My new toy: VMultra drive

Brand-new from Velocity Micro is the VMultra drive. It is a USB-3.0 station that sports:

• 1 x SD card slot (SD, SDHC, MMC, but not SDXC)
• 2 x USB 3.0 ports
• 1 x USB 2.0 port 
• DVD read-write 8x-speed drive (or optional BluRay drive)
• 500GB hard disk drive (or optional SSD drive, or no drive at all); it is a 7200rpm Western Digital "Black" drive attached with the SATA III connector.

All this comes in a box about the size and twice the height of one of today's external DVD drives.

I found the VMultra interesting, because (a) I wanted a USB-3.0 backup drive; (b) needed an external DVD drive for my notebook computer; (c) would find an extra SD slot useful, because the one in my notebook computer is consumed by the ReadyBoost drive; and (d) extra USB slots are always useful. And here was a unit that had all four functions in one.

So I ordered it. During ordering, I did not realize it could be configured, and so I bought the standard configuration (DVD R/W and hard drive) for $199. You can substitute the DVD with a BluRay drive, change the hard drive for a solid state drive of various sizes, or have no hard drive at all (install your own). http://www.velocitymicro.com/wizard.php?iid=234

(I used to have an external DVD drive that also read BluRay discs, but I found I never used the BluRay function, partly because I have no need for BluRay discs, and partly because I'd have to pay another $80 for software to play back BluRay movies on my computer.)

It arrived yesterday, and here is what I found:

• The case is made of rubberized plastic, so it feel like it will not slip from my hand. On the  other hand, this type of plastic is a finger grease magnet.

• A door covers the hard drive, allowing me to replace it. 

• The VMultra attaches using a USB 3.0 cord that has a T-shaped connector at the peripheral end. It provides almost all the power needed, even to burn DVD discs. The unit comes with a spare power supply, needed only if you want to run more than one thing at a time -- according to the documentation. 

• I can access all drives at the same time: the hard drive, DVD drive, inserted SD card, as well as other storage devices attached to the USB ports. 

D:    DVD drive 
E:    Hard drive
F:    SD card
G: and so on: other devices attached

• I found the DVD drive slightly faster than the one I used to have. 

• The tiny instruction booklet claimed the hard drive needed to be formatted first, but I found it already had NTFS formatting.

• The device has no copy button or other controls, and so I cannot, say, copy files from the DVD drive to the hard drive, or from the SD card to the drive. This means it cannot be used as a portable backup drive for cameras.

• The device has no media output ports (neither video or audio), and so it cannot be used as a source for playing back music, display photos or movies on tvs, or doing presentations on projectors.

The documentation does not explain the three lights on the unit. Here they are:

Green light indicates a card is successfully plugged into the SD card reader.

Blue light on the side indicates the hard drive is working (I had to pull the hard drive to figure this one out).

Long blue light on top indicates the unit is plugged into the computer.

Plugged Into Laptop Computer

I attached a variety of peripherals to see how well the USB ports acted as a hub. I plugged in my Google Nexus S phone, MOMO8 Android tablet, and Apple iPod Classic. In all these cases, the VMultra charged the device, and the computer recognized its existence (after installing device drivers). This means the VMultra can be used as a charging post for portable devices, as well as to move files back and forth (between attached mobile device and the computer) like a USB hub. Again, files cannot be copied from the mobile devices to the MVultra directly, but can be via the attached computer.

When I attached an external hard drive, it was not recognized, nor was a multi-card reader or digital camera. That does not mean such devices would not work for you; it's just that these particular models did not work for me.

Plugged Into Android Tablet

I plugged the VMultra into my ASUS Android tablet. The tablet recognized the 500GB hard drive, calling it USBdisk1. So I can use it as external storage. But when I put a movie into the DVD drive, the tablet recognized neither. (When I removed the disc, the hard drive again was recognized.)

When I attached the iPad, it was charged and the tablet could read the folders that Apple makes public. But once again, the hard drive disappeared. The hard drive reappeared only after I unplugged and replugged the VMultra to and from the tablet.

It would not recognize my Android phone, but then I can plug the phone directly into one of the tablet's other USB ports.

Bonus Tip: When you have a choice in plugging a peripheral into a USB 2 or USB 3 port, then choose USB 3. I find things work better with USB 3 ports, perhaps because they output more power.

 

Comments

[richard coleman]

Where is the Vmultra drive manufactured. I don't want Chinese
Thanks