|
|
|
| |
 |
CompactFlash (CF) is a type of data storage device, used in portable electronic devices. It uses a variety of flash memory in a standard-sized enclosure. It was first specified and produced by SanDisk Corporation.
CF was the first such flash memory standard, built around Intel's NOR-based flash memory. NOR-based flash has lower density than newer NAND-based systems, and Compact Flash is therefore (in spite of its name) much larger than competing standards like MMC or Memory Stick.
Compact Flash defines a smaller physical interface that is electrically identical to the PCMCIA-ATA interface. That is, it appears to devices as if it were a hard drive of some defined size. The connector is about 42 mm wide, and the case comes in two standard sizes, CF I at 3.3 mm thick, and CF II at 5mm thick. Both are otherwise identical.
They are non-volatile and solid state, thus more durable than disk drives, and consume around 5% of the power required by small disk drives. They operate at 3.3 volts and 5 volts, and can be swapped from system to system. CF cards are able to cope with extremely rapid changes in temperature. Industrial versions of CF cards can operate at a range of -45 to +85 °C.
Used in handheld devices (which won't take larger form-factor cards), digital cameras, and a wide variety of other uses, including desktop machines.
|
|
|
