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Examining the Advantages of SLC SD Cards
Industrial systems rely on flash memory for critical storage. SLC SD cards have long been one of the most widely used technologies for embedded storage in industrial environments, and the demand for high-quality, SLC-based flash storage is only increasing as flash technology itself is changing. The appearance of MLC and TLC SD cards has created welcome changes in the consumer market that are not as advantageous for industrial grade products, and some industrial host device engineers and designers have been surprised to discover how important using an SLC SD card really is. Why is SLC SD the right choice for industrial products? Here is a look at some of the advantages.
Endurance Cycle Protection
NAND flash storage has a limited lifespan. With SLC SD cards, that lifespan is significantly longer than with other versions of flash storage. Part of the reason why this has become an important issue is that the cells within NAND components that store data have been shrunk. The smaller cells wear out faster, since the oxide layer that protects the cells during erase cycles is reduced. SLC flash minimizes this problem by only writing one bit of data per cell, giving each cell a much longer life.
Fewer Thresholds to Cause Performance Issues
SLC SD cards write one bit of data per cell. As such, each read and write cycle requires two thresholds. With MLC flash, that number goes up to two bits of data per cell and four thresholds for every read and write cycle. With TLC NAND, there are three bits of data per cell and eight thresholds. Each threshold represents a chance for an error to occur in the read or write functions.
Rugged Performance Capabilities
MLC and TLC SD cards are perfectly suited to consumer market products. SLC SD cards are ideal for use in industrial grade hosts because these devices are often operated in extreme temperatures or conditions with shock and vibration that are too intense for MLC and TLC flash memory to withstand.
Delkin’s product team can assist you in obtaining SLC SD card samples to test in your system and can provide information about your embedded memory options. Please contact us today for additional details and product specifications.
