Subject: Re: OT: Krazy USB Kameras (RE: Programatically finding value of "cygdrive" prefix)
From: Reid Thompson <[email-masked]>
To: "Gary R. Van Sickle" <[email-masked]>
Cc: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2005 23:07:24 -0400

Gary R. Van Sickle wrote:

>[snip]
>  
>
>>NOTE: A digital camera shows up as an USB drive, i.e. a DOS 
>>drive -> e.g. /cygdrive/<next free letter> - and is available 
>>so long as the camera stays ON (it eventually WILL go OFF 
>>after last use, just as your screen blanker! Depending on how 
>>you've set it or use it.)
>>
>>    
>>
>
>A USB Mass Storage Device that does this is poorly designed at best, and
>probably not compliant with the USB specification.  I can't recall a
>situation where a device is allowed to just "disappear" once plugged in and
>enumerated without the user doing something (a bus-powered device anyway).
>You should see if there is a firmware upgrade available for it.
>
>Then again, I know firsthand that Microsoft had USB Mass Storage pretty
>wildly wrong as late as the release of XP SP...2 I think, maybe 1, so who
>knows, could be MS's fault.
>
>  
>

Most cameras have an auto-off function to preserve battery power. I do 
not think any of them are actually usb powered when plugged in.  I know 
that mine will NOT function without charged batteries in it even when 
plugged into a port. I suppose that if a camera has the means to turn 
off the auto-shutoff function then it will not disappear until the 
batteries fail, whereupon it will act like any other externally powered 
USB device and become unaccessable.  I believe that some cameras come 
with an external power adapter that will provide continuous power.

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