Wormbog

We recently purchased 23 iPod Touches to test in the classroom as we consider a one-to-one program from next year.  Along with the iPods I was looking to purchase a case that would allow us to protect the iPods as we moved them between classrooms and to charge and sync the iPods.  I was very disappointed with the cost of the cases and carts on the market.  The 2 options that we found were:

• Bretford PowerSync Cart for iPod – $2,300
• Bretford PowerSync Case for iPod – $2,000

I am sure that both of these are great solutions, but I was not interested in spending $2,000 to protect $4,000 worth of iPods.  We decided that we would put together our own case.  Here is our solution:

• Case: we had an aluminum case from wireless microphones around that we used but something like this would work fine. ~$50
• USB Hubs: we purchased four 7 port powered USB hubs from NewEgg. $100
• Power Stip: we added a standard power strip to power the USB hubs.
• Padding: we used foam that was left over from other projects to cut out slots for 30 iPods.  We used an electric kitchen knife to cut the foam which worked well. (If you have to purchase a case look for one that has foam included)

After a little trial and error making cuts in the foam we came up with a fairly good solution.  Rather than trying to cut out sections the

same size as the iPods we just made single slits with the knife.  This keeps the iPods safe without giving them room to move.  We also cutout channels on the bottom of the foam and slits for the charging/sync cable.  We daisy chained the USB hubs.  After connecting the power and the USB to a Mac Mini iTunes opened and all 23 iPods appeared and started to sync.

I am concerned about a couple of issues.  The first is that the foam feels rough and because we only cut slits for each iPod I am concerned that they will scratch over time.  I will be watching them closely for signs of scratching.  iTunes also seems to have issues syncing 23 devices at the same time.  This could be a function of an older Mac Mini that is also recording cameras and playing music during class changes but I have not had a chance to test it.  I am not too worried about iTunes because I do not plan to have to sync the iPods frequently.  We are looking for tools that will allow the teachers to use the iPods without asking to have content sync’d to them each time.

This might not be as pretty as the Bretford solution but I think that it accomplishes the same task, for about $1,900 less.