Move Footage from Airframe to External SSD using Smart Controller

[Deleted member 8818]

Move and store files off your Evo II Enterprise and Smart Controller without an an additional android or IOS device. This is the setup I've created, perhaps it'll help you as well. With this setup I'm able to film and transfer all my footage in the field using only what you see here.

Setup: (With the smart controller powerd on)
1. Connect the USB A Hub to the USB A port on the smart controller.

2. Connect a USB A to C cable to the hub and the Evo II Airframe

3. Connect a USB A to C calbe to the hub and the Western Digital D30 SSD external hard drive.

4. Open the smart controller file explorer app. You'll see all three drives appear in your file explorer app on the Smart controller (built-in airframe drive - SSD airframe drive - D30 external SSD drive)

Move files directly from the airframe to the D30 external SSD drive I've included links to all hardware and cables needed to re-create this setup. I've also included some pictures of where I store all this in the Evo II Interprise case. All fits into one space neatly.

I'm using the Evo II Enterprise Kit that comes with the Enterprise V2 Smart Controller with the latest firmware and Explorer App. This should also work ( But I have not tested ) with a non-enterprise V2 Airframe and Smart Controller.

This setup costs around $180

Western Digital Black D30 1TB external USB C drive: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093HHB7ZM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

JSAUX 3.3 foot USB A to C cables: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RYLZPHX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Anker 4-Port USB A 3.0 Hub: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L32B9C2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

 

[Dave Pitman]

Nice workflow.

I just use a bunch of SD cards and change at each battery change. If on a project a long ways from home then the files also gets a looksy on a laptop for proper content and IQ before heading home.

 

[Deleted member 8818]

Nice workflow.

I just use a bunch of SD cards and change at each battery change. If on a project a long ways from home then the files also gets a looksy on a laptop for proper content and IQ before heading home.

Thanks!

Each to their own.

I'm paranoid about both getting dust or debris in the SD card slot, and general wear on the insertion/ejection mechanism during repeated use.
My thought is that the USB C port is better designed and suited for wear and debris rejection, and if it does get damaged I've still got the SD Card removal/insertion method to fall back on. Also if the SD slot gets damaged, it's game over for the airframe for firmware updates via that method... just seems like the USB C port is the overall cheaper of the two opertunity costs.

Also, cables are much cheaper to replace than SD cards, and there's zero posibility of loosing footage on one. And by that token a small external SSD drive allows compatibility with anything with a USB port and the right cable vs, needing a reader or laptop with the right slot.

Your method sounds good, but for me it lacks flexibity, adds risk and increases space needed to pack.

My method however requires a Smart Controller or other Android device (come to think of it, I haven't tested this on my phone or tablet... should work, but should test that).

Thanks for sharing your method, and happy flying.

 

[Dave Pitman]

I'm paranoid about both getting dust or debris in the SD card slot, and general wear on the insertion/ejection mechanism during repeated use.

So far, I've never had a sd card slot failure using craft commercially since 2015 and really haven't heard of any such cases. Probably, one will fail tomorrow, lol.
Most of my flight ops I use an iPad. The SC will be something different for me.

If your workflow gives you some peace of mind in that regard, that's all that matters !

 

[Deleted member 8818]

So far, I've never had a sd card slot failure using craft commercially since 2015 and really haven't heard of any such cases. Probably, one will fail tomorrow, lol.
Most of my flight ops I use an iPad. The SC will be something different for me.

If your workflow gives you some peace of mind in that regard, that's all that matters !

Exactly, whatever works.
Enjoy.
I look forward to your thoughts on the SC when you get it.

 

[Martyc6]

@halzucati,
Are you able to make different folders in the smart controller then Migrate each mission to its folder?

 

[Deleted member 8818]

@halzucati,
Are you able to make different folders in the smart controller then Migrate each mission to its folder?

Yes

 

[SARty]

I'm paranoid about both getting dust or debris in the SD card slot, and general wear on the insertion/ejection mechanism during repeated use.
...
My thought is that the USB C port is better designed and suited for wear and debris rejection
...
Also if the SD slot gets damaged, it's game over for the airframe for firmware updates via that method
...
...and there's zero posibility of loosing footage on one.

