The total shrinkage of the optical storage market under the onslaught of external hard drives and flash drives is entirely due to objective reasons, however, it also leads to some unpleasant side effects. In particular, software is still actively sold on CD and DVD, so installing it on computers without drives is not always a trivial task. Of course, installation packages can often simply be copied to the same hard drive, but fiddling with a huge number of small files is simply inconvenient. The best way The solution to the problem is to use images, since each disk turns into one file, and you can put a lot of them on one small drive. However, it is necessary convenient solution problems of subsequent use. When translating from clerical into Russian, on a computer you will need installed program for working with recorded images. But what if it’s a “someone else’s” computer where it’s not there? Or, even worse, there is no system at all that just needs to be installed? Microsoft, of course, offers a utility for transferring Windows 7 from a disk to a flash drive (or other USB drive), but the range of those on the market is not limited to this operating system. And there are also all sorts of special disks for diagnostics or system recovery, and just LiveCD for getting acquainted with various operating systems, etc. In general, when all this was recorded on a CD, it was easier - insert the disk into the drive, and that’s it. If necessary, just boot from it. Moreover, from any ready-made disk, since all products are independent of each other and there is no need to prepare a bootable flash drive every time (not to mention the fact that not all software correctly transfers migration from a CD to a USB drive).

Is there a convenient way to solve all these problems? Now it is. It’s even strange that it appeared so late, although the problem became relevant quite a long time ago. And it is doubly strange that the solution to the issues raised was not taken up by one of the old participants in the external drive market, but by the Zalman company, better known for its coolers and other related products (although in fact the original developer here is actually different, as is often the case, but he is generally unknown to the general public). Now here is a breakthrough into a completely different market. Moreover, solving the problem of using ISO images on any system is one of the main features of the ZM-VE200, but not its only advantage. Which makes you want to get to know the product better.

Design

Even externally, the device is slightly different from most “typical” external modules, although it has the same design. The case, measuring 135.3 x 78.6 x 13.1 mm and weighing 98.5 grams, is mostly made of anodized aluminum and can be had in black or silver. Soundly, even if not exclusive :)

But the small monochrome LCD display at the top of the front surface is an unusual element. But it is very useful, although its main task is just to select a “working” image (which is done using the jog-dial on the left side of the box), which will be mounted on the virtual optical drive. However, in addition to this, the screen allows you to get information about installed disk, its temperature (how many paranoids miss this in “regular” boxes!), operating mode, firmware version (it can be updated), etc.

All others active elements traditionally concentrated on one of the short ends and include eSATA and USB mini-B connectors, as well as a write lock slider. An extremely important thing for a person involved in computer servicing (and simply often going to suspicious places) - you don’t have to worry about catching and taking away some kind of infection with you. In general, the latter plus support for two interfaces and, to a lesser extent, built-in diagnostic tools are already enough to make the product interesting for purchase. And we haven’t gotten to this point yet main feature! For now, we’ll just note that if support for ISO images and the eSATA interface are not required, you can save a lot of money by purchasing the ZM-HE100 model: it too is equipped with write protection.

Contents of delivery

In the box with the device, in addition to the device itself, you can also find a pair of interface cables (USB and eSATA), each 50 cm long, a pair of bolts for securely fixing the assembled drive, a miniature screwdriver for screwing/unscrewing them, and a protective leatherette cover. The design of the latter allows the hard drive to be used without being removed from the case, although if you plan on long-term continuous operation, it is still a good idea to take it out as far as possible - it will cool better. And one more element of the kit - transparencies. should be placed under the hard drive and placed. The rationale is simple: the box itself is made of aluminum, i.e. it conducts electric current, and on the “belly” of the hard drive there is an open printed circuit board, so theoretically something could fail to close and it would fail.

Functionality

And finally, we got to the “delicious” part. The fly in the ointment, however, is that in “high-speed” mode (i.e., when connected to a computer using eSATA), the device does not have any additional functionality to simple copying and storing data. The display simply displays “eSATA Mode”, and that’s it. Even, by the way, the ability to find out the current temperature of the disk disappears.

