Robot application demonstrates memory functionality at Southern Manufacturing

Nexus will be exhibiting its range of non volatile keys, tokens and receptacles at the Southern Manufacturing show, which takes place in Farnborough, Hampshire on February 13-14, 2013. Nexus, who can be found on stand B30, will be using a custom designed robot application to illustrate the potential of its products to engineers.

Nexus memory in action can be seen at Southern Manufacturing 2013

Nexus’ range of portable memory solutions are designed to work in environments where heat, dust, moisture or accidental damage would cause conventional memory cards and USB devices to fail. They are used in applications ranging from data logging, cashless vending, security, and access control devices. These products have found homes in industry sectors including medical, food and pharmaceuticals.

The custom robot application on the stand will be demonstrating the simple design functionality of the token and receptacle system. This way, the company hopes to make it easier for engineers to immediately see the purpose of the technology. “We often find that once an engineer sees how our tokens work, they are convinced of their benefits,” explained Victoria James, marketing and PR director at Nexus GB. “The robot application offers a simple, visual demonstration of how specialised memory products can be integrated into a variety of applications.”

“Selling specialist industrial memory to OEMs is a continual process of raising awareness,” continued James. “Our competition really comes from forms of memory like SDHC cards and USB sticks which are not actually suitable for industrial applications. Our job is to remind engineers that memory should be fit for purpose and that consumer products are not the only option available. They are less rugged, become obsolete more quickly and are highly susceptible to viruses and malware. In contrast, the tokens, key and receptacles we sell are specifically developed for design engineers to build into original equipment.”

Amongst the systems on display will be the GammaSafe™ memory token for the medical device manufacturing sector. The token is a non-volatile, reprogrammable, portable memory device that survives gamma sterilisation with no loss of data.  It also allows medical device manufacturers to easily add anti-counterfeit and limit-use capabilities to disposable attachments that are sterilised using gamma radiation.

Also on show will be the high capacity RUGGEDrive™ tokens and receptacles, which allow system designers to incorporate large memory devices into their designs, without the shortcomings that consumer-focused solutions bring. The memory tokens are easily integrated into embedded controllers, single board computers and industrial PC designs.

Industrial memory product launched in Scandinavia

After more than 25 years as Datakey Electronics’ exclusive UK and Ireland distributor of portable non-volatile memory, Nexus is launching its product range in the Scandinavian markets and will be active from September 2012. The strategic decision to enter Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland is a result of the company’s success in the British design engineering sector.

The RUGGEDrive - now available in Scandinavia

In industrial, military, medical, telecommunications and secure commercial applications, memory has to continue working even after it has been sterilised, dropped in mud, exposed to chemicals, washed or even run over by a truck. The best option for OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) is to embed professional memory solutions such as the ones distributed by Nexus .

Unlike consumer style memory solutions, the memory products manufactured by Datakey Electronics are well established and will not become obsolete as technology progresses. They are commonly used by design engineers working on long term projects, with millions of units currently in service in Europe and tens of millions globally.


Nexus’ range of specialist memory keys and tokens are used in applications ranging from data logging, cashless vending, security, access control and use-limiting in industries including medical, food and pharmaceuticals.

One of the flagship products in the range is the high capacity RUGGEDrive™ token and receptacle set, which allows system designers to incorporate large memory devices into their projects. RUGGEDrive memory products are easily integrated into embedded controllers, single board computers and industrial PC designs, without the shortcomings that consumer-focused solutions bring.

“Our decision to launch into Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland was prompted by a wave of inquiries coming from those regions, explained Victoria James, Marketing and PR director at Nexus.

“Recently we have witnessed an increased demand for robust, reliable and reprogrammable memory products for engineering projects coming from Scandinavian countries. Launching in this area will allow us to offer a more efficient service to our customers,” she concluded. 

Nexus GB set to help engineers at the Engineering Design Show

NEXUS USB devices

Nexus GB will be exhibiting its range of non volatile keys, tokens and receptacles at the Engineering Design Show, which takes place at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on October 10-11, 2012. Nexus, who can be found on stand E30, will be using a custom designed robot application to illustrate the potential of its products to design engineers.

