Delkin's ImageRouter: The UDMA CF Chain Card Reader

Professional photography is one of the fields that heavily rely on UDMA CF cards. These cards are the perfect storage environment, since they are lightweight, absolutely miniaturized and can provide the necessary

space. The problems arise when they need to read and transfer all the data from multiple such cards.

Having to load or unload cards from a conventional reader is not such a great way to spend your evening, especially when you need to be in front of your computer to do this. The Delkin ImageRouter can automatize the data transfer process, and even to read all the cards you may have at once.

The UDMA image router can simultaneously transfer data from up to four CompactFlash cards. Unlike the single slot readers, the data on all the cards can be queued for download. Then you can walk away from the computer until the data transfer is complete.

The high-speed USB reader can process data at speeds of up to 19 MB/sec read and 18 MB/sec write, while operating four UDMA cards at once. For more than four cards, the data transfer rates are slightly lower (17MB/sec read and 15 MB/sec write). Should you need to read from more than four cards at once, you can always connect two or more ImageRouters together. The device comes with a built-in hub that allows the user to "daisy-chain" multiple card readers (up to three devices can be plugged into a single chain).

The ImageRouter card reader is built for heavy workloads and works best with the BackupandBurn software, that can be purchased separately for $100. The software will add extra functionality over the data transfer, such as automatically renaming files based on user-set parameters. The user can decide upon how the files are re-named and re-numbered and even have Jpeg and RAW files automatically sorted to different folders, then burned to CD or DVD media.