So in order to fully enjoy the “features”, you should connect the box to the computer when USB help. And there should also be a folder on it with the name “_ISO”, in which there should be ISO images in an amount not exceeding 32 pieces (by the way, when using firmware earlier than 61F from April 29, use on disk is also required file system NTFS - FAT32 and exFAT were added only to it).

If all this is observed, we get the opportunity to select one of three operating modes, and the current one is shown on the display: HDD Mode Similar to the eSATA mode (and 99% of external modules and ready-made HDDs on the market), the device works like a banal external hard drive. ODD Mode In this mode for the VE-200 system it looks like a USB CD/DVD/BD-ROM into which one of the “disks” recorded in the folder is installed. Which specific ISO image will be mounted can be selected manually using the wheel on the left side, controlling the process by the file names changing on the display. Unfortunately, in addition to the above, they will have to be “called” with short names and not use Cyrillic characters: long ones are cut off, and characters not related to the Latin alphabet are displayed with spaces. However, it is difficult to consider this such a serious limitation. For particularly inquisitive tuning fans, we will briefly hint that the problem of Russification, as well as expanding the list of supported types of disk images (to be fair, all sorts of exotic ones), can be solved by using firmware, but at your own peril and risk... And flash it instead of the “native” one follows in a not too trivial way (but here’s how - look on the Internet for yourself ;)). Dual Mode Compilation of the two modes described above: an external module connected to the computer generates two devices - both the VZD and the optics. Accordingly, we get access to all stored files (and, as mentioned above, it can be limited to read only, which is very useful when working on someone else’s potentially unsafe computer), as well as the ability to work with ISO images.

The latter is possible in two modes. The first and simplest, namely mounting images while the operating system is loaded, always works great and does not cause any problems. Thus, you can throw away all CDs and DVDs with distribution kits stored at home, having previously “rolled” them into images. The limit of 32 files will not interfere much with this - after all, images can be stored in different folders (such as “ISO_office_program”, “ISO_linux”, “ISO_windows_system”, “ISO_games”, etc.) simply by renaming the desired one to “_ISO” before use. A more serious limitation, perhaps, is that this format is not very suitable (or at all) for storing some copy-protected toys. But there are no complaints about Zalman here - the company did not plan to encourage piracy. And such disks are not system disks, so you can work with them the old fashioned way - using software virtual CDs.

For system disks (from various Linux distributions to all kinds of “reanimators”), another use case is most relevant, namely booting from a virtual CD drive! Let’s be honest, not everything is going smoothly with her. As practice has shown, such virtual drives are not supported by a considerable number of motherboards. Intel boards(more precisely, the BIOS versions used by the company), and not only sold as a separate version, but also found in laptops. This problem applies not only to the ZM-VE200 - we also encountered it, for example, when testing Silicon Power Ultima 155, where the controller is clearly different. So the culprit should be sought among the programmers who worked on the loading module (the problem only appears at this stage), but this, of course, does not make it any easier. However, most tested computers are free of such problems - loading from a virtual drive is exactly the same as from a regular one: you just need to select it in the BIOS or (which is available on most modern motherboards) use a special boot menu. Accordingly, you can install any operating system - not necessarily originally designed for such a use case (which is true for Windows 7) and without any traditional dancing with a tambourine and fussing with third party programs(which are needed for a similar installation of Windows XP). However, unlike flash drives, some of which support partitioning disk space for a virtual CD, you don’t have to limit yourself to just one system - there can be several “boot” disks. You just need to choose the one you want - and it will be a special LiveCD for “repairing” the system or boot disk Windows 95, it doesn’t matter to the drive (and computer) :)

Testing methodology

The question arises - did all this developed functionality affect how the hard drive obtained after installing the hard drive will cope with traditional tasks, such as storing and transferring information? That's why we subjected it to traditional testing. The technique is described in detail in a separate article. There you can get acquainted with the configuration of the test bench and the software used. The only change is that instead of the Seagate Momentus 5400.5 ST9320320AS hard drive traditionally used in testing external modules, which is already too small and slow from the modern point of view, we decided to take the top Seagate model: Momentus XT ST95005620AS. It is clear that for external hard disk, this drive with a platter rotation speed of 7200 rpm and an additional flash buffer is redundant (especially since it costs about twice as much as a “regular powder” of the same capacity, and 750 GB in the traditional version can be bought cheaper), but in this case you can be absolutely sure that it will not become a “bottleneck”. And we will compare the test subject with fast dual-interface models.

