Vulnerable USB drive gets wrapped in aluminum for security's sake
By Darren Murph 
posted Mar 18th 2008 11:46AM
posted Mar 18th 2008 11:46AM
[Via Hack N Mod, thanks Joe]
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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...
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.
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?"
Exactly...lol. Very well said.
Exactly. One bump while connected could still shear the usb connector right off.
Yeah 2 grammes of aluminium requires a truck to carry, right..
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.
Does it Blend?
No.
Have you tried?
Corsair Voyager?
I think you mean the Corsair Survivor
also a mention of the Corsair PadLock would be cool
No. The Voyager. The Survivor is already pretty sturdy- big aluminum tube.
i really wouldnt mind one of them, on a chain it'd be useful if you ever got mugged too
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????
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.
::looks down at his ironkey:: meh...mines better
It looks well made, but the weight might place some strain on the USB port.
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.
Make it our of titanium and I might buy one...
Apparently, he had more time (and aluminum stock) than money...
This is badass. I would pay good money for one like that.
Just get a cruzer titanium. They look better and have a retractable usb interface.
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.
This is old news. Last year's old news. I thought engadget covered this exact bit of old news at the time.
Yep, it's pretty old, but who cares since it's a home project.
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.
The fucking usb port @the end is still exposed. Isn't that where most of the damage occurs?
Overkill, but I like it!