Actively Cooling Flash Memory

During a recent data transfer to a new MicroSD Card, I noticed the memory card became extremely hot to the touch. There were several Gigabytes (around 30+ GB) transferred, due to transferring all the photos, music and videos from my old card to the new. This made me think, can this contribute to a reduced lifespan of the card? Will this affect the transfer speed during the process? Can heat increase the likelihood of data corruption?

So I set off to test some of these hypotheses. To do that I needed a few things; some software to test transfer speeds and stability, an external card reader/write, a small infrared digital thermometer to take the temperature and a mini-blower style fan to cool the MicroSD Card during the transfer. Below is what I used:

• 1 x USB Multi-Card Reader & Writer
• 1 x 12V DC Mini-Blower Fan
• 1 x Digital IR Thermometer
• 1 x HDD/SSD/SD Bechmarking Software – Crystal DiskMark
• 1 x HDD/SSD/SD Bechmarking & Stability Software – HDTune

Testing Phase

At the start of each test, the ambient temperature of the memory card was 72°F, removed from the reader. Each test started with the card and Reader/Writer removed and allowed to cool to 72°F.

NO FAN

For test one, I plugged in the memory card reader with the MicroSD already inserted. Ran Crystal DiskMark and took temperatures throughout the process, the purpose of this test was to get read/write speeds and the temperatures during each phase:

• Temp before start: 72°F
• Temp during test file creation: 97°F
• Temp (peak) during Read test: 92°F
• Temp (peak) during Write test: 100°F
• Temp at end of test: 92°F
• Temp resting after test: 77.5°F

For the 2^nd test, I ran HDTune to see the stability:

WITH FAN

For test 3, I plugged in the memory card reader with the MicroSD already inserted. Positioned the blower fan 1cm aware from the front of the card reader, allowing air to blow around all sides of the card and even into the Reader/Writer device through the unused slots, potentially cooling the controller inside as well. Ran Crystal DiskMark and took temperatures throughout the process, the purpose of this test was to get read/write speeds and the temperatures during each phase:

• Temp before start: 72°F
• Temp during test file creation: 80.5°F
• Temp (peak) during Read test: 74.5°F
• Temp (peak) during Write test: 77.5°F
• Temp at end of test: 80°F
• Temp resting after test: 72°F

For the 4^th test, I ran HDTune to see the stability:

Comparison

You can see the temperatures are significantly lower with the Fan On:

• 16.5° F Cooler during test file creation
• 17.5° F cooler during the Read test
• 22.5° F cooler during the Write test
• 5.5° F cooler resting after test

Well, obviously the temp’s were going to be less with active cooling. Was I expecting something else? No, what I was looking for was the impact of cooling. As you can see from the zoomed in screenshot below, the transfer was significantly more stable when we had active cooling.

 

Furthermore in the Crystal DiskMark screenshots, you can see the Read speeds was much more consistent with active cooling than without.

Conclusions

From the testing, I was able to prove the following:

• Transfer speeds are more consistent
• Transfer was more stable
• Memory card temperatures remained low

What does this mean? I believe that this indicates that actively cooling a flash memory device such as a memory card will provide the following benefits:

• Longevity of the flash device - Due to less temperature stresses, the device may last longer.
• Faster data transfer to/from the flash device - Due to the consistent speeds, the data will transfer quicker.
• Reduced chance of data corruption - Due to the lower temperatures and stable transfer, there is less chance of corrupted data during the transfer.

Considerations:

1. Extrapolating this for longer transfer’s may increase the need for active cooling.
2. Shorter transfers may have less impact on transfer speeds.
3. Test’s were conducted 3 times for each scenario.

So What? Well, most people don’t need or care about this. However there are a few that might, some of these folks would be:

Data Archivist would benefit from using active cooling as the data they are trying to preserve needs to be free from defect (corruption) and they need to ensure that all data is transferred before the source device (flash media in this case) fails. During large/long transfers, the likelihood of the device failing is higher due to the high temperatures.

Photographers may also find this beneficial as well, their photos can be worth thousands of dollar’s/pound’s/euro’s. Corruption of the source and/or destination image can result in a significant loss of revenue. Using a reliable external Reader/Writer (as opposed to connecting the camera to the computer) and active cooling on the card and Reader/Writer can help reduce the chances of corrupted data and lost revenue.

Thanks for reading and I hope this provided some food for thought. I had been wanting to test this for some time and never got around to it. Perhaps for the next one, I will take apart the Reader/Writer and liquid cool or active cool (fan and heat-sink) the entire card surface during the test.

***Disclaimer: I am not a scientist, these tests were for fun and for a proof of concept. Take the data and conclusions with a pinch of salt and decide for yourself if this information is of any relevance to you and make your own decisions based on your own thoughts and conclusions.

