Delkin Blog

CompactFlash—also called CF—is one of the most widely recognized flash storage cards available today. It’s also one of the earliest entries into the memory card market and remains one of the most popular. It has far-reaching applications, from commercial devices to industrial-grade uses in everything from gaming to power, energy, and automation. If you’re considering using CF memory cards for your systems, here are the answers to some questions you may have.

Why are CF memory cards so widely used?

The reason for the continued popularity of CF memory cards is simple: they are durable and reliable. CF memory cards are designed to maintain the integrity of data even in the face of a power loss and can operate reliably, even in hostile environments. They are highly customizable and available in a variety of sizes to suit a multitude of needs.

CF memory cards have also done extremely well at keeping up with the changing demands of users. Today’s CF memory cards have the best performance capabilities ever available in CompactFlash, and they offer thoroughly modern features, including SMART support so engineers can monitor and troubleshoot drives before minor problems become major ones.

Who is using CF memory cards?

Thanks to the easy customization of CF cards, users ranging from everyday consumers all the way to industrial-grade engineers are using them in devices and drives. CF memory cards are relied upon for demanding, industrial applications in fields such as:

• Transportation
• Automation
• Healthcare
• Digital Signage
• Aerospace
• Embedded Computing
• Infotainment

Because of the wide range of capacities and speeds, CF memory cards are able to easily deliver customer-specific performance.

Are CF memory cards industrial grade?

Industrial-grade CF memory cards are available. These cards have SLC flash and are available in capacities ranging from 64MB to 16GB. They are rugged enough to operate in conditions ranging from -40 degrees to 85 degrees C without loss of performance. They are also SMART-compatible, so performance can constantly be evaluated without the need to disrupt function. ELC is also available.

Most importantly for industrial users, industrial CF memory cards are available with a controlled BOM. This provides engineers and tech project managers with confidence that they will not encounter any changes to essential components of the memory card until the parts numbers are changed. Furthermore, advance notice is provided before any parts number change to allow for final purchasing to be made, so any necessary transitions are seamless.

Delkin’s product team is available to answer your questions about industrial CF memory cards. You can also head to our website for tech spec downloads and sample requests.