Connecting a PDA to a USB Laptop HDD for extra storage
Background:
I recently purchased a HP iPAQ hx 2490 Pocket PC (PDA with Windows Mobile 5.0 Operating System) to take overseas for internet access & entertainment (see figure 1).
Problem Description:
I want to take a lot of entertainment data overseas (movies & mp3's etc.) and also use the device to back up a lot of high resolution photo's that we will be taking.
The PDA could do this either with SD Cards or CF cards, however these mediums are highly expensive storage mediums eg:
$109 AUD - 1gb Sandisk Ultra II Compact Flash Card (from Organiser World)
$109 AUD - 1gb Sandisk Ultra II Secure Digital Card (from Organiser World)
compared to normal Hard Drives eg:
$145 AUD - 80gb Samsung 2.5 inch'' Inch ATA Notebook HDD Hard Disk (from msy)
Ideally, I would like to be able to plug the PDA directly into a laptop HDD Hard Disk using a USB laptop HDD case (eg. refer figure 2.), however when I connect the devices in this fashion (regardless of whether I am using the HP charger adapter to power the cradle), the USB laptop HDD light does not come on to indicate that it is being powered by the PDA.
This indicates to me that there is a master-slave type relationship between USB devices, and that the HP iPAQ 2490 is not capable of performing the 'master' role.
I wonder whether this is a software/Operating System issue with Windows Mobile 5.0 (ie. whether it is/is not permitted by the Operating System)? If so, then I wonder if anyone has written PDA software that will facilitate this connection?
Problem Solution:
The Ratoc USB 1.1 Host Adapter CF Card (CFU1U) (see figure 3) looks like it will solve the problem (of connecting the iPaq PDA to the USB laptop HDD Hard Disk), however at $139 (US), the cost is more then I would like to pay (especially if it would be technically possible to write software that would make the situation in figure 2 work).
Also, I have not come across the Ratoc card here in Australia so have been unable to confirm whether it will work as hoped for with a USB laptop HDD Hard Disk. The question is whether the Windows Mobile 5.0 Operating System will pick up the USB HDD and allow it to be used for transfer of data.