Competitors

As the latter, we took the recently tested Verbatim Store'n'Go (with Samsung HM500JI 500 GB inside) and Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex (with Momentus 5400.6 ST9500325AS 500 GB inside) with a “standard” interface module (supporting USB 2.0) and Power eSATA Upgrade Cable. Although GoFlex does not provide versatility the easy way(to switch from USB 2.0 to eSATA and back, you need to change the interface module), it is one of the few (like the Verbatim drive) that supports eSATA modification with power, which is somewhat better than a pair of VE-200 cables, for which the latter can be blamed. But you don’t have to quibble :)

Lavalys Everest 5.0

As for the data transfer speed over the interface, the Zalman product has nothing to brag about - regardless of the interface, it lags behind its competitors. Let's see how this affects tests that are closer to practical use.

IOMeter

But in random operations, where the determining factor is the hard drive installed inside, the kit we assembled easily and without straining unconditionally takes first place.

Intel NAS Performance Toolkit

A fast hard drive coupled with eSATA allows the VE-200 to successfully fight for leadership, but as soon as you switch to the more common USB 2.0, it immediately begins to lag behind its competitors.

A similar situation occurs when recording data. However, should we be too upset? Yes, of course, about 20% lag is a lot, but the external module supports not only USB 2.0. So it’s enough just to use eSATA - this option is many times faster than USB. And regardless of the implementation;)

If, of course, you rely on using the HDD to transfer information, and not as a “working” drive, the situation cannot be corrected with a quick interface. Alas, this is the price to pay for a functionally complex controller.

Prices

The table shows the devices in Moscow that were relevant at the time you read this article:

Zalman ZM-VE200

N/A(0)

Total

If you try, you can make a whole list of complaints about the Zalman VE-200: no support for USB 3.0, eSATA without power, performance is lower than it could be. All this is so...

However, the real and potential shortcomings are more than compensated for by truly unique functionality! In principle, as we have already said, initially this was not a Zalman development, however, since the company was able to discern a good idea and become the world's main seller of its implementation, the reward, it seems to us, will be right at the address :) Indeed, the need for something like this has long been in the air in the air, since often the only task performed by the optical drive in modern computer, is the installation of the operating system. Or any service activities. In general, for the sake of occasional loading, keep such a device (despite its low price) farming becomes uninteresting. With the ZM-VE200 we get a very convenient and fast CD/DVD-ROM in addition to a capacious and productive external hard drive. Moreover, all the shortcomings of the second functional component are not critical - against the backdrop of the still well-selling VZD, equipped only with USB 2.0, it demonstrates a completely different level of performance in favorable conditions;) Which is only aggravated by the support for write protection, which, judging by our Conference , for many users of mobile external drives, who are forced to work with them on potentially unsafe computers, is very relevant. And there are no complaints about the first one at all, if you compare it with, for example, a USB drive. It's all in one. It is possible, of course, that the price will scare off some potential individual buyers, but in the household of a system administrator, service engineer or real computer equipment enthusiast, such a box, it seems to us, will be an irreplaceable thing.

There are a lot of stereotypes in the modern world... for example, that Japanese cars are better than South Korean ones, or that money is best kept in Swiss banks. Sometimes it can be interesting to see how much existing stereotypes actually justify themselves. Electronics produced by South Korean companies such as LG or Samsung have always been considered a good compromise between product quality and cost. The hero of our testing today is an external 2.5" box for hard drives, Zalman ZM-VE200, also made by a South Korean manufacturer. Zalman actually has a good reputation among manufacturers of computer cooling systems. But HDD housings are not cooling systems. Let's see how well Zalman is doing in the HDD pocket market.

The factory packaging turned out to be relatively small, as was the product itself. On its front side there is an image of a black HDD pocket, on the sides of which two silver devices are placed in the background. Apparently, the manufacturer has set itself the goal of presenting an external HDD box to the buyer at a glance, and in the same way help him decide on the more desirable color of the product. The packaging is well balanced and not overloaded with secondary information; only the basic names and designations of the external HDD pocket ZM-VE200. Despite the laconicism of the packaging, one inscription still makes you pleasantly surprised: “External HDD Case + Virtual Drive.” Wait a minute virtual disk included? This is great, but let's talk about everything in order.

