Talk:Comparison of memory cards

Where's SD?

I guess I will try to add that column in the next day or two. --WhiteDragon 05:08, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

ok, I'm blind. In my defense, it's late and I haven't had enough sleep :-P --WhiteDragon 05:09, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Changed microSD Maximum storage capacity due to inconsistency with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroSD

CompactFlash Out of Date?

I was just looking at this page and I notice a few things that seem out of date. I'd try editing myself but I don't really feel all that qualified on this subject.

The maximum for CompactFlash is listed as 12000MB but Sandisk currently has a 16GB card out. Is that because it's hasn't actually shipped yet? I notice that bhphotovideo.com says it is estimated to be available in November, which has passed.
The flash technology for CF is listed as NOR but I'm pretty sure that modern CF cards are NAND. If I am correct, maybe it should read NOR or NAND?

Please provide a verifiable reference to these 2 facts, for example, press-releases of major manufacturing companies. There are lots of hoaxes on high-capacity memory cards, such as counterfeits of SONY USB flashes that claim to be 8GB, but are 64MB in reality. For the NOR/NAND - if it's true and verifiable - let's add it as "NOR or NAND"? --GreyCat 10:20, 7 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For the Sandisk 16GB card, the Sandisk website should be believable shouldn't it?

http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Item(2207)-SDCFX3-16384-SanDisk_Extreme_III_CompactFlash_16GB.aspx

I just checked and bhphotovideo.com now has them listed in stock:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=1097&A=details&Q=&sku=461865&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

I've dealt with them for around 15 years and they have always been above board as far as I can tell -- which makes them unique among N.Y. mail order camera shops.

I can't find a reference on the NAND/NOR thing. Sandisk doesn't seem to have it on their site that I can find nor do they have a support email that I can find, just a phone number. I suppose I can call tomorrow. Billdav 06:30, 12 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Someone added a category at the bottom of the chart for bootable PATA-CF adapters. Addonics has had a bootable SATA-CF adapter available for quite a while now. I'm not sure if that should be added.

I believe that that section should be reworked completely. There's myriads of adapters possible and available. It would be very

I have been unable to determine from the Sandisk web site if the big Sandisk CF cards (8/12/16GB) are CF-I or CF-II. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Billdav (talk • contribs) 20:39, 6 December 2006 (UTC).[reply]

I just got of the phone with a Sandisk support rep and he told me that Sandisk no longer makes CF type 2 cards at all. They are all CF type 1, even the 16GB. He had to go ask someone for that information.

Neither he, nor the people he had to help him knew the answer to the NAND/NOR question. He gave me an email address (oemsales@sandisk.com) that he believes will get me in touch with someone who can answer that question. I sent the email and added the question if there are any online sources of this information. Billdav 01:07, 13 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...

OK. I got a reply. The NAND/NOR thing is true. It has switched over to NAND. This can be found in the SanDisk CompactFlash Memory Card Product Manual Version 11.0, Document 20-10-00038, Page 1-4, Section 1.6.3. It can be retrieved from here:

http://www.sandisk.com/Assets/File/OEM/Manuals/ProdManCFlashv11.0.pdf

There doesn't seem to be anything in there about the big cards only being type I now so I suppose that would be considered hearsay from a Sandisk support rep.

Wikipedia's Compactflash page also says that it has switched over to NAND (second paragraph in the article).

Sandisk provides several of their OEM manuals here:

http://www.sandisk.com/Oem/Manuals/ Billdav 18:19, 13 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

More info on tables from SD articles

Tables extracted from SD articles:

	SD Memory Card	miniSD Card	microSD Card
Width	24 mm	20 mm	11 mm
Length	32 mm	21.5 mm	15 mm
Thickness	2.1 mm	1.4 mm	1 mm
Card Volume	1,596 mm³	589 mm³	165 mm³
Weight	Approx. 2 g	Approx. 1 g	Approx. 0.5 g
Operating Voltage	2.7 - 3.6 V	2.7 - 3.6 V	2.7 - 3.6 V
Write-protect Switch	YES	NO	NO
Terminal Guards	YES	NO	NO
Number of Pins	9 pins	11 pins	8 pins

**Technical comparison**
Type	MMC	RS-MMC	MMC Plus	SecureMMC	SD	SDIO	miniSD	microSD
SD Socket	Yes	Mechanical adapter	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Electro-mechanical adapter	Electro-mechanical adapter
Pins	7	7	13	7	9	9	11	8
Form factor	Thin	Thin/short	Thin	Thin	Thick (exceptions possible)	Thick	Narrow/short/thin	Narrow/short/extrathin
Width	24 mm	24 mm	24 mm	24 mm	24 mm	24 mm	20 mm	11 mm
Length	32 mm	18 mm	32 mm	32 mm	32 mm	32 mm+	21.5 mm	15 mm
Thickness	1.4 mm	1.4 mm	1.4 mm	1.4 mm	2.1 mm (exceptions possible)	2.1 mm	1.4 mm	1 mm
SPI mode	Optional	Optional	Optional	Required	Required	Required	Required	Optional
1 bit mode	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
4 bit mode	No	No	Yes	?	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
8 bit mode	No	No	Yes	?	No	No	No	No
Xfer clock	0–20 MHz	0–20 MHz	0–52 MHz	0–20 MHz?	0–25 MHz - 0–50 MHz	0–25 MHz	0–25 MHz?	0–25 MHz?
Max XFER	20 Mbit/s	20 Mbit/s	416 Mbit/s	20 Mbit/s?	100 Mbit/s - 200 Mbit/s	100 Mbit/s	100 Mbit/s	100 Mbit/s
Max SPI XFR	20 Mbit/s	20 Mbit/s	52 Mbit/s	20 Mbit/s	25 Mbit/s	25 Mbit/s	25 Mbit/s	25 Mbit/s
DRM	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	N/A	Yes	Yes
User encrypt	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Simplified Spec	Yes	Yes	No	Not yet?	Yes	Yes	No	No
Memb cost	$2500/yr (not required)				$1500/yr (appears required)
Spec cost	$500		?	?	Member	Member	Member	Member
Host license	No	No	No	No	$1000/yr+memb
Mem card royalties	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
I/O card royalties	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$1000/yr+memb	N/A	N/A
Open source compatible	Yes	Yes	Yes?	Yes?	SPI only	SPI only	SPI only	SPI only
Type	MMC	RS-MMC	MMC Plus	SecureMMC	SD	SDIO	miniSD	microSD

Table data compiled mostly from simplified versions of MMC and SDIO specifications and other data on SD card and MMC association web sites. Data for other card variations is interpolated.

Capacity limit in all SD/MMC formats appears to be 128 GB in LBA mode (28-bit sector address).

Most, possibly all, current MMC flash memory cards support SPI mode even if not officially required as failure to do so would severely affect compatibility. All cards currently made by SanDisk, Ritek/Ridata, and Kingmax digital appear to support SPI. Also, MMC cards may be electrically identical to SD cards but in a thinner package and with a fuse blown to disable SD functionality (so no SD royalties need to be paid). Some MicroSD cards do not support SPI mode.

--70.111.218.254 14:59, 25 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]