Webcam/USB drive camera?

Unfortunately, that idea will not work. Both the USB stick and the WebCam are both USB endpoints (slaves). They need to talk to a USB hub (master), not to another endpoint.

What would work is to connect the webcam to a computer, connect the USB stick to the same computer and write a little bit of software. But I doubt you would want to lug around a desktop and a generator or a laptop.

But there is hope. You can get really small PC's that could do this. Unfortunately those computers are expensive. So the whole setup will cost you a lot more than the Flip and be a lot bigger.

Edited to add: Also keep in mind that the "cheap webcam" has much less resolution that the Flip, so the picture quality will be MUCH worse even in the best of situations (with the PC). There is a reason the Flip costs a lot more than the cheap webcam.

---55p

 

Actually, I would beg to differ. USB specs are publicly available at www.USB.org free of charge, but it costs money to put the "USB" logo on the device. There are a number of books that go into exactly how USB works. The availability is not the issue. Understanding is another matter. That is where I agree with everything you wrote. There is A LOT of fairly complex stuff that needs to be understood.

In order to accomplish what the OP wants to do, he needs a device that can act as the USB host and talk to both the camera and the memory stick. That can be done by buying a small PC or using one of a number ARM based micro controllers if he is willing to live with USB full speed. It will require a lot of software skills and hardware skills if he wants to design rather than buy the hardware.

---55p