I hear what you're saying. Fortunately, in conditions suitable for flying, it's extremely unlikely that you'll have an issue with particles getting into your card slot during a swap. As far as wear and tear on the mechanism itself, these are rated for thousands of insertions/ejections and, by far, the more likely scenario is that it outlasts the rest of your drone.

If you're in an environment with heavy enough wind and particles blowing around, the card slot is probably the last thing you should be concerned with. Otherwise, if you are in conditions suitable for flying, but are still concerned, just put your back to the wind and change the card under your shirt or jacket.

Your method sounds good, but for me it lacks flexibity, adds risk and increases space needed to pack.

So, there's a couple of separate but overlapping topics here. One is safeguarding data and the other is a workflow for reviewing data in the field. These are actually very easy to combine.

Regarding safeguarding data, your method (specifically, cutting files from the aircraft and pasting them to a single drive) introduces significant and unnecessary risks to your data. Because you're talking about field transfers and because you have an Enterprise, I'm assuming you're dealing with commercial work and/or sensitive data. In either case, you need to be able to ensure the integrity of the data you capture. What are you going to do if there's an error in the middle of your cut/paste transfer and you lose the source files on the aircraft's internal drive? What if the controller shuts off or a cable is accidentally pulled? What are you going to do if the drive fails?

The way to mitigate those (and other) concerns is by having at least two instances of the data copied from the source. The way to get those two instances is by copying, not moving, the data from the source (whether captured internally or on a card) onto a drive, then copying it again from the source onto a second drive. If you instead move the data (cut/paste) from the source onto a single drive and there are unknown write errors, when you later go to make your backup onto a second drive, you'll be copying those errors.

As far as swapping cards, it takes a matter of seconds and takes up nearly zero space in your pocket or case (unlike the hub, cables, and drives). It also ensures that your data is safe after every flight (or however often is appropriate for the work you're doing).

Whether or not you use cards, by using two drives, you can both review your data in the field and safeguard it at the same time.

If you do decide to use cards, you can swap out that Anker hub for one that also has a microSD slot.

Almost all professional cameras have dual card slots these days. How cool would it be if we could record to the aircraft's internal drive and card slot simultaneously?

 

[Deleted member 8818]

I hear what you're saying. Fortunately, in conditions suitable for flying, it's extremely unlikely that you'll have an issue with particles getting into your card slot during a swap. As far as wear and tear on the mechanism itself, these are rated for thousands of insertions/ejections and, by far, the more likely scenario is that it outlasts the rest of your drone.

If you're in an environment with heavy enough wind and particles blowing around, the card slot is probably the last thing you should be concerned with. Otherwise, if you are in conditions suitable for flying, but are still concerned, just put your back to the wind and change the card under your shirt or jacket.



So, there's a couple of separate but overlapping topics here. One is safeguarding data and the other is a workflow for reviewing data in the field. These are actually very easy to combine.

Regarding safeguarding data, your method (specifically, cutting files from the aircraft and pasting them to a single drive) introduces significant and unnecessary risks to your data. Because you're talking about field transfers and because you have an Enterprise, I'm assuming you're dealing with commercial work and/or sensitive data. In either case, you need to be able to ensure the integrity of the data you capture. What are you going to do if there's an error in the middle of your cut/paste transfer and you lose the source files on the aircraft's internal drive? What if the controller shuts off or a cable is accidentally pulled? What are you going to do if the drive fails?

The way to mitigate those (and other) concerns is by having at least two instances of the data copied from the source. The way to get those two instances is by copying, not moving, the data from the source (whether captured internally or on a card) onto a drive, then copying it again from the source onto a second drive. If you instead move the data (cut/paste) from the source onto a single drive and there are unknown write errors, when you later go to make your backup onto a second drive, you'll be copying those errors.

As far as swapping cards, it takes a matter of seconds and takes up nearly zero space in your pocket or case (unlike the hub, cables, and drives). It also ensures that your data is safe after every flight (or however often is appropriate for the work you're doing).

Whether or not you use cards, by using two drives, you can both review your data in the field and safeguard it at the same time.