Let's first take a brief look at the main features and technical characteristics external pocket for Zalman ZM-VE200 hard drives, which can be found both on the back of the package and on the manufacturer’s official website.

Key features of Zalman ZM-VE200:

Aluminium case

Pre-installed software for mounting CD/DVD images from ISO files: No additional software is required to mount any ISO image.

Built-in screen that displays information about the status of the hard drive

Protective case included

The ability to mount ISO images, a built-in screen on which information is displayed - yes, it looks like we have here a case with its own operating system, no less!

Technical Zalman characteristics ZM-VE200:

Dimensions (LxWxH): 135.3x78.6x13.1 mm

Weight: 98.5 g

Material: aluminum, acrylic, polycarbonate

Type: 2.5" SATA HDD

Interfaces: USB 2.0 (compatible with USB 1.1), eSATA Direct HDD Access

Data transfer rate: USB up to 480 Mbit/s, eSATA up to 3 Gbit/s

Spindle speed: 5400 or 7200 rpm

Nutrition: USB

Color: black, silver

The factory packaging opens from the top, after which you can take out another additional cardboard package (gray, without beautiful pictures), in which, in addition to the HDD pocket itself, a protective case, a short user manual, and a screwdriver with bolts are neatly packed. It's nice to note that USB and eSATA cables also come standard. Obviously, the device comes without hard drive. The protective case is a very nice bonus that protects appearance HDD case, especially considering that the ZM-VE200 can be located in it while it is connected to the computer, without fear of overheating.

As mentioned above, the outer case for the hard drive can be either black or silver. The USB pocket we received for testing is painted silver, and in my opinion, it is more attractive than black, since it contrasts more with the overall appearance of the product.

Connecting and using the Zalman ZM-VE200 will not cause any trouble even for you to the average user PC. On the right, on the upper side of the HDD case is located USB port, write-protect function switch, hard drive activity LED, factory firmware recovery button, and eSATA port. Unlike other 2.5" and 3.5" devices, this HDD box is powered only by a USB or eSATA cable, which explains the absence of a special power connector. This fact is both a plus and a minus at the same time. The fact is that not all today's eSATA ports support the function of powering the devices connected to them, so it would be nice to still leave a special connector for powering the hard drive if necessary, or at least emphasize the fact of incompatibility with the eSATA standard.

Installing a hard drive in the Zalman ZM-VE200 we tested today turned out to be even easier than I could have imagined. All you need to do to install your hard drive inside the pocket is to connect the HDD itself to a special controller via the appropriate connectors, and then insert the HDD along with the connected controller inside the pocket (HDD first, the controller remains at the top). Once you have connected and inserted the hard drive inside, all that remains is to securely fasten it inside using a screwdriver and two bolts, which the South Korean manufacturer thoughtfully included in the delivery package. During installation, you need to slightly open the rubber band that hides the mounting holes. By the way, after installation, this tape will stick out a little due to the tightened bolts, and this, although small, is still a flaw of the Korean engineers.

After installation is complete, it would be a sin not to test the strength and build quality of the case of our today's test subject. Simply shaking and moving the device convinced me that the engineers had designed the case well and that it was strong and reliable. While most 3.5" devices aren't designed for everyday carry, the ZM-VE200's 2.5" HDD pocket—one of the smallest HDD enclosures I've ever handled—is specifically designed for maximum mobility and portability.

There are a lot of stereotypes in the modern world... for example, that Japanese cars are better than South Korean ones, or that money is best kept in Swiss banks. Sometimes it can be interesting to see how much existing stereotypes actually justify themselves. Electronics produced by South Korean companies such as LG or Samsung have always been considered a good compromise between product quality and cost. The hero of our today's testing is an external 2.5" enclosure for hard drives, Zalman ZM-VE200, also made by a South Korean manufacturer. Zalman actually has a good reputation among manufacturers of cooling systems for computers. But HDD enclosures are not cooling systems. Let's see how The Zalman company is doing well in the “HDD pockets” market.

