PEM2 Dataloggers: what usb drive to use?

[Amy Oliver]

We’re looking into PEM2 dataloggers for our collections. The usb drives seem a bit pricey. Is anyone using these units with a different usb drive with success? Which thumb drive are you using?

[Kristy Sorensen]

Amy — I got some PEM2 dataloggers recently as part of a grant (and I love them!). I also was confused about the expensive USB drive and tried just using a regular flash drive I had at my desk. The regular flash drive works fine! I think if you had a lot of loggers or left them alone for a long time without pulling off the data you would need to make sure you had a flash drive with enough storage space, but it looks like any kind of drive will work.

[Katherine Collett]

My understanding, too, is that any thumbdrive will do.  Since it does store the data (which is also stored on the datalogger, I believe), you don’t want a really cheapo off-brand that will break, but I would think any reasonably decent USB drive will be fine.  Our grant, a few years ago, did cover a USB drive as well as one datalogger, but I don’t know that it was a particularly expensive one.

[Shae]

Dear Amy,

We’re thrilled that you are considering purchasing the PEM2. They are a fabulous investment for your environment monitoring needs and I thank Kristy for the great review! Although we recommend using the IPI flashdrive because we know that works with the PEM2 you can use other flashdrives. But, we have come across issues with some of the newer flashdrives with the PEM2 and these issues include an insufficient amount of power in the flashdrive to communicate with the logger. Sometimes the flashdrives also come with data files which can interfere with the the flashdrive communicating with the logger. I would recommend calling our technical support person Angelique Armstrong who would be very happy to answer your questions about the PEM2 and suitable flashdrives at 585 475 7125 or at amapph@rit.edu. Sincerely,

Shae Trewin,

Preservation Environment Specialist, Image Permanence Institute.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I recommend against buying the PEM2 flashdrives, as I’ve had trouble with them at two different collection facilities.  We’re currently using a good-quality Western Digital flashdrive.    I formatted prior to use so that there wasn’t any proprietary software kicking around on it, and we keep it dedicated for use only with the PEM dataloggers.

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