If you do decide to use cards, you can swap out that Anker hub for one that also has a microSD slot.

Almost all professional cameras have dual card slots these days. How cool would it be if we could record to the aircraft's internal drive and card slot simultaneously?

Great advice. And to clarify, by "move" I mean copy. Sorry for not being general. You're correct, mission critical data is never moved it's always copied, redundantly.

From my perspective It'd be great to have a dual-record system, which to some extent can be accomplished by screen record on the smart controller.

Thanks very much for your consideration and input.

- Hal

 

[herein2021]

Move and store files off your Evo II Enterprise and Smart Controller without an an additional android or IOS device. This is the setup I've created, perhaps it'll help you as well. With this setup I'm able to film and transfer all my footage in the field using only what you see here.

Setup: (With the smart controller powerd on)
1. Connect the USB A Hub to the USB A port on the smart controller.

2. Connect a USB A to C cable to the hub and the Evo II Airframe

3. Connect a USB A to C calbe to the hub and the Western Digital D30 SSD external hard drive.

4. Open the smart controller file explorer app. You'll see all three drives appear in your file explorer app on the Smart controller (built-in airframe drive - SSD airframe drive - D30 external SSD drive)

Move files directly from the airframe to the D30 external SSD drive I've included links to all hardware and cables needed to re-create this setup. I've also included some pictures of where I store all this in the Evo II Interprise case. All fits into one space neatly.

I'm using the Evo II Enterprise Kit that comes with the Enterprise V2 Smart Controller with the latest firmware and Explorer App. This should also work ( But I have not tested ) with a non-enterprise V2 Airframe and Smart Controller.

This setup costs around $180

Western Digital Black D30 1TB external USB C drive: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093HHB7ZM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

JSAUX 3.3 foot USB A to C cables: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RYLZPHX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Anker 4-Port USB A 3.0 Hub: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L32B9C2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

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That sounds overly complicated, for me simplicity is everything; I've been flying drones for commercial work since 2014 and all I've ever done is removed the card and put it into the laptop's card reader in the field or into my editing workstation in the office; never had a single problem doing it this way.

I'm all about keeping it simple which is why I don't have the SC, I don't use external recorders for my cinema cameras, and I like my cinema cameras to have built in ND filters and XLR options. Also pre-pandemic (and hopefully post pandemic) I travelled quite a bit for projects and when you are on the road simple is even more important.

But hey, whatever works for you is all that matters; maybe your post will help someone at some point discover new storage options if they have the SC; but just as a reference point I've travelled all over the world for projects and never needed anything but my iPad mini, microSD cards, and a reader to transfer them to a computer.

 

[The Autelian]

Move and store files off your Evo II Enterprise and Smart Controller without an an additional android or IOS device. This is the setup I've created, perhaps it'll help you as well. With this setup I'm able to film and transfer all my footage in the field using only what you see here.

Setup: (With the smart controller powerd on)
1. Connect the USB A Hub to the USB A port on the smart controller.

2. Connect a USB A to C cable to the hub and the Evo II Airframe

3. Connect a USB A to C calbe to the hub and the Western Digital D30 SSD external hard drive.

4. Open the smart controller file explorer app. You'll see all three drives appear in your file explorer app on the Smart controller (built-in airframe drive - SSD airframe drive - D30 external SSD drive)

Move files directly from the airframe to the D30 external SSD drive I've included links to all hardware and cables needed to re-create this setup. I've also included some pictures of where I store all this in the Evo II Interprise case. All fits into one space neatly.

I'm using the Evo II Enterprise Kit that comes with the Enterprise V2 Smart Controller with the latest firmware and Explorer App. This should also work ( But I have not tested ) with a non-enterprise V2 Airframe and Smart Controller.

This setup costs around $180

Western Digital Black D30 1TB external USB C drive: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093HHB7ZM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

JSAUX 3.3 foot USB A to C cables: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RYLZPHX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Anker 4-Port USB A 3.0 Hub: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L32B9C2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

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[The Autelian]

Move and store files off your Evo II Enterprise and Smart Controller without an an additional android or IOS device. This is the setup I've created, perhaps it'll help you as well. With this setup I'm able to film and transfer all my footage in the field using only what you see here.

