Delkin Blog

An OEM micro SD card—also called microSD—can provide high-endurance storage for a wide range of applications. If your application requires reliable storage that uses a minimal amount of power and has the ability to be integrated into multiple form factors, an OEM microSD card could be the right answer for you. These facts will help you determine if these memory cards are the best option for your OEM design.

microSD cards have been on the market since 1999.

Consumer SD cards, which are designed according to strict specifications set forth by the Secure Digital Association, were introduced to the market in 1999. They were designed as storage interfaces for consumer products, including GPS systems, cellphones, and dashboard cameras. Because of the small size, they soon became a natural fit for industrial applications, even though they were not formatted to meet the demands of industrial grade applications.

In 2005, microSD cards were launched in order to fulfill the need for storage for increasingly small cellphones. These microSD cards have since been used in a huge array of consumer and industrial applications. Industrial grade microSD cards were also introduced, but many developers continued to use consumer grade microSD cards in applications that could benefit from industrial storage.

Industrial grade OEM microSD cards can perform in rugged conditions.

microSD cards are highly adaptable and can easily be integrated into a number of different interfaces. Commercial and consumer grade microSD cards are ideal choices for the applications for which they are intended, but they are not usually sufficient for industrial applications. Using them in this way can lead to unexpected device failures and the need to make frequent redesigns to accommodate parts changes.

Industrial grade OEM microSD cards are beneficial for several different reasons. They can operate in the extended temperature ranges many industrial devices are used in, and they can function without any loss of performance in the high-shock and high-vibration environments of industrial applications. Industrial microSD cards use SLC, or single-level cell, flash storage, which reduces the chances of lost data during a power surge or loss, since only one bit of data is written per cell. Likewise, SLC flash memory allows industrial devices to function quickly because fewer voltages are required to save each bit of data. For OEM microSD cards, the controlled BOMs included with industrial grade memory mean that there will be no unexpected parts changes that could trigger compatibility issues.

Delkin offers OEM micro SD cards in both industrial and commercial formats so that you can easily find the right memory format for your needs. Contact one of our technical product consultants today with your questions.