Delkin Blog

For engineers and designers who are looking for industrial storage, price considerations always come into play. Industrial SD cards are popular with designers and engineers in many different industries, thanks to their reliability and ease of integration. Of course, price considerations factor into every project, so it’s important to understand what to expect. Here is what you need to know when it comes to industrial SD card price considerations.

SLC vs. MLC

When you’re shopping for an industrial SD card, one of the first decisions you will need to make is whether you want an SLC or MLC card. SLC stands for single-level cell, and is a kind of flash memory in which one bit of data is stored per cell. It is considered to be the most reliable form of flash memory. SLC also lasts longer than other versions of flash memory. Generally, industrial users choose SLC SD cards for industrial applications.

MLC stands for multi-level cell. With this kind of NAND flash memory, two bits of data are stored per cell. As a result, it is considered to be slightly less reliable than SLC flash. However, it can still be a good fit for some industrial applications.

Generally, SLC SD cards will cost more than MLC SD cards. The higher price is not indicative of better quality, but of different designs and lifespans.

Industrial SD Card Price vs. Card Quality

SD cards are highly reliable memory cards that are used in a huge number of consumer and industrial applications. While in general, industrial SD card prices are higher than consumer grade SD card prices, you cannot pick a card based on price alone. Unlike most other products you may be used to shopping for, higher prices don’t necessarily translate to better products when it comes to SD cards.

The far more important consideration when selecting an industrial SD card is how it will be used in your application. Does your application require high levels of both read and write cycles? Does the environment in which the application will be used feature extreme temperatures or high levels of shock and vibration? Considering questions like these will help you select the right SD card—at the right price—for your application.

Delkin can assist with SD card testing in your application to find out exactly what kind of features are necessary for your device. After that, our product team can help you find the best fit at the right price. Talk to a team member today for more information about industrial SD card price considerations.

ORDER DELKIN INDUSTRIAL FLASH STORAGE TODAY through our distribution partner Newark.