The factory packaging turned out to be relatively small, as was the product itself. On its front side there is an image of a black HDD pocket, on the sides of which two silver devices are placed in the background. Apparently, the manufacturer has set itself the goal of presenting the external HDD box to the buyer at a glance, and in the same way helping him decide on the more desirable color of the product. The packaging is well balanced and not overloaded with secondary information; only the basic names and designations of the external HDD pocket ZM-VE200. Despite the laconicism of the packaging, one inscription still makes you pleasantly surprised: “External HDD Case + Virtual Drive.” Wait a minute, is the virtual disk included? This is great, but let's talk about everything in order.

Let's first take a brief look at the main features and technical characteristics of the external pocket for hard drives Zalman ZM-VE200, which can be found both on the back of the package and on the manufacturer's official website.

Key features of Zalman ZM-VE200:

Aluminium case

Pre-installed software for mounting CD/DVD images from ISO files: no additional software is required to mount any ISO image.

Built-in screen that displays information about the status of the hard drive

Protective case included

The ability to mount ISO images, a built-in screen on which information is displayed - yes, it looks like we have here a case with its own operating system, no less!

Technical characteristics of Zalman ZM-VE200:

Dimensions (LxWxH): 135.3x78.6x13.1 mm

Weight: 98.5 g

Material: aluminum, acrylic, polycarbonate

Type: 2.5" SATA HDD

Interfaces: USB 2.0 (compatible with USB 1.1), eSATA Direct HDD Access

Data transfer rate: USB up to 480 Mbit/s, eSATA up to 3 Gbit/s

Spindle speed: 5400 or 7200 rpm

Nutrition: USB

Color: black, silver

The factory packaging opens from the top, after which you can take out another additional cardboard package (gray, without beautiful pictures), in which, in addition to the HDD pocket itself, a protective case, a short user manual, and a screwdriver with bolts are neatly packed. It's nice to note that USB and eSATA cables also come standard. Obviously, the device comes without a hard drive. The protective case is a very nice bonus that protects the appearance of the HDD case, especially considering that the ZM-VE200 can be in it while it is connected to the computer without fear of overheating.

Connecting and using the Zalman ZM-VE200 will not cause any trouble even to the most ordinary PC user. On the right, on the top side of the HDD case there is a USB port, a write-protect function switch, a hard drive activity LED, a factory firmware recovery button, and an eSATA port. Unlike other 2.5" and 3.5" devices, this HDD box is powered only by a USB or eSATA cable, which explains the absence of a special power connector. This fact is both a plus and a minus at the same time. The fact is that not all today's eSATA ports support the function of powering the devices connected to them, so it would be nice to still leave a special connector for powering the hard drive if necessary, or at least emphasize the fact of incompatibility with the eSATA standard.

The undoubted advantages of this device also include LCD display. Few modern HDD enclosures can boast of its presence; in fact, I have never encountered similar devices before. And while external hard drives usually don't need a built-in screen (which is probably why they don't come with one), having a display on the ZM-VE200 is a really important option. Of course, using the LCD, the user will be able to monitor such minor indicators as the temperature of the hard drive (the pocket in any case must provide the necessary ventilation for the HDD, otherwise serious problems may arise), but also using the LCD you can quickly obtain information about the status of more important details.

In addition to its main functionality of turning an internal hard drive into an external one, the ZM-VE200 also boasts one very interesting feature - a virtual CD/DVD drive. And this is really a very nice bonus. Zalman ZM-VE200 is the first HDD box to offer a virtual CD/DVD drive option. Even its predecessor, the ZM-HE100, did not have such a feature, which offers a wealth of new possibilities for the end user.

By the way, do you want to know why the LCD display is so important for this device? It allows the user of the ZM-VE200 not only to switch the mode of use of the device between HDD, ODD or both at the same time - with its help the user can easily mount existing ISO files, which in itself is an alternative to CD, DVD and yes, you guessed it, BD-ROM drives. The user can mount any ISO image, as long as it is located in the "_ISO" folder on the HDD. If necessary, you can create additional subfolders in this folder, each of which can accommodate up to 32 optical disc images.

