[Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?

[Lynn Evans]

Please allow me to chime or clang in on this subject.

The cartridges are indeed flash drives in a different form that is in a 
cartridge with a big finger hole on one end and the USB connector on the 
other end.

The cable used to connect a blank cartridge to the computer is a standard 
USB extension cable. The cable will be able to connect one end to the other 
end like a necklace. I have been told these cables can be found in the 
Dollar Store for you guessed it a dollar.

NLS did not choose to use flash drives or even smaller flash cards because 
of the dexterity issues that some patrons would have with working with small 
objects.

The use of a flash card reader along with a flash card is problematic at 
best. NLS has recommended during the BARD pilot phrase that flash cards not 
be used with the NLS digital players. Some may have reported some success in 
their use. Others have reported slow access of data transfer from card to 
player causing the player to loose its place in the book.

It is a waist of human resources and librarian's time for them to sit at a 
computer all day erasing cartridges and then replacing the files with newly 
requested books from NLS patrons.   NLS has contracted with a company to 
load books, mass produce books and ship them out to our regional libraries. 
Like the audio cassettes the cartridges are kept in their blue shipping 
boxes ready to be pulled off the library shelves, affixed with the patron's 
address card and mailed out.   What would be the point of fixing the 
cartridges so they can not be erased only to have the librarians replace the 
books with other books on the same cartridge?


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Greg Kearney" <gkearney at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion of Digital Talking Books" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2011 3:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?


> It would be possible to build an SD card reader into the housing of a NSL 
> Drive. We have considered building such a thing but right now the drives 
> are less expensive and you have to have a really BIG order to justify all 
> the plastic production work.
>
> Gregory Kearney | Manager Accessible Media
> Association for the Blind of WA - Guide Dogs WA
> PO Box 101, Victoria Park WA 6979 | 61 Kitchener Ave, Victoria Park WA 
> 6100
> Tel: 08 9311 8246 | Fax: 08 9361 8696 | www.guidedogswa.com.au
> Tel: 307-224-4022 (North America)
> Email: greg.kearney at guidedogswa.com.au
> Email: gkearney at gmail.com
>
> On 30/07/2011, at 1:31 AM, Eric SS wrote:
>
>> Paul, good question. It would be interesting.
>>
>> I was just wondering why the blank cartridges we can buy are limited to 1 
>> or
>> 2GB. Also, why couldn't there be an empty cartridge so that we could 
>> insert
>> an SD card of whatever capacity.
>>
>> Curious minds keep us from getting work done...
>>
>> Eric SS
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Dtb-talk mailing list
>> Dtb-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/dtb-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> Dtb-talk:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/dtb-talk_nfbnet.org/gkearney%40gmail.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Dtb-talk mailing list
> Dtb-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/dtb-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> Dtb-talk:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/dtb-talk_nfbnet.org/evans-lynn%40comcast.net