Atola Imager

DiskSense Units

Atola Insight can work with either DiskSense USB or DiskSense Gigabit Ethernet unit. DiskSense comparison matrix is shown below:

Feature	DiskSense USB	DiskSense Gigabit Ethernet
Connection to PC	USB	Ethernet
Accessible through network
SATA I/II
IDE
Target disk can be attached directly to the unit
Data transfer speed – Source to Target		100 MB/sec
Data transfer speed – Source to Host PC	38 MB/sec	80 MB/sec
Serial port
Power control
Real-time current monitor
Dimensions	7.1 x 5.9 x 1.0"	13.2 x 9.7 x 2.2"
Portability	Excellent	Average
Write protection
Price (Atola Insight software included in price)	$6990	$8990

UDMA data transfer
DiskSense USB allows transferring data between the hard drive and the host PC in UDMA mode. In contrary, DiskSense Ethernet allows attaching a target disk directly to the unit, thus achieving much greater imaging speed.

Data transfer speed
DiskSense USB is capable of reaching about 38 MB/sec (2.3 GB per minute) on latest motherboards. On older motherboards the speed varies, but generally it is between 17—30 MB/sec.

DiskSense Ethernet can reach speeds of about 100 MB/sec (6 GB per minute).

Serial port
Both Atola DiskSense units (USB and Ethernet) have an on-board TTL UART (COM) port. This port is required for accessing firmware area of some hard drives.

Power control
Atola DiskSense takes full control over the hard drive’s power. Both units have protected power source for attached hard drives and will withstand any overload condition, including a short circuit.

Real time current monitor
5V and 12V currents are monitored separately. The data received from the monitor not only serves as a short-circuit protection, but also used for hard drive diagnostics (to detect motor damage, burnt circuits, etc). Atola Insight includes a current monitor (oscilloscope) that allows the operator to keep an eye on hard drive power consumption levels.

Emergency Stop button
This button is used to terminate current operation immediately (in case when something goes terribly wrong). Available only in DiskSense USB.

Buzzer and LED indicators
DiskSense informs you about finishing a long operation (or in case of an error) with an on-board buzzer. LED indicators display the status of the HDD power, operation/error status, IDE/SATA activity (BUSY/DATA), and RS-232 port activity.

Connection with the PC
DiskSense USB can be used on any computer that has a USB port, including laptops, thus allowing to utilize full potential of Atola Insight at the customer’s place. A portable power supply is included with Atola DiskSense USB.

DiskSense Ethernet requires an Ethernet port. Any speed is allowed (10/100/1000 Mbit), however, when creating images over the network, a Gigabit link (1000 Mbit) is highly recommended.

Write protection switch
The switch when it's turn on is used to guarantee that Atola Insight will never allow a write operation against source drive. Both units have this switch.