Nexus’ range of portable memory solutions are designed to work in environments where heat, dust, moisture or accidental damage would cause conventional memory cards and USB devices to fail. They are used in applications ranging from data logging, cashless vending, security, access control and use-limiting in industries including medical, food and pharmaceuticals.

The custom robot application on the stand will be demonstrating the simple design functionality of the token and receptacle system and making it easier for designers to immediately see the purpose of the technology. “We often find that once a designer sees how our tokens work, they are convinced of their benefits,” explained Victoria James, marketing and PR director at Nexus GB. “There is always a Eureka moment, during which they suddenly realise the system’s potential in their own applications.”

“Selling specialist industrial memory to OEMs is a continual process of raising awareness,” continued James. “Our competition really comes from other, less appropriate for industry, forms of memory; like SDHC cards and USB sticks. Our job is to remind industry that these forms of memory are less rugged, become obsolete more quickly and are highly susceptible to viruses and malware. In contrast the products we sell are specifically built for design engineers to build into original equipment.”

Amongst the systems on display will be the GammaSafe™ memory token for the medical device manufacturing sector. The token is a non-volatile, reprogrammable, portable memory device that survives gamma sterilisation with no loss of data.  It also allows medical device manufacturers to easily add anti-counterfeit and limit-use capabilities to disposable attachments that are sterilised using gamma radiation.

Also on show will be the high capacity RUGGEDrive™ tokens and receptacles, which allow system designers to incorporate large memory devices into their designs, without the shortcomings that consumer-focused solutions bring. The memory tokens are easily integrated into embedded controllers, single board computers and industrial PC designs.

What will we call memory tomorrow?

Decades ago, Ken Olsen, the chairman and co-founder of DEC said, "When I was a teenager in the late 30s and early 40s, electronics wasn't a word. You were interested in radio if you were interested in electronics". I’m reminded of his quote every time I open a search engine to look for a new component or device. 

The trouble with applying other people's new and innovative ideas is first finding out that those ideas exist. In many cases, we don't yet have words describing the concepts, we don't know where to look for them and we may not even know we should look for them. Search engines can’t tell us what to look for yet, they can only answer the questions we type in the box.

This problem is as applicable in design engineering and electronics in 2012 as it was when Olsen made his comment about radio. In my own sector – industrial portable memory, this is particularly true. As engineers, our response is often to simply re-invent the wheel - but unfortunately not every wheel we invent is as efficient as the first.

In memory, as in so many sub sectors of design engineering, developing your own device rather than opting for a specialist solution might be more costly than it seems at first glance. Similarly, choosing to adapt a commercially available memory solution, like a USB or SDHC card, can prove expensive in the long term. The answer isn’t as complicated as it seems – it’s a case of finding out what other people call the product you are looking for. If in the 30s Electronics wasn’t a word – I wonder what industrial memory will be called in a few decades’ time?

Southern Manufacturing sees data expert introduce specialised memory for single board computers

~ Nexus GB targets SBCs with UFX memory system ~

Nexus GB will be showcasing its new UFX memory system, designed specifically for single board computers (SBCs), at Southern Manufacturing 2012, between February 16 and 17 at FIVE in Farnborough. The Sussex-based distributor of specialist memory storage devices, keys, tokens and receptacles will be showing its rugged, secure alternative to USBs that can interface with micro-processor computers. Nexus GB is the exclusive distributor of US manufacturer Datakey Electronics in the UK & Ireland.

Specialised memory for single board computers

Historically, Nexus’ memory tokens couldn’t be used with SBCs, because the microprocessor based systems lacked the required I2C or SPI serial interfaces, which are found in micro-controller devices. SBCs have PC style ports and, as such, are designed to accept conventional USB connections. The new UFX token is likely to find uses in applications ranging from ruggedised and fanless computers to embedded computers such as the PC/104 form factor.

The UFX token, which is part of Nexus’ RUGGEDrive™ range, connects with an SBC by using specially designed electrical modules, compatible with USB ports. These come in the form of a series of receptacles, suited for different SBCs. In order to interface with the UFX drive, the receptacle has a header connector at one end and a USB connecter at the other.

The UFX memory token is a logical choice for applications that can only accept USB flash drives and use higher-level operating systems like Linux or Windows XP. The token also caters for application software and updates, which are often much larger than micro-controller firmware can handle.

