kingston.com/flash
Digital Media Guide
Portable digital media for computers, digital cameras, and other devices
Kingston®, the world’s leading independent manufacturer of memory products, sells a
broad range of flash cards and USB flash drives (collectively called flash storage
devices) that employ flash memory chips for storage as well as ultra-portable PC Card
hard drives. This Digital Media Technical Guide’s purpose is to explain the various
technologies and digital media offerings that are available.
Note: Due to flash technology changes, specifications listed in this document are
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subject to change without notice.
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3.Reserving some cells to serve as “spares.” Flash memory cells have a long but finite
lifetime. Therefore, some cells are held in reserve to replace any memory cells that
may fail over time.
4.Creating a File Allocation Table (FAT) or other directory. To enable flash storage
devices to conveniently store and access customer files, a file management system
must be created to allow any device or computer to identify the files stored in the
flash storage device. The most common type of file management system for flash
storage devices is the File Allocation Table (FAT), which is also used on hard drives.
5.Reserving some cells for use by the flash storage device’s controller, e.g., for storing
firmware updates and other controller-specific information.
Kingston’s CompactFlash
cards have a rated error
specification of less
6.Where applicable, reserving some cells for special features. For example, the
specification for Secure Digital (SD) cards requires reserved areas to support special
copy protection and security features.
than one (1) bit in
1,000,000,000,000,000
bits read, or one (1)
15
bit per 10 bits read.
3.0 Features of Kingston’s Flash Storage Products
Kingston’s flash storage devices offer many advantages for both consumer and
industrial applications:
• Flash Storage DeviceWarranty: Kingston warrants that its flash storage devices are
free from defects in material and workmanship for the period specified below:
• CF, SD, SM, MMC Flash Cards: Lifetime
®
• DataTraveler USB Flash Drives: 5 years
For further details, see kingston.com/company/warranty.asp
• Digital Media Reader-Writer Five-Year Warranty: Kingston’s line of digital media
reader-writers come with a five-year warranty from defects in material and
workmanship. The PC Card 4/1 reader-writer comes with a two-year warranty. For
further details, see kingston.com/company/warranty.asp
• Solid State: Flash storage devices, as semiconductor storage devices, have no
moving parts and thereby are not subject to the mechanical failure issues of hard
drives. Their overall data reliability enabled them to dominate the convenience-
oriented portable memory products market, operating silently with a zero decibel
noise level.
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• Small Physical Size (or Form Factor): Flash storage devices are designed to be easily
transported. Convenience is an important criterion, especially for consumer and
corporate applications.
• High Data Reliability: Flash memory is very reliable and many of the flash storage
device types also include Error Correction Code (ECC) checking to detect single-
bit errors. For example, Kingston’s CompactFlash® cards have a rated error
specification of less than one (1) bit in 1,000,000,000,000,000 bits read (1 bit per
1015 bits read).
Kingston’s engineers
test and select high-
performance
• Kingston Flash Data Retention: Kingston flash storage devices are rated for up to
10 years under normal use. Important information should also be backed up on
other media for long-term safekeeping.
controllers to ensure
that Kingston’s flash
cards are among the
performance leaders
in the industry.
• Wear-Leveling Technology: Kingston flash storage devices (excluding SmartMedia
cards) incorporate controllers utilizing advanced wear-leveling technology, which
distributes write cycles across the flash card. Wear-leveling thus extends the useful
life of a flash memory card (for details, please see Kingston Flash Cell Endurance
section, next).
• Flash Cell Endurance: Up to 10,000 Multi- Level Cell (MLC) Flash or up to 100,000
Single-Level Cell (SLC Flash) write cycles per physical sector.
According to Toshiba, the inventor of flash memory: “the 10,000 cycles of MLC
NAND is more than sufficient for a wide range of consumer applications, from
storing documents to digital photos. For example, if a 256MB MLC NAND Flash-
based card can typically store 250 pictures from a 4-megapixel camera (a
conservative estimate), its 10,000 write/erase cycles, combined with wear-leveling
algorithms in the controller, will enable the user to store and/or view
approximately 2.5 million pictures within the expected useful life of the card.”1
For USB flash drives, Toshiba calculated that a 10,000 write cycle endurance
would enable customers to “completely write and erase the entire contents once
per day for 27 years, well beyond the life of the hardware.”
