Vulnerable USB drive gets wrapped in aluminum for security's sake

Corsair's Flash Voyager comes straight from the factory in a water- and shock-resistant enclosure, but for one particular owner, said chassis just wasn't hardcore enough. Rather than swapping it out for an Iron Drive, he took matters into his own hands by gutting the innards and custom building an ultra-rugged aluminum casing. Showing off his fantastic attention to detail, a machined slot for the keychain and a LED indicator hole were included, too. Hit up the read link for the walkthrough if you're feeling atypically industrious -- otherwise, just kick back and admire.

[Via Hack N Mod, thanks Joe]

[Anthony @ Mar 18th 2008 11:55AM]

Too bad he USB part is still exposed. That's my biggest complaint about Corsair. Otherwise it's pretty damned amazing given the size of the parts being made.

[Dualboot @ Mar 18th 2008 12:19PM]

The other problem is, the owner is now walking with a limp from all that bulk and weight he's carrying in his pocket. There also the problem of "Is that your USB drive in your pocket or are you happy to see me?"

[Brian @ Mar 18th 2008 12:39PM]

Exactly...lol. Very well said.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Mar 18th 2008 1:16PM]

Exactly. One bump while connected could still shear the usb connector right off.

[Wwhat @ Mar 19th 2008 12:10PM]

Yeah 2 grammes of aluminium requires a truck to carry, right..

[Bubba @ Mar 18th 2008 12:21PM]

Does it Blend?

[Anthony @ Mar 18th 2008 12:26PM]

No.

[chrise524 @ Mar 18th 2008 12:28PM]

Have you tried?

[JohnTitor @ Mar 18th 2008 12:23PM]

Corsair Voyager?
I think you mean the Corsair Survivor
also a mention of the Corsair PadLock would be cool

[Anthony @ Mar 18th 2008 12:27PM]

No. The Voyager. The Survivor is already pretty sturdy- big aluminum tube.

[martin @ Mar 18th 2008 12:23PM]

i really wouldnt mind one of them, on a chain it'd be useful if you ever got mugged too

[Fed @ Mar 18th 2008 12:24PM]

::looks down at his ironkey:: meh...mines better

[adrian @ Mar 18th 2008 12:30PM]

It looks well made, but the weight might place some strain on the USB port.

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 18th 2008 12:54PM]

Weight?

"Aluminium is a soft, lightweight, malleable metal..."

Aluminum is known for its relatively low weight and anti-corrosive behaviors.

Steel, lead, or iron... then you might have a problem.

[CraigJ @ Mar 18th 2008 1:45PM]

Make it our of titanium and I might buy one...

[SeanJ @ Mar 18th 2008 12:33PM]

so why didn't he just buy a Corsair Survivor that comes in an alumnium, water-proof, crush-proof, four-horsemen-of-the-apocalypse-proof, casing????

[~eric @ Mar 18th 2008 10:36PM]

The guy who made this is an engineering student in NJ. He had access to the mill, raw materials and some free time i assume. Cool Project. I talked to him when i did the original post over at toolmonger.com. The most expensive part of the build was the taps he bought to set the screws.

[Brian @ Mar 18th 2008 12:40PM]

Apparently, he had more time (and aluminum stock) than money...

[Mike @ Mar 18th 2008 12:57PM]

Pointless... The USB connector is still vulnerable. Sure, a carefully placed tire won't hurt it, but by the same token, a carefully placed tire could hurt it...

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 18th 2008 1:02PM]

This is badass. I would pay good money for one like that.

[Silas @ Mar 18th 2008 1:25PM]

Just get a cruzer titanium. They look better and have a retractable usb interface.

[Wwhat @ Mar 19th 2008 12:20PM]

Cruzer is rounder, but I wonder how thick the actual casing is, and conversely if it's weaker.
Also I like the industrial design on this one, and it's a home project so it's a bit odd to compare it to an off-the-shelf product perhaps.
The thing about this one is that you can take any old flashdisk and make one yourself as you like it and have a feeling of accomplishment.

[BigD145 @ Mar 18th 2008 1:40PM]

This is old news. Last year's old news. I thought engadget covered this exact bit of old news at the time.

[Wwhat @ Mar 19th 2008 12:11PM]

Yep, it's pretty old, but who cares since it's a home project.

[Komitadjie @ Mar 18th 2008 3:07PM]

My friend and I had looked into a similar project about six months ago, after reading something about this being done. We ended up discounting the idea is not feasible, primarily because of the difficulty of protecting the exposed USB connector, and the stress that the mass of aluminum is going to put on the PCB just behind the connector. It's a nice piece of work, though, and a good display of machining.

[Xultar @ Mar 18th 2008 3:27PM]

The fucking usb port @the end is still exposed. Isn't that where most of the damage occurs?

[Lars @ Mar 18th 2008 5:49PM]

Overkill, but I like it!

[Taylor @ Mar 18th 2008 9:07PM]

my biggest pet peeve has always been the keychain loop. Piece of junk, every time. I have owned around 10 now and to date ever one of them has broken off my keychain. And it seems no one has engineered a good way to conceal the USB port.