The USB 2.0 HDD port of the ZM-VE200 pocket has some specifics of working with the SATA port of the hard drive itself. First you will need to remove the protective coating on the chip, and then read a special disguised code printed in very small font. The thing is that the interface converter board is based on the OXU931SF controller from Oxford Semiconductor, now a division of PLX Technology (http://www.plxtech.com/products/consumer/oxu931sf), which entails some features of its use.

Three modes of operation Zalman ZM-VE200

The idea of the South Korean manufacturer Zalman to integrate a virtual CD/DVD drive into a HDD box is actually very good. In theory, this additional functionality will greatly expand the capabilities of the ZM-VE200, and perhaps even transfer this HDD case to a new level. However, this virtual optical disk is not without its flaws. Simply put, I'm not very happy with this new functionality.

As stated above, this device can operate in three different modes: HDD, ODD and Dual Mode. HDD mode is a hard drive mode in which the ZM-VE200 can be used as a regular HDD pocket. ODD mode is an optical drive mode in which the user only has the option of mounting ISO files into a virtual drive using it like a regular CD/DVD device. In HDD mode, the user does not have the option of directly mounting ISO images into a virtual drive, and vice versa. In fact, the ZM-VE200 will be recognized by your operating system as two various devices, two disks: the first for storing information, that is, for normal work with hard drive(HDD mode), and the second - for the operation of a virtual drive (ODD mode). Despite the creation of two virtual devices, the data is stored on one internal hard drive. That's why the ZM-VE200 can still be considered a "normal" external HDD pocket. Well, the last mode is Dual Mode - a combination of the first two modes.

Technically, there is one more mode left - eSATA, however, this mode is kept “apart” from the first three, and here’s why. The first three modes are very easy to use. On the left side of the HDD pocket there is a special switch with which you can activate the mode you need: by sliding the switch down and connecting the USB cable, the device will turn on in HDD mode, switch up + USB cable - ODD mode, switch inward + USB cable - combined mode. All three modes create virtual devices in your computer, while eSATA is activated when you connect the cable of the same name, and is used only for normal information transfer between the computer and the HDD pocket.

A physical drive can only handle one optical drive at a time. The same applies to the virtual CD/DVD drive in the ZM-VE200; Only one ISO image can be downloaded at a time. I was easily able to mount the images I had DVDs, game and music CDs, as well as disk images with software. There was no need to use the OS to control the device when the device itself can control the OS. A special jog-switch, together with the LCD display, made it possible to quickly and easily view existing ISO images, mounting which took approximately 5 - 10 seconds, depending on the size of the ISO file itself.

Among other things, the Zalman ZM-VE200 can not only emulate a virtual CD/DVD drive - it allows you to create up to 4 floppy drives, and they can work simultaneously. Interestingly, Zalman did not provide any information about this functionality. Of course, floppy disks are rarely used these days, but this feature will help target the product at a very specific market where technicians sometimes still use floppy disks to run system diagnostics.

Testing

For testing, we used a Samsung HM160HI hard drive; the external box was connected via USB to the computer. The results are as follows: reading - 27.8 MB/s, writing - 21.6 MB/s.

During our work, sometimes the built-in hard drive was detected as empty, and operating system I suggested formatting it. It is also known about some “floating” glitches in this model, which are software in nature.

conclusions

Today, it is very easy to buy a cheap 2.5" hard drive enclosure. In fact, there is now a large selection of different HDD boxes on the market. However, a smart choice would be to purchase a device not only with USB 2.0 support, but also to consider options with support for eSATA interfaces and, possibly, even USB 3.0. The good news is that the Zalman ZM-VE200 doesn't fit the usual criteria for choosing external HDD pockets. The fact is that the Zalman ZM-VE200 we're testing today is more than just an external HDD case.

From a theoretical point of view, I see a dual external HDD box, with an optional virtual optical drive, as a great addition to the main unit. Why hasn't this idea been used before? Who knows.

The nice and slim design allows the user to effectively use the internal hard drive as an external drive. And such “little things” as an LCD display and a “jog-switch” switch make it easy to mount the desired images of optical disks, or switch the mode HDD usage housings. Although the Zalman ZM-VE200 has distinct advantages, it also has disadvantages. The disadvantages include the use of aging USB interface 2.0, which makes this purchase less promising. Let us also remember that this HDD enclosure is incompatible with the eSATAp interface; the manufacturer should provide the possibility of using external unit nutrition.

