Amacom Flip Disk

Amacom has made a place for themselves in the world of portable data storage with the super portable funky blue FlipDisk - a handy little device that can move up to 20 Gigs of data securely and easily on an external 2.5" hard drive based data storage solution.

Capacities: 4.2Gb through to 20Gb currently Win X, OS/2, Dos, Mac, Unix capable Dimensions: 145mm X 87mm X 31mm Weighs 333g Comes w/h padded carry case Shock absorbing rubberized housing Acoustic noise 33dbA Operating temp range: 5C - 55C Operational shock 200G/1G Vibration Cost: 319 pounds.

These are the listed specs of the drive Amacom lent us to test. We also received the IDE/parallel cable accessory kit which is an extra option. The standard Flip Disk comes by itself with a padded carry case, instructions, drivers and one year warranty. An extended warranty can be purchased from the company if so desired.

Power requirements

There are two configurations for the Flip Disk; connection via PCMCIA port and via IDE/parallel port. While the drive is connected to a PCMCIA port no external power sources are necessary - the power (approx. 5.3V) is drawn directly from the port itself. This allows the Flip Disk to have essentially the same range as that of the host laptop.

In the second configuration, where the Flip Disk is attached via the parallel port, a power source is required. However in this instance, rather then bundle the drive with an AC adapter and limit its usefulness, Amacom uses a unique approach. The Drive comes with two keyboard pass through cables. Depending on the host computers' connections (PS/2 or otherwise) the cable is attached to the keyboard jack where it draws the power it needs. Once again the device is not limited to applications where wall power is readily available.

The keyboard passthrough provides a source of power for the the Flip Disk when it is connected via the parallel cable adapter.

The one concern with this arrangement is in regard to the receptacle used on the drive. The cable terminates to a 4mm female connector and the male connector on the drive seems a bit delicate. Rather then having a ~4-5mm circular hole in the side of the drive for the power connector to plug into, a 7mm rectangle is provided. Due to the small size of the adapter connector, this makes damaging the male power receptacle a possibility. Also the connector fails to seat all the way remaining 2mm shy of the surface.

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