“This ability to interface with SBCs expands the RUGGEDrive™ line’s potential enormously,” remarked Victoria James, Nexus GB’s marketing and PR director. “However, I think it is helpful to understand the difference between a microprocessor and a microcontroller, as even in the electronics industry these terms are sometimes used interchangeably. A microcontroller can be defined as a micro computer on an integrated circuit containing a processing core, memory and programmable I/O. It's normally incorporated into a PCB design that will be used for a specific embedded application.

“In Contrast, a microprocessor is a micro computer on an integrated circuit containing a processing core, where memory and peripherals are typically external to the IC. Microprocessor-based computers are often general purpose in nature, able to run various applications by simply adding different software.” concluded James.

Icarus and the memory stick

The number of high profile data losses as the result of misplaced portable memory is increasing at an alarming rate. This was demonstrated last month when a memory stick containing sensitive information about police operations was stolen from a Police Officer's home in Oldham. Although faced with public outrage Oldham police have handled the situation admirably, by honestly admitting guilt and promising to look at procedures within the department.

Even more recently a medical student who copied the private data of 87 patients onto a memory stick and then lost it, has landed the University Hospital of South Manchester in trouble with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Cyber threats like these are on the increase and, in particular, the loss of information stored on portable memory devices is rife. The disappointment for me is that the specialist technology already exists to stop this happening. However, organisations handling crucial data persist in trying to get by with password protected versions of consumer memory devices.

It reminds me of the legend of Icarus flying too close to the sun. Icarus’ father used wax and feathers to create wings - the wrong tools for the job. In the same way, data owners persist in using devices intended for storing photos and Word documents to handle confidential data. Icarus’ Father, aware of the limitations of his chosen materials, told Icarus to stay away from the sun. Similarly, when equipping their staff with the wrong memory devices, organisations give them advice they know will not be followed, “always password protect and keep the device safe”.

Specialist memory devices, that don’t require further password protection, should become the norm for any Government officials handling sensitive data or individuals’ personal information. Cyber threats, as well as people’s safety should be at the core of police concerns and in order to protect businesses and the public, the issue needs to be addressed at regulatory level.

USB alternative set to help bungling data owners

~ New technology acts as deterrent for data theft and loss ~

Since portable memory became so common there have been several heavily publicised incidents in which Government departments or private businesses lost confidential information stored on CDs and USB sticks. Now, a new product from Sussex based technology specialist Nexus GB could put an end to the problem. The innovative new data carrier system means no one other than the intended user can read the content.  

Earlier this year a memory stick holding the passwords for a Government computer system was lost by a member of staff and found in the car park of a pub in Staffordshire. In May 2009 the personal medical records of tens of thousands of people were lost by the NHS in a series of serious data security leaks.

These kinds of problems can now be avoided by using Nexus’ new portable memory system; the RUGGEDrive™. The unique physical connection between the memory receptacle and portable memory token ensures that the information stored cannot be readily transferred to unauthorised PCs because they would lack RUGGEDrive™ receptacles.

The receptacles can be added to computers when they are being manufactured or they can be retrofitted at a later date. Nexus GB believes that this system could be the answer in multiple business sectors where data loss is a risk. Furthermore, because the system is only available as a B2B sale directly from Nexus GB, it isn’t possible to obtain compatible tokens or receptacles without the permission of the original customer.

“RUGGEDrive™ is a real step forward in data security,” explained Victoria Barrett, Nexus GB’s marketing and PR director. “Any data lost in a pub or left on a bus would be impossible to access and totally protected! This is even more important in today’s social media and citizen journalism landscape, in which lost data will definitely make its way into the media or onto the black market.”

Furthermore, RUGGEDrive™ receptacles help protect the user from viruses and other malicious files such as malware and Trojans. For instance, if a member of staff takes a document home using a USB or CD, the file can become infected on their private PC. When they return to work and plug the USB back into their work laptop, the virus is transferred into the company’s network. This situation is impossible to replicate with RUGGEDrive™.

A further benefit of these rugged, portable memory devices is their reliability; the receptacles are rated for 50,000 usage cycles. This is a distinct advantage over most consumer-grade USB and SD connectors which are only rated for 1,500 and 10,000 cycles respectively.