With all this, the Zalman ZM-VE200 is a kind of unique product that will appeal, first of all, to enthusiasts and amateurs technical innovations for whom the novelty of the product is important and who value the quality of materials in the product.

We thank OST-COM company, official distributor Zalman in Russia for the equipment provided.

V.Golub
04/08.2011

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External box for 2.5-inch drives with USB 3.0 interface and with virtual optical drive function. An interesting and no less useful gadget from Zalman. An excellent alternative to Chinese “boxes” for 2.5 inch HDDs.

Specifications

Interface: USB 3.0 (compatible with USB 2.0/1.11)

Form factor/drive interface: 2.5″/SATA 1.2

Supported OS: Windows 98.ME, 2000, XP, Vista. 7/Mac OS/Linux

Additionally: text display, Backup button, virtual optical drive function

Dimensions: 135.3×78.6×13.1 mm

Weight: 96g

Advantages and disadvantages of Zalman ZM-VE300 V

Advantages

Aluminum alloy body
Compact dimensions
Hi-Speed USB 3.0 Interface
Virtual optical drive feature
Rich equipment

Flaws

High price

Design and ergonomics

As you have noticed, the device looks very impressive. Its body is made of durable and lightweight aluminum alloy, making the gadget thin (slightly thicker than 1 cm) and ensuring effective heat removal from the drive. At the top is a small text-based LCD display that shows the device's status and settings menu, which is navigated using the three-way joystick on the left side of the device. On top there is a Backup button and a micro-USB 3.0 connector for connecting to a computer.

Gadget functionality

Zalman ZM-VE300 V It is distinguished by extremely high functionality for devices of this kind. The most interesting thing is that to use its capabilities in practice, you do not need to install special drivers or utilities on your computer (besides the proprietary backup utility). You can control the device using your own menu: change the brightness of the screen and the idle time of the drive to go into sleep mode, analyze the current parameters (temperature, disk condition - S.M.A.R.T., supply voltage, etc.), as well as perform reconnection and safe shutdown, and even activate write protection.

Virtual optical drive emulation

The “chip” of the device is virtual optical drive emulation. By activating this mode“ODD Mode” in the corresponding section of the “Mode Select” menu, the device is not detected by the computer as external hard disk (HDD Mode), but as an optical drive. The usual ISO files (images) are used as optical discs, which must be placed in a folder called “iso”. If you place several files with images in it, you can quickly switch between them using the screen and joystick without disconnecting the external box from the PC. And of course, it is possible to boot your computer from a virtual optical disk by selecting its image. The main thing is that the BIOS supports booting from a USB optical drive. Besides everything else, boxing from Zalman can simultaneously work both as an external HDD and as an optical drive - Dual Mode. Accordingly, the computer sees it as two separate devices.

Those wishing to use this external box for SSD drive with SATA 3 will be disappointed with performance and an unjustified purchase of this type hard drive. SATA 2 media works great.

Equipment

Fans of the included accessories will also like the device. They will find there a USB 3.0 cable, a high-quality case to protect against scratches, screws for securing the drive inside the box and a small screwdriver. There is also a disk with a proprietary backup utility and a user manual in English.

October 12, 2015, Odnokrylov Vladimir 8

Our next review is dedicated to outer casing for Zalman ZM-VE350 hard drives. The box is designed for 2.5-inch SATA drives and supports high-speed USB 3.0 interface. The device is equipped with a virtual optical drive function, allowing you to connect ISO images on the fly. The write protection feature helps prevent damage to important files.

Video review of Zalman ZM-VE350

Equipment and characteristics of Zalman ZM-VE350

An external hard drive box that arrived to us for testing Zalman ZM-VE350 comes in a black cardboard box.

Packaging Zalman ZM-VE350

Package Included:

Boxing itself.
Case.
USB cable 3.0.
Set of screwdriver and four screws.
Quick guide.

Equipment Zalman ZM-VE350

The complete cable is 50 cm long, including connectors.

