Suggestions on protecting the USB stick?

[ill_smo_q]

Not that the glove box is big enough to put much, but I am avoiding putting anything of weight/substance in my Model S plaid because I'm worried the usb will take damage, or dislodge if hit with something inside the glove box. Is there a way to block off this area so contents in the glovebox dont hit the USB stick?

I know there are organizers for the other models, but not seeing one for the 2024 Model S.

Suggestions?

 

[LikesToys]

Why not use a USB cable, or better yet a USB SSD thats on a cable. I use that and it works great.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Not that the glove box is big enough to put much, but I am avoiding putting anything of weight/substance in my Model S plaid because I'm worried the usb will take damage, or dislodge if hit with something inside the glove box. Is there a way to block off this area so contents in the glovebox dont hit the USB stick?

I know there are organizers for the other models, but not seeing one for the 2024 Model S.

Suggestions?

If you don't need it to look nice, something quick and dirty after you measure the dimensions (depth, width, and height) required to make sure it will still go over it when pushed all the way to the left (while still fitting in the glovebox)

-plastic or metal electrical box at your local hardware store
-Tupperware/Rubbermaid box at Walmart or Target
-plastic pen or pencil holder at Office Depot or online

Don't know if the measurements will work, but talking about something like this that is basically a square box that will go right over:

Amazon.com

Or a USB 3.0 short extension (this will allow the drive some flexibility to flop around and less likely to be damaged).

I suggest keeping a spare drive around to swap out when you need to pull the drive to preserve or review the footage on a computer. Note the Tesla drive is just a branded version of the Samsung 128GB Bar Plus.

A lot of people also just opt for a microSD card reader (leaving the Tesla drive as a spare). I'm using this Ugreen dual card reader that comes with a short section of cable. Using it with a 128GB SanDisk High Endurance MicroSD card.

https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Reader-Memory-Windows-Simultaneously/dp/B01EFPX9XA

 

[KITT 2.0]

If you’re not sensitive to price, Tesla sells an SSD that’s made to fit perfectly so that nothing sticks out. Sits flat against the back of the glove box. It’s pricey, but I’ve had it for awhile and am very happy with it. I think part of the high price is that the drive is rated for high temperatures, which can easily happen if you’re ever parked in the sun. I’ve had this happen with non Tesla ssd’s where sentry mode will stop working cause the drive overheated and stopped working.

 

[j.harris]

A regular USB stick won't survive long being constantly written to. I would get an SSD like mentioned above. A M.2 SSD and a USB 3.0 enclosure can be had for a decent price and will be very robust against heat and write cycles.

https://a.co/d/664Ben8

 

[ill_smo_q]

All really good ideas. I appreciate it. I 'kinda' knew those were my options, I was just hoping for the simple solution of some already made block off plate, or a shelf organizer that kept that area separate from the rest. This at least confirms my guess, Make my own, get the SSD, or get a flex cable and secure it out of the way, so that its not running perpendicular to the open space.

Thanks!

 

[beatle]

I've used one of these for the past 2 years - not in the glovebox, but in the center console. It barely sticks out so no issues with accidentally knocking it out or damaging the port:

Amazon.com

 

[TBrownTX]

If you’re not sensitive to price, Tesla sells an SSD that’s made to fit perfectly so that nothing sticks out. Sits flat against the back of the glove box. It’s pricey, but I’ve had it for awhile and am very happy with it. I think part of the high price is that the drive is rated for high temperatures, which can easily happen if you’re ever parked in the sun. I’ve had this happen with non Tesla ssd’s where sentry mode will stop working cause the drive overheated and stopped working.

This is the route I went as well. I've had two of the 128GB Tesla drives fail in 3 years on my M3P, hoping to get more legs out of this upgraded version, especially with the added space eaten up my HW4 cameras.

 

[gsmith123]

Another option is use the tiny Sandisk micro SSD reader. It's so miniscule it'd be hard to hit it or damage it.

 

[Rocket_man]

I have one of these on a short USB cable. It is probably overkill.

Samsung SSD

 

[ill_smo_q]

What extension cables are you guys using? I used one (that I have had for many years) and its thinking I moved the mem stick into a different port (its still in same port, just has an extension cable between it and the port.) Suggestions on which one I should get ?

 

[stopcrazypp]

What extension cables are you guys using? I used one (that I have had for many years) and its thinking I moved the mem stick into a different port (its still in same port, just has an extension cable between it and the port.) Suggestions on which one I should get ?

Get one with USB 3.0 support (usually the plastic for the connector is blue; if you look closely there are 9 pins instead of 4 pins in USB 2.0) and as short as possible (for lowest voltage drop). The port itself is USB 3.0 and the Tesla USB stick is USB 3.0. I don't have specific recommendations because I haven't used one myself (the microSD reader I have already has a short integrated cable), I would let others chime in.

If you buy from Amazon, there are easy free returns (can drop off at UPS Store) as long as you buy from a seller that ships from Amazon (can be fulfilled by Amazon, but do not add to cart if it ships from third party; you may sometimes have to go through the "other sellers" menu to find one that ships from Amazon). For free shipping, you may need to wait until you have other items unless you have Prime.

Here's one that has generally good reviews (StarTech is generally an okay brand):
Amazon.com
Here's one that has left and right angle options, but it's from some generic brand:
Amazon.com

 

[ill_smo_q]

Yup, thats the issue, I am using old usb 2.0 4 pin extension cable, thanks for pointing that out!!