Industrial SD Card 101
An industrial SD card is a NAND flash-based memory card that are ideal for use in industrial applications that have high demands for endurance and ruggedness. They are easy to add to and remove from host applications as needed, thanks to the widely compatible Secure Digital design. Industrial SD cards are found in a huge variety of industrial applications, since they can easily be used for everything from read-only processes that are common in gaming systems to boot media usage. As industrial grade products, industrial SD cards are designed using SLC flash technology, which is the fastest and most reliable format available. Could an industrial SD card be right for your application? Here are the facts you need to know.
Industrial SD Cards Are Designed According to Secure Digital Guidelines
The SD in industrial SD cards stands for Secure Digital. The first SD cards to hit the market were released in 1999, and since then, SD designs have been widely embraced for use in consumer and industrial devices alike.
The Secure Digital Association is a non-profit group of over 1,000 technology companies who all weigh in on memory card design and standards. Via the Secure Digital Association, guidelines for SD cards, including industrial SD cards, are issued. These strict manufacturing criteria must be followed by every SD card producer, so that users can expect the same basic features to be present in all SD cards. The standards issued by the Secure Digital Association are a large part of the reason why SD cards are so broadly compatible.
Industrial Features Mean Durability in Difficult Conditions
Industrial SD cards have features that are required for use in industrial applications, which may operate in demanding, rugged conditions or have a need for the most reliable memory available. Some of these features include:
- Single-level cell (SLC) flash technology. With SLC flash, one bit of data is stored on each cell, so read and write operations are fast and reliable.
- Wear leveling, which ensures that blocks of data are used efficiently.
- Operation in temperatures ranging from -40 to 85 degrees C.
- High shock and vibration tolerance.
- A controlled bill of materials (BOM), which ensures that no card component which could affect operations will be changed in the card design, unless a new product number is issued and advanced warning is given to current customers.
Delkin industrial SD cards come in a variety of capacities and are available with a number of customization options. Contact us today to request an industrial SD card engineering sample.