SLC flash based products, typically found in Kingston’s Elite Pro™ cards and
DataTraveler 2.0 USB flash drives, offer both high-performance and high-
endurance.
•Automatic Bad Sector Remapping: Kingston flash controllers automatically lock out
sections with bad memory cells (“bad blocks”) and move the data to other sections
(“spare blocks”) to avoid data corruption. During factory formatting (as described
in Section 2), spare blocks are set aside on the flash storage device for remapping
bad sectors over time.
1* Toshiba press release, “Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. Releases
Performance Research on MLC NAND Flash Memory for Consumer Applications,”
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• High-Quality Connectors: Kingston’s flash storage devices have connectors rated for
more than 10,000 insertions.
• Operating Temperature and Humidity: 0° C ~ 60° C, 5% ~ 95% humidity
• High-Capacity: Flash storage devices can provide large storage capacities in a very
small form factor. This flexibility makes them ideal for consumer uses, such as
digital film or storage for MP3 music, where portability and convenience
are important.
™
The DataPak is the
Please note: Some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other
functions and thus is not available for data storage. Please see Section 2
for details.
perfect solution for
notebooks, handhelds,
digital cameras or any
other digital device
with aType II PC
Card slot.
• High-Performance: Kingston’s Elite Pro and Hi-Speed DataTraveler USB flash drives
are faster than many standard flash products and many competitive products.
Kingston’s engineers test and select high-performance controllers to ensure that
Kingston’s flash cards are among the performance leaders. Please see the Appendix
for information about USB and Hi-Speed USB performance. Kingston standard flash
products offer moderate performance levels for general purpose applications.
• Low Power Consumption: Unlike standard DRAM memory that needs to be
constantly powered on to maintain its data, flash memory is non-volatile and does
not require power to maintain its data. Flash memory’s low power consumption
results in longer battery life for the host device.
• Plug and Play Support: Kingston’s flash memory line supports plug and play. With
plug and play technology and compatible computer operating systems, a flash
storage device can be inserted into a computer or a flash media reader and be
quickly recognized and accessed by the computer.
• Hot-Swapping Support: Hot-swapping allows for plugging or unplugging flash
storage devices into a compatible computer or reader without needing to power off
and restart the computer. This feature enhances the portability and convenience of
flash storage devices for transferring data, pictures or music between two
computers or devices.
4.0
Non-Volatile NOR and NAND FlashTechnologies
Unlike Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), flash memory is non-volatile.
Non-volatile memory retains data even without being powered-on. For example,
when a computer is turned off, all data that was in the computer’s DRAM memory is
lost; however, when a flash storage device is removed from a digital camera, all data
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(and pictures) remains saved on the flash storage device. The ability to retain data is
key for flash memory applications such as digital film for digital cameras, cell phones,
PDAs and other transportable devices.
There are two major technologies of flash memory: NOR and NAND. Each
technology has its strengths that make it ideal for different kinds of applications, as
summarized in the table below:
Kingston Flash cards
were rated the best
in read and write
performance by
NOR Flash
NAND Flash
dpreview.com.
High-speed Access
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Page-Mode Data Access
Random Byte Level Access
Typical Uses
Cell Phones
BIOS Storage for PCs
Networking Device Memory
PDAs
Digital Cameras
MP3 players
Solid State Disk Drives
Set-Top Boxes
Industrial Storage
4.1 NOR FLASH MEMORY
NOR, named after the specific data mapping technology (Not OR), is a high-speed
Flash technology. NOR Flash memory provides high-speed random-access
capabilities, being able to read and write data in specific locations in the memory
without having to access the memory in sequential mode. Unlike NAND Flash, NOR
Flash allows the retrieval of data as small as a single byte. NOR Flash excels in
applications where data is randomly retrieved or written. NOR is most often found
built into cellular phones and PDAs and is also used in computers to store the BIOS
program that runs to provide the start-up functionality.
4.2 NAND FLASH MEMORY
NAND Flash was invented after NOR Flash, and is named after the specific mapping
technology used for data (Not AND). NAND Flash memory reads and writes in high-
speed, sequential mode, handling data in small, block sizes (“pages”). NAND Flash can
retrieve or write data as single pages, but cannot retrieve individual bytes like NOR Flash.