Ultimate Multiboot USD Drive

In my quest to make the ultimate bootable USB Drive, to boot multiple ISO's from a single USB device and that can boot both Linux and Windows 7/Window 10 ISO for installation. I found a number of issues getting it to work with all my desired ISO's. I tried tools Like Yumi, MultiBootUSB, SARDU and even manually creating a GRUB2EUFI USB.

Then I found out about some hardware devices that emulate a DVD/CD drive on PC's, including during boot. Such as the IODD 2531 and the Zalman ZM-VE350. You copy all your ISO's to the HDD, select which ISO you want to mount using the buttons and screen on the device and your done!

However some of these devices have been difficult to track down. So I thought if there was a smaller or DIY option, turns out there is! You can use a RaspberryPi Zero to do the same thing. All thanks this person on GitHub: https://github.com/tjmnmk/gadget_cdrom

Video Demo Here: https://video.ploud.fr/videos/watch/6d0b1014-bb39-4714-a984-15a24a9ac58e

Now, I have not tested this yet, but the video looks promising and I will be doing a project on it. I will take notes and pictures and be sure to post about it on here. If you end up doing the project before me, post in the comments and let me know how it went.
 

Free Windows Office 2016/2019

We all need it at some point, whether it's Microsoft Office 2007, 2010, 2016, 2019 or even Office O365. The fact is, it is too expensive to some and Microsoft's move to a subscription based model where you pay a yearly fee is not helping. That is why I switched to LibreOffice, permanently. LibreOffice is a free and open-source application available on Windows, Mac & Linux! There is even a portable version that you do not need to install.

You see, the more of us that use LibreOffice, the more standard it becomes and the minor incompatibilities diminish. Even Businesses can use it for free, and I hope more do. You can open and edit Microsoft Office created files (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.) in LibreOffice without issues from my experience and even save in the same format.

So give it a try! Save some money and let's help Microsoft reverse their decision to move to a subscription based model.

Download Android Apps

Here is how to download android applications in apk format without a google account. This is useful if you have and android tablet/phone that you don’t want linked to a google account. Just download the .apk file and open it on the tablet to install. You may need to enable "untrusted sources" in the setting of your android device for the apk to install.

Visit https://apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader/  and paste the link to the app from the google store, then click download.

For example when you go to the site above, say you want to download Cisco AnyConnect for android in apk format you can paste either of the link or package name and click download:

1) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cisco.anyconnect.vpn.android.avf

or

2) com.cisco.anyconnect.vpn.android.avf

Home Automation

Say No to WiFi Home Automation

The best option is to use something that communicates over RF such as:

• Zigbee
• Z-Wave
• Insteon
• X10
• etc

I recommend these because they only send data when it is required and is not always communicating with the base station. Unlike the following, which I do not recommend:

• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• Bluetooth LE

 WiFi and Bluetooth will clutter your home with radio waves, slow down bandwidth and waste energy. Not to mention I still believe that too much radio waves is not healthy. At the very least do not get any WiFi home automation products such as Wall Sockets, Light Switches, etc. They are made by manufacturers because they are easier to setup, however the cost both financially, health wise and bandwidth wise, is not worth it.

Vera Controller is an example of a simple setup Z-Wave system, easier than WiFi. I have tried this system and while they advertise you do not need the cloud, you actually do. Without the cloud the Vera system is severely limited, you can barely make any configuration changes and most of the feature are in the cloud. Without the cloud you have basic control.

In the end I used HomeAssistant with a USB Z-Wave controller and I absolutely love it. I even have my Hikvision NVR and standalone IP cameras displayed in the same interface as my Z-Wave devices.

Password Manager

While there are many password manager applications out there, some I have tried such as KeePass and LastPass. Others, that I have not tried include and cannot comment on:

• 1Password
• Bitser
• Dashlane
• Enpass
• Intuitive Password
• Keeper
• Mitto

However I wanted a hardware password manager, so I found Mooltipass Mini.

https://www.themooltipass.com/

Mooltipass is a great little piece of hardware that encrypts your credentials with AES256 and requires two factor authentication (PIN + Smart Card). This device supports Windows, Linux, Mac and even Apple and Android devices (most). It only requires the APP and or Web Plugin to load your passwords, once that is completed you can use it in manual mode and not require any additional software/plugin. Best of all its OpenSource and fairly cheap!!!

DJI Mavic Pro

Pro's and Con's of the DJI Mavic Pro

Pro:

• Portable
• High Quality Build
• 4K Camera
• Video Stabilization using Gimbal
• Flight stability
• Ease of use

Con:

• Firmware upgrade can stop you from flying or restrict your usage
• Data collected about the user and usage is insane