USB 3.0 cable

The case is very thick and it is easy to remove the device from it. You can, of course, use the box directly in the case, but we do not recommend doing this, otherwise the inserted drive may overheat.

Zalman ZM-VE350 in case

We have compiled the technical characteristics of the device into a single table.

HDD interface	SATA, form factor 2.5"
Device interface	USB 3.0 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0)
Device interface baud rate	USB 2.0: up to 480 Mbps; USB 3.0: up to 5 Gbps
Working with ISO images	Virtual optical drive
Indicator	Lights up when power is turned on, flashes when data is being exchanged
Nutrition	Power via USB
Dimensions	131x79x13 mm (L x W x H)
Weight	96 g (without storage)

Design Zalman ZM-VE350

Frame Zalman ZM-VE350 mostly made of painted aluminum with soft polymer inserts on the sides. On the front side there is an LCD display and led indicator activity.

External hard drive box Zalman ZM-VE350

At the top end there is a Backup button and USB connector 3.0 (Micro-B type, also transmitting power to the HDD) for connecting the supplied cable.

Upper end of Zalman ZM-VE350

Glued to the opposite end Technical information about the model.

Bottom end on Zalman ZM-VE350

On the left side there is a push lever for navigating through the device menu, and the rest of the space is occupied by a soft insert.

Left side panel Zalman ZM-VE350

On the right side, except for the second such insert, there is nothing important.

Right side panel Zalman ZM-VE350

The build quality is decent - buttons and body elements do not loosen. In general, the design gives the impression of being monolithic.

Zalman testing ZM-VE350

To install a drive into the box, you will first have to remove the module with the LCD screen, which essentially contains the entire contents of the device.

Base unit Zalman ZM-VE350

For testing we took solid state drive and connected it to the internal SATA port.

SSD connected to Zalman ZM-VE350 board

For reliability, it is worth clamping the module with the supplied screws - the holes for them are hidden under the folded edges of the soft inserts.

Screw holes for Zalman ZM-VE350

To do this, we used the included screwdriver - fortunately, little effort is required, so the miniature size of the screwdriver is not a hindrance. It is worth noting that the kit includes twice as many screws as needed - four versus the required two.

Zalman ZM-VE350 base unit secured with screws

After connecting to the PC, the display of our device turned blue and displayed a simple menu.

Display Zalman ZM-VE350

At the same time, the operating system recognized two devices at once: the USB drive itself and an additional optical drive - completely virtual, as indicated in its name.

Zalman ZM-VE350 in task manager

This is precisely the main feature of this case - you can mount any ISO images by placing them in a folder "_ISO" on the disk inserted into the case. For example, a Windows 7 image downloaded from MSDN was read without problems.

Windows image 7 in the Zalman ZM-VE350 virtual drive

However, our copy was initially with faulty firmware, and for the virtual drive function to work correctly, we had to update the device software to more current version. We attach the archive with the firmware and update instructions below. REMEMBER: This operation is carried out at your own peril and risk, and if you are not exactly sure what you are doing, it is better to contact technical support or a service center.

(122.7 KB).
(579.78 KB).

However, the drive function can be completely disabled - to do this, you just need to select the appropriate mode, of which there are three:

HDD Mode - drive mode without a drive.
VCD Mode - “virtual drive only” mode.
DUAL Mode - simultaneous operation.

Zalman ZM-VE350 modes

Another great feature Zalman ZM-VE350- ability to set write protection. This allows you to work even in a potentially or actually virus-infected system without the danger of contracting an infection. All you need to do is select “Enable WP” from the menu. The lock icon closes on the start screen - and that’s it, no problems.

Installing write protection in Zalman ZM-VE350

Additionally, in the “Information” section you can see the storage temperature (let’s say right away that for SSDs it is determined incorrectly, don’t be alarmed), S.M.A.R.T. status, serial number and controller firmware version.

Information about the drive in Zalman ZM-VE350

Now let's check the performance when using the USB interface. 3.0. IN HD Tune 5 the speed graph has an average read speed of 161.9 MB/s with a random access time of 0.169 ms. The CPU load was 9.8%.

Zalman ZM-VE350: review of external box for HDD. Zalman zm-ve300, review, to help the system administrator Zalman hard drive with emulation