NAND Flash memory is commonly found in solid-state hard drives, audio and video
digital media devices, television set-top boxes, digital cameras and other devices
where data is generally written or read sequentially.
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For example, most digital cameras use NAND-Flash based digital film, as pictures are
usually taken and stored sequentially. NAND-Flash is also more efficient when
pictures are read back, as it transfers whole pages of data very quickly. As a sequential
storage medium, NAND Flash is ideal for data storage.
NAND Flash memory is less expensive than NOR Flash memory, and can
accommodate more storage capacity in the same die size.
CompactFlash cards
were the first small
form factor flash
memory cards.
Flash memory which stores a single bit per cell is known as Single-Level Cell (SLC) Flash.
5.0 Die-Stacking and Multi-Level Cell/Multi-Bit Cell Flash
technologies
In order to economically increase the amount of bit-storage that a flash memory chip
can accommodate, manufacturers often utilize die-stacking and multi-level cell or
multi-bit cell technologies. These technologies result in a flash memory chip having
the capability to store more data in a single chip.
5.1 DIE-STACKING
Many semiconductor manufacturers use a “die-stacking” technique to double a flash
memory chip’s capacity. After the semiconductor wafer fabrication process, they cut
out the flash memory silicon “die” and then attach or stack two separate dies together.
For example, when a semiconductor manufacturer stacks two 128-megabit dies
together, they form a single 256-megabit flash memory chip.
Die-stacking allows for cost-reduced chip alternatives to the larger-capacity, single-die
chips (called “monolithic” chips). Stacking two 1-gigabit chips together, for example,
typically costs far less than buying a low-volume monolithic 2-gigabit chip. The 2-
gigabit chip can then be used to build a 256 MB flash card (single chip card), or a 512 MB
flash card (two chips on one card).
Die-stacking is similar to the DRAM chip-stacking technology that Kingston utilizes to
produce high-end server modules. As a result, Kingston’s die-stacked flash cards are
reliable and deliver high performance.
5.2 MULTI-LEVEL CELL (MLC) FLASHTECHNOLOGIES
NAND and NOR Flash memory chips typically store one (1) bit value (a ‘0’ or a ‘1’)
in each cell. In multi-level flash technologies, three (3) or more values are stored into
each cell.
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Intel Corporation has introduced NOR StrataFlash™; AMD has introduced NOR
MirrorBit™ Flash. Other semiconductor manufacturers also manufacture their own
multi-level cell technologies.
NAND MLC Flash technologies were introduced in late 2002, and Kingston has
incorporated MLC Flash memory into its line of standard Flash cards.
USB flash memory
offers an easy way
to transfer files from
a digital device to
a computer.
5.3 MULTI-BIT CELL (MBC) FLASHTECHNOLOGY
Multi-bit technology is a competing technology to Multi-Level Cell (MLC), and
accomplishes the same goal by storing 2 bits per cell (or 4 values per cell). MBC
technology is presently used in Infineon’s TwinFlash™ memory.
6.0
Flash Storage Device Performance
Flash card storage device performance depends on the following three factors:
• The specific Flash memory chips used: Generally, there is a tradeoff between the
high-speed and more expensive Single-Level Cell (SLC) flash chips, and the
standard speed and more affordable Multi-Level Cell (MLC) or Multi-Bit Cell
(MBC) flash chips. Kingston’s high performance flash cards (Elite Pro) and Hi-
Speed USB flash drives all utilize the high-performance SLC Flash memory.
• The Flash storage device’s controller: With the exception of SmartMedia, today’s
flash storage devices have a built-in flash memory controller (see Section 7 for
more details). This special chip manages the interface to the host device, and
handles all the reads from and writes to the flash chips on the flash storage device.
If the host controller is capable of supporting faster data transfer speeds, the use of
optimized flash controllers can result in significant time savings when reading or
writing data into the flash memory. For example, Kingston uses optimized, high-
performance flash controllers in its Elite Pro Flash cards and DataTraveler Hi-Speed
USB flash drives.
