Automated transfer of usb files

Using Arduino Project Guidance
1

I have a number of medical devices which helpfully save their data to usb.
Unfortunately the data then needs to be transferred to a server for storage.
It would be really awesome if the data, once saved to usb could automatically transfer itself to a remote network location. This would need to be wired.
I am sure this can be done with Arduino but before I begin:

  1. Has anyone else done this?
  2. Does anyone know of a commercial product that will do this?

Essentially I have to fool the medical device into thinking it is saving data onto a memory stick, then transfer the file to a configured network location on a server, from where it can later be read by multiple systems. As long as the sending device 'thinks' the dongle is a usb stick, it will be happy.

I don't need a wireless connection (in fact this being a medical centre, we are required to use wired transfer only for our network)

Any help and advice gratefully recceived.

Rob

2

I am sure this can be done with Arduino

Possibly, with great difficulty, using one of the more advanced Arduinos that can run Linux. Certainly not with something like an Arduino Uno.

3

Echoing that, I don’t think this is a suitable application for an Arduino.
You would have difficulty emulating a memory stick because of the special file systems used and the data volume. You would have the additional problem of getting any such data from the Arduino to a server on your company network.

Edit:
Maybe google for “usb memory stick emulator” or “transfer memory stick files automatically”

4

Oh well. Thanks for your help.
It's probably not worth using a pi for this application...

5

I guess the best you can hope for is a small PC application which reads the memory stick and, based say on the filenames / file dates (if known), loads the contents to the appropriate place on a network file system. It could save a bit of time if it is a regular thing but really not much if the manual equivalent is dragging and dropping files from one folder into another. You'd anyway have to plug something into the medical device what ever solution you found.
Some network-attached storage (NAS) devices can also accept USB sticks which may help.

6

Hi,
There is a product available that is an SD memory card with wifi built in.

Its designed for digital cameras, originally for news gathering, where the reporters cameras SD Card would apon entering the publishers wifi network, begin to download its pictures.
So when the reporter logged on his/her pictures would be on their server ready to go.

google wifi sd card

google wifi USB Memory

Gives USB sticks that you can upload to, it might be worthwhile seeing if they also download via Wifi.

Tom... :slight_smile:

7

Rob_Seddon-SMith:
It's probably not worth using a pi for this application...

Why on earth not? They are small and cheap and have on-board ethernet.