's twice as big as the first one, and costs a bit
more. (38% more)
Alex666 said:
I found several models of this HD: IDE and ATA
Which one is compatible ? I imagine the IDE if we look at the HD
reference
There are aslo HD designed for notebook and other for PC. And i
don't see any differences (even on the reference).
Which one is compatible ?
Thanks for your help
d70_europe said:
A I also would recommend buying a Hitachi Travelstar
HTS5410x0G9AT00 (x is different according to the capacity). Y
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I use Sandisk Ultra II Flash card, is 5 400 RPm enough or a 7 200 RPM is better ?
Many thanks
Alex
Glenn W. said:
The second has a Ref : HTS541080G9SA00 and is a 80G drive and will
not work because it's SATA not PATA.

The third one has a Ref : HTS541040G9AT00 and is identical to the
first one and therefore will also work.

The fourth one is a Ref : HTS541080G9AT00 and is a 80G PATA drive
that will work, it's twice as big as the first one, and costs a bit
more. (38% more)
Alex666 said:
I found several models of this HD: IDE and ATA
Which one is compatible ? I imagine the IDE if we look at the HD
reference
There are aslo HD designed for notebook and other for PC. And i
don't see any differences (even on the reference).
Which one is compatible ?
Thanks for your help
d70_europe said:
A I also would recommend buying a Hitachi Travelstar
HTS5410x0G9AT00 (x is different according to the capacity). Y
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
An what about Samsung HD l ike this serie ?

http://www.techrific.com.au/laptop-hard-drive-80gb-5400rpm-samsung-p-125.html?osCsid=20eadc03ed939dc67346e314705384e0
Glenn W. said:
The first one has a Ref : HTS541040G9AT00 and is a 40G PATA drive.
This one will work.

The second has a Ref : HTS541080G9SA00 and is a 80G drive and will
not work because it's SATA not PATA.

The third one has a Ref : HTS541040G9AT00 and is identical to the
first one and therefore will also work.

The fourth one is a Ref : HTS541080G9AT00 and is a 80G PATA drive
that will work, it's twice as big as the first one, and costs a bit
more. (38% more)
Click to expand...
 
Alex666 said:
So, to conclude on this Hitachi choice, the HD has to got the
reference HTS5410x0G9AT00 (x is different according to the
capacity). The reference's end AT00 identifying a PATA drive
compatible with Nexto.

Did i understand well ?
Click to expand...
Yes. You need a hard disk with parallel interface, not seriell (S-ATA).

The given Hitachi 5400 rpm drive has excellent performance. Getting a 7200 is not worth the extra money, you might get only some percent exta speed (beside that it's consuming more power).

The speed I got from Sandisk Utra II to these Hitachi was 10.6 MB/s. At same conditions with a 7200.1 Seagate Momentus I even got less, 10.2 MB/s.
I can't really tell something about Samsung.

Werner
 
I have my Nexto for almost a year now....and I'm a VERY happy user; absolutely perfect!

As I'm living in the Netherlands, I ordered the Nexto with Twintek BV, a Dutch company who sells the Nexto. I was very happy with their accurate help; my mail even got answered late at night.
Maybe they are able to help you (just look on their website).
I can really recommend both the Nexto and Twintek.
Good luck!
 
Hi,

I plan to use my older HD, with new Nexto CF OTG. Can somebody guess whether it is a good idea or a nonsense. Does it slow down loading data from cards a lot or differences will be small.
I use 2G Ultra II SanDisk and Eos 5D.

I did not also find a possibilities to order external battery for Nexto CF OTG and card reader. Do you know which online store sell them?
Thank you.

It is Toshiba HDD 2170, 40G, 2,5", ATA-5, 100MB/s, 2MB buffer,4200rpm
type MK 4018 GAS
Here are specf:
http://www.directron.com/mk4018gas.html
 
I searched through all my messages about the beta testing, and I can not find any comments one way or another about testing with any Toshiba HDs, so I think it's best to say it's not fully known if it will work 100%.

The Nexto-CF OTG devices is known to have some compatablity issues with 'some' HDs. It's not fully known exactly why the problem occurs, and I've been told that NextoDI is continuing to find out what exactly is causing the problem. The problem doesn't effect the data that is written to the HD, it's only related to data being read back off of the HD when it's in the ND-2300 (the OTG product).

Here is the best description I know about this issue at this time.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1023&message=18367686

In general... I tested with a older IBM 4200RPM Travelstar (with no compabablity issues) however compared to a new Hitachi 5400RPM Travelstart drive... There as a noticeable differance in data transfer speed... The older IBM drive seemed to have a maximum sustained transfer speed of around 11MB/second... Where New Hitachi one was like 16MB/s or even higher. For CF to PSD speed, the differance was not quite as noticeable, but to be honest I don't think I have actualy tried to document that differance yet..., or if I did, I haven't found my notes on it yet.
Martin_Pepik said:
Hi,
I plan to use my older HD, with new Nexto CF OTG. Can somebody
guess whether it is a good idea or a nonsense. Does it slow down
loading data from cards a lot or differences will be small.
I use 2G Ultra II SanDisk and Eos 5D.

I did not also find a possibilities to order external battery for
Nexto CF OTG and card reader. Do you know which online store sell
them?
Thank you.

It is Toshiba HDD 2170, 40G, 2,5", ATA-5, 100MB/s, 2MB buffer,4200rpm
type MK 4018 GAS
Here are specf:
http://www.directron.com/mk4018gas.html
Click to expand...
 
Sorry, I do not know where to get external battery for the OTG product. In my next communication with NextoDI I will ask if they can tell me who may have purchased these and/or who might be selling them, etc... Perhaps somone else already knows, but I do not.
Martin_Pepik said:
Hi,
I plan to use my older HD, with new Nexto CF OTG. Can somebody
guess whether it is a good idea or a nonsense. Does it slow down
loading data from cards a lot or differences will be small.
I use 2G Ultra II SanDisk and Eos 5D.

I did not also find a possibilities to order external battery for
Nexto CF OTG and card reader. Do you know which online store sell
them?
Thank you.

It is Toshiba HDD 2170, 40G, 2,5", ATA-5, 100MB/s, 2MB buffer,4200rpm
type MK 4018 GAS
Here are specf:
http://www.directron.com/mk4018gas.html
Click to expand...
 
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