• The host device to which the Flash storage device is connected to: If the host
device (computer, digital camera, etc.) is limited to specific read and write speeds,
using faster Flash storage devices will not deliver higher performance. For example,
using a Hi-Speed USB flash drive on a computer that supports only the slower USB
speeds will not result in faster transfers. In addition, computers need to be properly
configured to support faster transfers in both hardware and software. In the case of
a PC, the system board will need to have built-in Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectors,
and the Operating System (e.g., Windows) will also need to have the proper USB
2.0 drivers installed in order to be able to support Hi-Speed USB transfers.
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For details on USB Performance, refer to Appendix A.
Some flash memory product manufacturers provide “speed” ratings. However, due to
a lack of industry standards, comparing different flash products may prove difficult
for consumers.
Kingston continuously works closely with global semiconductor and controller
manufacturers to ensure that Kingston flash cards deliver superior price/performance
to its customers. For enthusiasts and advanced customers demanding the highest
performance, Kingston offers the Elite Pro line of CompactFlash and SD cards, and
the DataTraveler Hi-Speed USB flash drives.
Kingston’s DataTraveler
offers quick and easy
downloads and digital
file transfers.
7.0
Kingston’s Flash Card Product Lines
There are several types of flash storage devices that are available from Kingston:
- USB Flash Drives (DataTraveler)
- CompactFlash Cards (CF)
- Secure Digital Cards (SD)
- MultiMediaCards (MMC)
- SmartMedia Cards (SM)
™
All these form factors will be described in the following sections.
7.1 USB FLASH DRIVES
Introduced in 2002, USB flash drives offer an incredible combination of high storage
capacity, fast data transfer rates, and great flexibility, all in the size of a lighter.
Heralded as a floppy drive alternative, USB flash drives have far more storage capacity
than that of a standard floppy disk. They provide an easy method for quick
downloads and transferring digital files to and from your computer or device.
USB flash drives incorporate NAND Flash and a controller in a capsulated case. USB
memory works with the vast majority of computers and devices that incorporate the
Universal Serial Bus interface, including most PCs, PDAs, and MP3 players.
Kingston offers standard USB flash drives (DataTraveler) as well as a higher-
performance DataTraveler Hi-Speed USB flash drive, DataTraveler 2.0. The
DataTraveler 2.0 also supports password-protected partitioning for improved security.
DATATRAVELER:
INTERFACE
FLASHTYPE
VOLTAGE
PIN COUNT
SIZE IN MM
USB 2.0
NAND
5Volts
4
4 x 74 x 10
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DATATRAVELER 2.0:
INTERFACE
FLASHTYPE
NAND
VOLTAGE
PIN COUNT
SIZE IN MM
Hi-Speed USB 2.0
5Volts
4
25.42 x 98.17 x 15.40
7.2 COMPACTFLASH (CF) CARDS
CompactFlash, or CF cards, were the first small form factor flash cards introduced in
1994. CF cards incorporate a controller and are about the size of a matchbook.
CompactFlash cards incorporate an Integrated Device Electronics (IDE) interface
similar to hard drives and ATA PC Cards. Kingston is a member of the CompactFlash
Association, which sets the specifications for CF cards.
Secure Digital cards
feature cryptographic
security protection and
a 4x increase in data
transfer rates over MMC.
Kingston offers standard CompactFlash cards as well as a high-performance Elite Pro line.
Kingston’s Elite Pro CompactFlash cards are among the fastest available in the
industry. The high transfer rate is ideal for use on newer devices such as high-
megapixel digital cameras, to ensure that the cameras save pictures faster and are
quickly ready for the next shot.
CompactFlash cards come in a Type I form factor:
INTERFACE
FLASHTYPE
VOLTAGE
PIN COUNT
SIZE IN MM
CompactFlash
NAND
3.3 and 5Volts
50
Type I:
36.4 x 42.8 x 3.3
(Includes built-in
controller)
7.3 SECURE DIGITAL (SD) CARDS
Secure Digital, introduced in late 2001, is a second-generation and more popular
derivative of the MultiMediaCard (MMC) standard (see section 7.4) that is backward-
compatible with current MMC cards.
The Secure Digital format includes several important technological advancements over
MMC. These include the addition of cryptographic security protection for copyrighted
data/music and a 4X increase in data transfer rates. The SD Card Association sets the
specifications for Secure Digital cards.
