Pyra maximum storage configuration idle thoughts.

[Grench]

It looks like the Pyra is going to have:

microSD inside

full SD

full SD

USB full size host

USB full size host

With the advent of this 128GB microSD card:

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-microSDXC-Adapter-SDSDQUA-128G-G46A/dp/B00IIJ6W4S

And these 256GB SD cards have been around a while:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022061-REG/lexar_lsd256crbna600_256gb_sdxc_uhs_1_memory_card.html

AND two of these little adapters - I own one, they're pretty sweet...  They're nearly flush to the socket.

http://www.amazon.com/elago-Mobile-microSDHC-Memory-Reader/dp/B002HGFKR8

128GB inside uSD

256GB SD slot 1

256GB SD slot 2

128GB uSD in adapter in USB host 1

128GB uSD in adapter in USB host 2

Total theoretical Pyra internal storage capacity using soon-to-currently available cards:

896GB in a device not much bigger than a 3.5" hard drive.

Note that this isn't meant as a practical exercise.  It just struck me as wow - could cram a lot of stuff into that.  Yes, you could attach the eSATA to a RAID array and have near infinite connected - I was just looking at 'internal' potential.

 

[Majin Wamu]

basically, you can have a lot of space, which is excellent. I am very excited about this new handheld, and i thought the Open Pandora was amazing (still is).

 

[SNESFAN]

USB host allows for an external HDD, even self powered/power pack drives. So size limit goes into the TB ranges I suppose. I don't care for usb microsd/sd adapters as it draws too much power for constant use. Might as well just organize files and label accurately and swap as needed. I find my current storage needs is slightly exceeding technology advances. If I was able to have 2x 512GB SD cards I'd be set.

 

[_wb_]

I expect 512GB SD cards to be available by the time the Pyra is available for purchase. So both the Pandora and the Pyra will have a potential storage capacity of 1 TB. On the Pyra it will be 6 times faster though (~90MB/s instead of ~15MB/s).

It makes more sense to use a bag of smaller SD cards at optimal $/GB price points than to try to cram everything on one or two huge and expensive cards. A small bag filled with SD cards has a great capacity. Imagine a box that fits 10 good old 3.5" floppies. Fill it with 64GB SD cards (I think that is currently the optimal capacity in terms of $/GB). Compare this with the capacity of 10 floppies.

One floppy is 94x90x3.3 mm.

So a stack of ten floppies is 94x90x33mm.

One SD card is 32x24x2.1mm.

Let's say we can fit 3x4x15=180 SD cards in the floppy disk box.

One unformatted floppy was 2MB. The whole box can store 20MB. Let's say 32MB using some non-standard formatting methods.

180 SD cards of 64 GB each can store 11.5 TB in total. Of course with larger capacity cards you can double or quadruple that number.

That means you would need 360,000 boxes of 10 floppies to get the same capacity as one box filled with 64GB SD cards. That is a volume of about 100 cubic meters, weighing about 68 tons.

 

[Neelix]

Cute idea,  though a 3.5 inch floppy disk box isn't really suitable for storage of SD cards,  and 180 of them would be hard to manage anyway.

I'd suggest this solution instead - it only holds 10 cards, but It's about the same size as the base of the Pandora (slightly longer)  and fits snugly inside the same carry case.

(I happened upon this product with local branding at my local OfficeWorks some time ago and have been very happy with it)

- Neelix

EDIT: deleted accidental word repetition

 

[SNESFAN]

I got a microsd card holder that's about the same size as a credit card, fits in my wallet and holds 8 cards very ruggedly. But for full sized cards that looks like a good solution. There was an adapter I was looking at that had a raid controller + 4 full sdcards and esata connector. That may be another non physically wearing solution, not sure how demanding power wise it is.

 

[Grench]

I expect 512GB SD cards to be available by the time the Pyra is available for purchase. So both the Pandora and the Pyra will have a potential storage capacity of 1 TB. On the Pyra it will be 6 times faster though (~90MB/s instead of ~15MB/s).

It makes more sense to use a bag of smaller SD cards at optimal $/GB price points than to try to cram everything on one or two huge and expensive cards. A small bag filled with SD cards has a great capacity. Imagine a box that fits 10 good old 3.5" floppies. Fill it with 64GB SD cards (I think that is currently the optimal capacity in terms of $/GB). Compare this with the capacity of 10 floppies.