Setup: (With the smart controller powerd on)
1. Connect the USB A Hub to the USB A port on the smart controller.

2. Connect a USB A to C cable to the hub and the Evo II Airframe

3. Connect a USB A to C calbe to the hub and the Western Digital D30 SSD external hard drive.

4. Open the smart controller file explorer app. You'll see all three drives appear in your file explorer app on the Smart controller (built-in airframe drive - SSD airframe drive - D30 external SSD drive)

Move files directly from the airframe to the D30 external SSD drive I've included links to all hardware and cables needed to re-create this setup. I've also included some pictures of where I store all this in the Evo II Interprise case. All fits into one space neatly.

I'm using the Evo II Enterprise Kit that comes with the Enterprise V2 Smart Controller with the latest firmware and Explorer App. This should also work ( But I have not tested ) with a non-enterprise V2 Airframe and Smart Controller.

This setup costs around $180

Western Digital Black D30 1TB external USB C drive: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093HHB7ZM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

JSAUX 3.3 foot USB A to C cables: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RYLZPHX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Anker 4-Port USB A 3.0 Hub: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L32B9C2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

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As soon as you mentioned a western Digital, I moved past your post even though your intentions are noble! Western Digital and Seagate are notorious for breaking g down. Total garbage!
I recommend LaCie or even the SSD Sandisk or Samsung drives.

 

[Deleted member 8818]

As soon as you mentioned a western Digital, I moved past your post even though your intentions are noble! Western Digital and Seagate are notorious for breaking g down. Total garbage!
I recommend LaCie or even the SSD Sandisk or Samsung drives.

Well, sure. Seems a pity to skip an entire concept because one part of it has known issues. But each to their own. Just out of curiosity, where could I find the information you're describing? Like statistics, reviews, details on which specific drives work best and why? Please be specific and don't reply with something like "it's known" or link to one review. I'm looking to something I can do an actual data comparison on.

 

[The Autelian]

Well, sure. Seems a pity to skip an entire concept because one part of it has known issues. But each to their own. Just out of curiosity, where could I find the information you're describing? Like statistics, reviews, details on which specific drives work best and why? Please be specific and don't reply with something like "it's known" or link to one review. I'm looking to something I can do an actual data comparison on.

Just do a google search on drive integrity with these drives and you will see!

 

[Deleted member 8818]

Just do a google search on drive integrity with these drives and you will see!

Ok, that's what I figured.

 

[The Autelian]

Ok, that's what I figured.

It’s not up to me to do your dirty work!

 

[30ADroneguy]

Move and store files off your Evo II Enterprise and Smart Controller without an an additional android or IOS device. This is the setup I've created, perhaps it'll help you as well. With this setup I'm able to film and transfer all my footage in the field using only what you see here.

Setup: (With the smart controller powerd on)
1. Connect the USB A Hub to the USB A port on the smart controller.

2. Connect a USB A to C cable to the hub and the Evo II Airframe

3. Connect a USB A to C calbe to the hub and the Western Digital D30 SSD external hard drive.

4. Open the smart controller file explorer app. You'll see all three drives appear in your file explorer app on the Smart controller (built-in airframe drive - SSD airframe drive - D30 external SSD drive)

Move files directly from the airframe to the D30 external SSD drive I've included links to all hardware and cables needed to re-create this setup. I've also included some pictures of where I store all this in the Evo II Interprise case. All fits into one space neatly.

I'm using the Evo II Enterprise Kit that comes with the Enterprise V2 Smart Controller with the latest firmware and Explorer App. This should also work ( But I have not tested ) with a non-enterprise V2 Airframe and Smart Controller.

This setup costs around $180

Western Digital Black D30 1TB external USB C drive: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093HHB7ZM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

JSAUX 3.3 foot USB A to C cables: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RYLZPHX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Anker 4-Port USB A 3.0 Hub: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L32B9C2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

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I just got my Enterprise package V2 and was trying to figure out a quicker setup. This is perfect!

 

[Deleted member 8818]

I just got my Enterprise package V2 and was trying to figure out a quicker setup. This is perfect!

Cool, love to see what you pick when you get it setup.