To help support higher-capacity cards, SD cards are slightly thicker than the original
MMC cards. This means that devices designed to support SD cards may also accept
MMC cards (if the host device is not strictly limited to SD media for data security
reasons). However, devices exclusively designed for MMC cards will not support the
thicker SD cards at this time.
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Kingston offers standard SD cards as well as high-performance Elite Pro SD cards.
INTERFACE
FLASHTYPE
VOLTAGE
PIN COUNT
SIZE IN MM
Secure Digital
NAND
2.7–3.3Volts
9
32 x 24 x 2.1
(Built-in controller)
MultiMediaCards are
commonly used in MP3
players and other
7.4 MULTIMEDIACARD (MMC)
MultiMediaCards are one of the smallest flash cards available, about the size of a
postage stamp. They were introduced in 1997 and initially used in the mobile phone
and pager markets. Today, they are commonly used in digital cameras, mobile phones,
and MP3 players. The MultiMediaCard Association sets the specifications for MMC.
devices that require a
small form factor.
INTERFACE
FLASHTYPE
VOLTAGE
PIN COUNT
SIZE IN MM
MultiMediaCard
(Built-in controller)
NAND
3.3Volts
7
32 x 24 x 1.4
7.5 SMARTMEDIA CARDS (SM, PREVIOUSLY CALLED SSFDC)
SmartMedia cards, introduced in 1996, are the thinnest form factor flash storage
devices. They were originally called SSFDC, for Solid-State Floppy Disk card, as they
look like a miniature floppy disk. SmartMedia cards usually incorporate a single flash
chip and do not incorporate a controller. Thus, they depend on the host controller to
manage all memory reads and writes. The SSFDC Forum sets the specifications for
SmartMedia cards.
INTERFACE
FLASHTYPE
VOLTAGE
PIN COUNT
SIZE IN MM
SmartMedia
NAND
3.3 and 5Volts
22
45 x 37 x 0.76
(No built-in
controller)
Digital Media Reader-Writers
8.0
Digital media reader-writers allow flash storage devices to be used as portable storage
for computers as well as for uploading or downloading of pictures, music, and other
data without requiring the original host device (such as a digital camera or MP3
player), and without any additional drain on its batteries.
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Digital media reader-writers can enable the uploading and downloading of data at
higher speeds than a host device is capable of supporting; for example, a USB reader-
writer will be much faster than a host device (such as a digital camera) using a serial
interface. If a host device does not support high-speed transfers, the faster reader-
writers will significantly reduce the data transfer times.
Specifically designed
for high-speed image
transfer, Kingston Flash
Card readers are an
ideal solution for
Kingston markets a number of digital media reader-writers for the convenient
attachment of flash storage devices to personal computers or notebooks.
For flash cards, Kingston recommends the flexible and convenient 4-in-1 (four form
factors supported by a single reader-writer) units that can accommodate most of the
flash card form factors available today and can be connected to any notebook with a
PC Card Type II interface. Kingston also offers Hi-Speed USB 6-in-1 Flash media
reader-writers for high-performance data transfers to systems supporting Hi-Speed
USB 2.0.
quickly viewing your
digital images on your
desktop PC, Mac
or notebook.
9.0
CompactFlash to PC Card Adapters
Flash card adapters are convenient slip-in receiving frames that allow a
CompactFlash card to be converted into an ATA PC Card (Type II) storage device.
Many notebooks and other devices supporting ATA Type II PC Cards also support
CompactFlash cards when CF cards are inserted into a CF-ATA Flash card adapter.
10.0
Kingston DataPak PC Card Hard Drives
Kingston’s DataPak™ is a removable, high-capacity PC Card Type II compliant hard
disk drive. It is specifically designed for increased storage capacity and portability for
today’s popular portable computer systems and digital devices.
The DataPak features include:
• DataPak Three-Year Warranty: Kingston’s line of DataPak storage solutions come
with a three-year warranty from defects in material and workmanship. For details,
see kingston.com/company/warranty.asp
• High-Performance: The DataPak is a miniature hard drive rotating at 3,990 RPM. It
has advanced performance features, such as 256KB of cache and data look-ahead
technology, built in.
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• High Capacity: Up to 5 GB (5,000,000,000 bytes) of uncompressed storage capacity
in a compact form-factor. Note that some of the listed capacity is used for
formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage.
