Mobile DIT / Data Transfer station - (on a $2K budget)

dmpsk8

dmpsk8

Well-known member
Intro:
About 6 months ago, my production house had finally had enough of our on-set data transfer dilemmas: cables everywhere, an bunch of components, a bulky UPS, and a loose laptop in busted bag. It was a recipe for a data catastrophe. We all know how hard it can be to keep a mobile transfer station tidy, quick and professional with a tight crew. We were inspired by this post on Cinema5D:
http://www.cinema5d.com/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=20226

Our guys had a list of must haves from the start:
  • Dual card readers
  • Automated data transfer and verification software
  • 2 mirrored Raid Drives (FW800 or better)
  • A cinema display, or something of equal quality
  • 45 minutes of battery backup power for the system
  • external power output for drives / batt chargers
  • built in lighting for dark sets
  • Solid, water resistant case
  • Apple computer of some sort
  • Controllable internal cooling system

Now for the real challenge, a firm $2,000 budget (including the computer!). There are a hundred different ways a project like this could send prices skyrocketing up to $7K or $8K. You could easily spend $2K on a nice Macbook Pro alone.

And I'll be the first to confess we weren't able to pack a RedRocket or tricked out MBP into this puppy. In fact we had to make some tough calls to keeps costs in check. But, the end result was solid and effective. We got everything we needed, and most of what we wanted.

For now, the phone pic below should get you intrigued. We're 95% complete at the moment. Stay tuned for the full write up and all the details:

DIT_teaser.jpg
 
Last edited:
First Look

First Look

Overview:


IMG_5940DIT_114.jpg


IMG_5941DIT_115.jpg


IMG_5935DIT_110.jpg


It's late and I'm beat, so excuse any glaring typos in this little rant. I'll start on the outside and work my way in. The system is housed in a pelican 1560 case. The case is awesome, it's built like a tank. The handle and wheels for rolling have been removed to lessen vibration to the internal components. We hope to upgrade to solid state drives in the future, but for now we're rolling old school. Mechanical drives make rolling this puppy an uncomfortable thought. A year's worth of rough concrete would likely kill our drives. So man up gentlemen. You'll need to carry this puppy to its location.

IMG_5949DIT_121.jpg


IMG_5948DIT_120.jpg


The 1560 came with pick and pluck foam in the lower compartment (removed) and a separate foam insert for the lid. It also has metal enforced grommets so the case can be secured with a pad lock.

Adding external power output was critical for us. Constantly patching power to a charging station can be a mess. Now, it can all be kept in one spot. We used a shallow-mount electrical box and a weather proof outlet cover from Lowes. The outlet was sealed with epoxy and is virtually weatherproof. Very handy.

IMG_5945DIT_118.jpg


IMG_5946DIT_119.jpg


The AC inlet was a point of much discussion. We talked about just running a loose cable out of the case, but that wasn't very tidy. So, we ordered up a recessed ac inlet and will mount it at the rear lower corner of the case. Now we can run a stinger direct to the outside of the case. No extra cables needed. This type of port also keeps the pins of the edition plug safe during transportation. This is actually the final part we're waiting on, so no pics of that yet.

Opening up the case reveals all the components above the "deck". The deck is basically a false floor type of shelf that hides the system's guts -- we'll talk about that stuff later.

IMG_5951DIT_122.jpg


IMG_5952DIT_123.jpg


IMG_5953DIT_124.jpg


The computer decision was a tough one. We really looked into the mac mini, but decided to go with a MacBook Pro because it's built in battery would extend the systems overall battery run time when we didn't have AC. It also gave us a built in cinema display with minimal added cost. The only downside was that the ports on the laptop are a bit limited, so we had to add with a USB hub to run some of the components. No big deal.

IMG_5943DIT_116.jpg


The laptop locks into a riser that allows air to cool it from underneath. The riser was built from the bottom of a plastic hard case for 13" MBP's. To its left is a computer cable port. The stainless teeth do a great job of holding all the cables still. This will extend the life of the cables quite a bit by keeping them from moving around.

IMG_5928DIT_103.jpg


IMG_5931DIT_106.jpg


IMG_5930DIT_105.jpg


We removed the controls of our battery backup and fan system and moved it to a location where it can be easily monitored and controlled. The fan system monitors the temperatures of the raid drives and the air below the deck. The readout shows that temperature and let's you control the fan speed accordingly.

IMG_5933DIT_108.jpg


IMG_5932DIT_107.jpg


IMG_5926DIT_101.jpg


IMG_5936DIT_111.jpg


Our 2 mirrored raid drives are G-Raid Minis. Each drive has esata, dual FW800, and USB connections. Both drives are connected via firewire. They're seated on rubber risers to absorb vibrations and strapped into place by a 2" velcro strap. This is so that the drives can be swapped out for a fresh set if post needs footage quickly. I love these drives, they're built rock solid and have a 3 year warranty.

