VHS casette hacked into USB drive? Yes, please
By Laura June 
posted Apr 22nd 2009 11:02AM
posted Apr 22nd 2009 11:02AM
Don't bother asking questions, just admit to yourself that you really might want one (if not several) of these. Using very few materials, you can make yourself a USB storage device which looks just like a VHS tape with a giant wire sticking out of it! It's not a terribly complicated affair -- connecting the USB cable to a thumb drive inside the tape, some simple circuit board wiring -- and presto! If you're willing to spend three or four hours and around $10-15 a pop, you could finally make use of your lonely, disused 227 collection. Check out an informative, educational video of the process after the break.
Cool I needed a creative way to get rid of my old Ninja Turtles VHS tapes. My mom would thank you (if this were 15 years ago)
Is this even legal in the USA? DMCA violation?
Funny that you say that, since the legality of making copies on VHS is won years ago already I wonder if you can sneakily extend that right into this day and age via this method, you are after all saving stuff on a VHS cassette :)
(Not that I give a damn about modern legalities any more, they lost all claim on rights and morality by their own actions so I reject any law made the last 15 years as invalid)
why do you even need a circuit board, or to spend 3+ hours to do this? Can't you just wedge the usb drive (whole) inside the tape and just make a hole for the USB cable to stick through? that's what I would do, But I'm lazy and dont know how to solder circuit boards.
did you watch the video?
ditto
That's what I thought at first, but watch the video. They have it all hooked up so the tape spins, and the casing lights up. I'm a crapton more lazy though, I'll just stick an old USB hard drive in one for laughs.
no i didnt (can't) watch the video here at work. But i guess that answers my question. Thanks.
A great place to store sensitive data. Who would steal a VHS tape???
Someone who's looking for retro pr0n?
From a novelty standpoint... very cool!
I'm going to make once for betamax! Now that's a novelty.
The 227 joke came from Chelsey Handler!
Nice.
But it would be cool if it was a video version of those cassette adapters you get for old car stereos. Pointless perhaps, but cool none the less.
Interesting novelty project!
I see where he's going. I don't want to go there, but I see where he's going.
That guy is annoying, his movements, his voice/speech pattern.
Nice hack though with the movement while transferring, it nicely uses the relative slowness of cheap USB drives.
I'm pretty sure he's Canadian, too.
im sorry but this is just stupid
I, with all due respect to whoever came up with this idea, second that.
Aw go on, having mechanical action and light while you read from flash is nice, pointless sure but it's fun.
Crapgadget. Just kidding...kind of. Seems cool if you're into hacking things, but I wouldn't buy one :-)
AGH! It's spinning the wrong way! That's going to annoy me the rest of the day!!!
Thank goodness someone else spotted it. At least it'll not just be me fuming for the sake of swapping a pair of power wires over to the motor!
Be Kind - Rewind!
Not to mention that there's no tape...
Jeez, some people REALLY have too much time on their hands!
I'm surprised he didn't do a stop and zoom in on his degrees and certifications on the wall in the beginning...
i never watched the video, but im going to assume that he has a sandwich artist diploma from subway or fast-food management trainee certificate from burger king.
I thought it was kind of cool, but it'd be SLIGHTLY better if it was made to look like there was actually tape on the spool.
wow lets see, I want a usb memory key to be 100x bigger ... this is a lame idea!!!!!!!!!!
Nice "Cheesey" label which has all his info on it. Clever cheese indeed. Full of win.
Do it with a cassette and I'll be impressed.
Nice, However instead of a permanent cable, a USB "B" port should have been put under the flap instead.
Half a Job IMHO
.
As you said, they should have mounted a USB (female) port on the tape, and converted a VHS machine to 'dock' a USB male port when the tape was inserted. This could then be passed through to the computer to play back ripped video's via media player. Then replace all tapes with DVD-Rips on the embedded USB memory and impress all of your mates when you put a VHS in your player and get top quality video out.
I guess if you want a job doing properly.... ;)
LOL so you are talking about gutting an old VCR and putting a PC in it. Then put movies on the storage space on the VHS tape, then just put the "Tape" in the "VCR" and impress your mates. That would be rather cool.
The whole reason for this project is to make a "Secret" hiding place for your "Secret" files... A VHS tape with a wire hanging out is pretty obvious. Also the lack of "Tape" makes it stand out as well.
I think the glow and spin is pointless. Make it really hidden and leave some tape on a reel. There is probably even enough room for a 2.5" HDD to be put into it.
I'm not impressed.
I have made (and given as present) a 60GB Teddy Bear external drive, and I have received as present a working 4GB Zippo ligter/USB key which I like and use.
I also own a 2GB USB roll point pen which also has a laser pointer I bought in a supermarket,
So I'm all set with USB drives: that guy kan keep his crappy videtape and stuff it.
I'm growing tired of these "put X inside a Y" case/drive mods. I could glue a USB thumbdrive inside a box of detergent, and then I have a kitschy USB TideDrive or something. Doesn't mean it is exactly innovative.
TideDrive FTW!
+1
I agree. I'd rather remove all the guts, rig a 7 port USB hub with 16 GB sticks, with each one having its own activity LED on the lid side, arrange it all nice and tidily, and have myself some smexi (pseudo) miniature DAS action :)
TideDrive! Dude, you just won at the interwebs
Please.
Get back to me when someone shoves a whole PC in one.
This... really isn't that interesting. Slow tech news day?
I really cannot believe no one has said this, but this would be about 8 million times cooler if it actually off loaded the data to the tape. Still pointless but much more impressive.
actually scratch that this would be even better if you had to plug the cassette into a vhs player and it had to be rewinding to access the data or something, I am sure it could be made to work.
Encryption through obsolescence anyone?
Rip out the motor and read heads from a VCR and connect with some sort of a tape drive data controller. That would be awesome!!
An old tv copy of "Romancing the Stone"? Wrong! Hours of digital pr0n!
This already exists and trust me, it sucks big time. Just buy an old DAT streamer if you want to minimize media accessibility.
so you need a VCR to read the data?
this has been on Instructables for quite a long time
Neat.
But way to big.
Yah try fitting that thing in your back pocket/purse
You never have to worry about losing it
Now i want my BetaMax USB.