• Operating Systems Compatibility: Compatible with PC and Macintosh operating
systems. The DataPak also supports disk compression.
• Plug and Play Support: Kingston’s DataPak supports plug and play. With plug and
play technology and compatible computer operating systems, the DataPak can be
inserted into a computer or a flash media reader and be quickly recognized and
accessed by the computer.
• Device Compatibility: The DataPak is compatible with devices supporting PC
Card Type II storage, including portable computers, digital cameras, and other
devices.
• High Data Reliability: The Kingston DataPak has rated error specification of one
(1) bit in 10,000,000,000,000 bits read (1 bit per 1013 bits read).
• Mean Time between Failures (MTBF): The DataPak MTBF is rated at over
300,000 hours.
• Low Power Consumption: The DataPak consumes only 1.7W of battery power
during read/write cycles and only 0.5W in idle mode.
11.0 For More Information:
For additional information on Kingston products, please visit us at:
kingston.com/digitalmedia.
Appendix: USB Performance
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is emerging as the preferred interface to connect
digital media reader-writers to computers.
The latest USB specification is USB 2.0. The older specification was USB 1.1. The USB
2.0 specification includes the USB 1.1 speeds for backward-compatibility reasons.
To understand what affects a flash card’s performance, the following factors need to
be considered:
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Flash Memory Chip
Technology
In general, flash storage devices built with Single-Level Cell
(SLC) NAND Flash,such as Kingston’s Elite Pro Flash cards or
the Hi-Speed USB DataTraveler 2.0, will deliver higher
performance than the standard Multi-Level Cell (MLC)
NAND Flash or Multi-Bit Cell (MBC) NAND Flash based
cards or DataTraveler.
Single-Level Cell (SLC) vs. Multi-
Level Cell (MLC) and Multi-Bit
Cell (MBC)
Standard flash cards or the DataTraveler USB flash drives
deliver the best price/performance value for most users of
digital cameras, PDAs, mobile phones, and other electronic
devices.
Elite Pro flash cards or Data Traveler 2.0 USB flash drives will
deliver faster reads and writes, ideal for advanced users,
photography professionals, and enthusiasts. Of course, to
achieve the performance benefit of faster flash cards or USB
flash drives, users must have compatible high-speed devices
and properly configured computers. Some digital cameras and
other devices require SLC NAND flash based high-
performance flash cards for proper functionality.
The built-in controller interfacing with flash cards or USB
flash drives in many consumer devices may have limited
bandwidth. Please consult your user manual or contact the
device manufacturer for specifics.
Host Consumer Devices
Digital cameras, mobile phones,
PDAs and other devices
All else being equal, the achievable performance level will be
the minimum data transfer level supported by the host
controller or the flash card or USB flash drive.
The USB 2.0 specification also includes the older USB 1.1
specification for backward-compatibility reasons.
• Connecting flash cards to
computers through 4-in-1,
6-in-1 media reader-writers
USB Flash Drives and Digital Media Reader-Writers require
the following logos to indicate performance levels:
• Connecting USB flash drives
directly to a computer’s
USB slot
USB logo:transfers data at a maximum of 12
megabits per second (12 Mb/s or 1.5 MB/s).
It is also referred to as Original USB or USB
1.1, and is also compatible with USB 2.0
Full-Speed (with a maximum speed of 12
Mb/s or 1.5 MB/s).
Hi-Speed USB logo: transfers data at a
maximum of 480 megabits per second (480
Mb/s or 60 MB/s). It is also called USB 2.0
Hi-Speed. Hi-Speed USB is up to 40X faster
than USB and fully backward-compatible
with USB through its USB 2.0 Full-Speed
mode (with a maximum speed of 12 Mb/s
or 1.5MB/s).
If both the digital media card reader/writer and computer
properly support Hi-Speed USB, Kingston’s High Performance
Elite Pro flash cards will deliver greater performance over
standard flash cards. Similarly, Kingston’s DataTraveler 2.0 will
deliver higher performance on a computer supporting Hi-
Speed USB transfers.
Please note: Some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and
other functions and thus is not available for data storage.
For more information, please consult Kingston’s Digital Media Guide
at www.kingston.com/Digital_Media_Guide.
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