What Is A Memory Card?

The question of what a memory card is can be answered in an elementary way. It is a device where information is digitally recorded and stored for consistent use for necessary purposes. SD cards started to be manufactured in 1999. They were first developed by the giant companies SanDisk, Panasonic, and Toshiba.

According to their size, external storage media are divided into three classes:

• SD
• Micro SD
• mini SD

The first two have found more comprehensive applications, and the 3rd is already a rarity. You can use a memory card with the help of a special adapter or by inserting it into the device’s socket. In the first option, the chip transmits information to other devices (for example, to a computer or camera).

An adapter is a memory card reader that turns microSD into an SD card. It is usually included in the factory package of the device. But if necessary, you can buy it separately. The presence of an adapter allows you to quickly solve the problem of viewing a memory card on a computer or laptop. Compact micro SD cards are designed for phones, smartphones, book-riders, tablets, audio players, etc.

The release of updated generations of external drives is still ongoing. Both memory size and speed of reading information can categorize them.

Solid State Semiconductor

Flash memory consists of an array of cells, each containing two transistors.

Each such cell can store one to several bits, depending on whether the device uses single-level or multilevel cells. Such a design of all moving parts (unlike the same floppy disks), and, as a result, is less susceptible to adverse physical effects.

In addition, flash memory has a higher reading speed.

This is achieved due to the fact that there are no read heads, and therefore, they do not need to be positioned (and this process takes a very long time).

Because flash memory is made up of transistors, it requires an electric current to read or write. But flash memory can store data without any power supply, unlike, for example, RAM. Because flash drives need power to work, pulling them out without first stopping work is not recommended.

Application

Flash memory is best known for its use in USB flash drives.

Due to the high speed, volume, and compact size of USB flash drives, they are entirely displaced from the market floppy disks. For example 2003, the company stopped producing computers with a floppy disk drive.

At the moment, RS produces a wide range of USB flash drives in different shapes and colors. On the market, there are flash drives with automatic encryption of data recorded on them. Japanese company Solid Alliance even produces flash drives in the form of food.

There are special GNU/Linux distributions and versions of programs that can run directly from USB drives, for example, to use their applications in Internet cafes.

Windows Vista technology can use USB flash media or special flash memory built into the computer to increase performance. Flash memory is also the basis for memory cards such as SecureDigital (SD) and Memory Stick, which are used extensively in portable technology (cameras, cell phones). With USB media, flash memory accounts for most of the portable storage media market.

The possibility of replacing hard disks with flash memory is being actively considered. The result would be faster computer power-up speeds, and the lack of moving parts would extend the life of the computer. Distribution is limited by the high price per GB and a shorter shelf life than hard disks due to the limited number of write cycles.