IMG_5944DIT_117.jpg


IMG_5938DIT_113.jpg


IMG_5927DIT_102.jpg


Hmmm, what else. The multicard readers are seated under the front of the laptop riser and velcro into place. There's a rope light under the laptop riser too, it provides just enough light to see around the case when it's dark on set. Luckily the keyboard is backlit so no light is needed up top. Mounted in the top lid is a built in set of compact computer speakers. While fooling around without the lid, we thickened up the foam above the laptop to ensure it secures the laptop while closed.

IMG_5937DIT_112.jpg


IMG_5934DIT_109.jpg


IMG_5954DIT_125.jpg




I'll grab some pics of what's under the deck later this week and try to go over all that stuff too. More to come.
 
Last edited:
Whoa. This is really awesome.
Thanks for sharing thus far.

I'll save the butt load of questions for later after the final write up.
 
that is pretty stunning. I had an idea for a project similar to this using desktop PC components to build the whole system into the box but this looks far more versatile than the system i had envisioned.
 
Parts List

Parts List

Here's a quick parts list, hopefully I didn't forget anything. The only disclaimer is that we already owned the G-Raid Minis, and those aren't too cheap. You could easily sub them for cheaper drives:



1. Refurb Macbook Pro 13" - 2.4ghz / 4gig or ram / 250gig HD
$900


2. Shot Put Pro (App)
 Automated transfer and byte-for-byte verification
$99

http://www.imagineproducts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=2

3. Transcend multi card reader ($15x2)
 $30

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=transcend_card_reader-_-20-208-471-_-Product


6. Pelican 1560 case
$150

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/388343-REG/Pelican_1560_000_110_1560_Case_with_Foam.html


7. UPS Battery backup - Cyber Power slim
 $175

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102087

8. Electrical supplies - weather proof outlet, AC Inet
 $45

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-5239-...ef=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1308749171&sr=8-3-spell


9. Misc Velcro, epoxy, paint, trim, pvc & construction materials for install
 $150 approx.


10. 13" Macbook Pro Hard Case (Amazon)
 $18

11. Cheap Backup Speakers
 $5

12. 4-6ft Rope Light
 $7
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/productdetails.aspx?sku=998015727&source=GoogleBase

13. USB LED Light (dollar store)
 $1

14. Stick-On Cable organizer (eBay)
 $8

-------------------------------------------------------

Total - Approx. $1700 (No Drives Included!)

-----------------------------------------------------------

Already owned:

1. Two G-Raid Minis 1TB
 $600

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145418

2. Spare sheet of 1/4" Plexiglass
 $?

3. Fan and old Fan Control Panel
 $?

4. USB Hub
 $20
 
The Guts

The Guts

The Guts:

Well guys, I wish I had more pics of the guts while the case was being built. Below is a shot of the inner components while I was doing up the wiring. Ignore the loose cables that haven't been secured yet, they're locked down now.


The UPS is fit at the boom front of the case. The entire bottom of the unit is covered in 3M double sided auto tape - this stuff is strong. Then, we used covered pipe strap to make sure it couldn't move at all. The pipe straps we secured at each end with carriage bolts and a stop nut.

The power for the fan and the fan controls was wired off of the UPS faceplate when it was relocated.

The ledge for the deck was made from PVC quarter round. It was screwed in from the outside of the case, then glued with epoxy on the inside.

Using a shallow mount outlet box allowed us to add the outlets outside the case with losing a ton of room. The cable that feeds the box was cut from the extra cord that was trimmed from the UPS, then tipped with a male Edison plug. The outlet can run off the systems battery.

As you can see, fitting all the AC adapters under the deck was tough. It felt like a bad game of tetris. We ended up using a short extension cord to relocate one UPS outlet and give us a bit more room.

There are a million execution details I could blabber on about. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

DITCaseinterior.jpg




The recessed AC inlet was also screwed in and epoxy-ed in place. Here a couple shots of it that I didn't include before:

DITACinlet.jpg


DITACInletinstalled.jpg
 
damn u. . . this thing looks hot. . . and i dont have enough money for this kinda stuff. . . *looks for gear he might sell to invest in something like this* damn u. . .
 
I am glad that my post inspired you :) Your build looks great!!! Was relocating the front of the UPS as much fun for you as it was for us? One quick thing that I would recommend is a locking power connector. It's not a huge deal because of the ups and the MBP but I like the idea of extra security. Down side is the cable won't just pull out if tripped over and they are not easily replaceable.

http://www.neutrik.com/us/en/industry/204_390365502/powerCON_20_Amp_productlist.aspx

Again great job.
 
mcgeedigital said:
I would buy one of those if you built them for other people.
Click to expand...
Matt, drop me a line if you want me to put one together for you since I am right down the road.

I talked to Erich about renting ours out but he was a little hesitant about renting out "Data" stuff which I can understand.
 
Looks like I'm going to do a similar build. Hopefully it comes out as clean as this one.

Kegan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top