One floppy is 94x90x3.3 mm.

So a stack of ten floppies is 94x90x33mm.

One SD card is 32x24x2.1mm.

Let's say we can fit 3x4x15=180 SD cards in the floppy disk box.

One unformatted floppy was 2MB. The whole box can store 20MB. Let's say 32MB using some non-standard formatting methods.

180 SD cards of 64 GB each can store 11.5 TB in total. Of course with larger capacity cards you can double or quadruple that number.

That means you would need 360,000 boxes of 10 floppies to get the same capacity as one box filled with 64GB SD cards. That is a volume of about 100 cubic meters, weighing about 68 tons.

Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of round reel tapes.

lol

 

[Annales]

I am thoroughly enjoying this post. For once no abusive blabber, just pure polished logic.


MOAR!

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

I love to have been living in this generation...

 

[DrHAX]

Over 9000 tb... just saying.

Sent from my Z665C using Tapatalk

 

[spud42]

I got a microsd card holder that's about the same size as a credit card, fits in my wallet and holds 8 cards very ruggedly. But for full sized cards that looks like a good solution. There was an adapter I was looking at that had a raid controller + 4 full sdcards and esata connector. That may be another non physically wearing solution, not sure how demanding power wise it is.

got a link for this? sounds interesting....  off to google.....

 

[SNESFAN]

I got a microsd card holder that's about the same size as a credit card, fits in my wallet and holds 8 cards very ruggedly. But for full sized cards that looks like a good solution. There was an adapter I was looking at that had a raid controller + 4 full sdcards and esata connector. That may be another non physically wearing solution, not sure how demanding power wise it is.

got a link for this? sounds interesting....  off to google.....

http://www.amazon.com/Micro-SATA-Cables-Adapter-Housing/dp/B00B4KO0A6

 

[Grench]

I got a microsd card holder that's about the same size as a credit card, fits in my wallet and holds 8 cards very ruggedly. But for full sized cards that looks like a good solution. There was an adapter I was looking at that had a raid controller + 4 full sdcards and esata connector. That may be another non physically wearing solution, not sure how demanding power wise it is.

got a link for this? sounds interesting....  off to google.....

http://www.amazon.com/Micro-SATA-Cables-Adapter-Housing/dp/B00B4KO0A6

Be warned - that device has a max per slot capacity of 32GB and runs at sub-Pandora card speeds per slot.

A single modern 128GB card in a USB 3.0 card reader will outpace it.

 

[spud42]

cheers Grench....

yep its only SDHC compatible so 32G per slot

 

[Caine]

896GB in a device not much bigger than a 3.5" hard drive.

Note that this isn't meant as a practical exercise.  It just struck me as wow - could cram a lot of stuff into that.

Interesting to see you still consider a TB as large
If there is one thing time has taught me, it is that there is no such thing as sufficient storage.

Data expands to fill all space available. The more space you have, the lower your selection criteria for what to keep

 

[FBnil]

Let's say 32MB using some non-standard formatting methods

Hmm.. all I could find was this slashdot story about the 32Mb floppy:

http://hardware-beta.slashdot.org/story/01/02/06/1916200/forget-superdisks----try-32mb-on-a-floppy

Probably never launched? Would have beaten the Jazz and zipdrives.

The Wiki just says 2880 KB (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_floppy_disk_formats). I remember 3mformat.exe formatting my floppy's like that. (actually, they broke the 3Mb barrier, last time I checked)

Ah.. here is the story:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_HiFD

...The fact that ultimately Superdisk (even as LS-240, which could read and write 240MB and 120MB media, supported 1.44MB HD floppies and could format them up to 30MB) did not survive either is seen as the greatest support for this theory....

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

I want Pyra to swallow the entire universe.

 

[zonova]

Wasn't there some idea about having a few extra spaces in the Pyra just for storing sd cards? Is that viable? It would be pretty nifty, though it would probably make the design a bit less solid

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

Pyra case made of snap-on Sd cards?

 

[Fworg64]

Just roll them into the stylus holder