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Compact Flash
There are several reasons compact flash cards are superior to floppy disks and other types of data storage. A few of the strongest are discussed below. Compact Flash Connectors The connector used with CompactFlash is similar to the PCMCIA Card connector, but with 50 pins. Years of field experience in portable devices and drives have proven the reliability and durability of this connector in applications where frequent insertions and ejections of the card are required. Other small form factor flash cards use connector technology that is not reliable or durable in these applications. Durability Compact flash cards (a.k.a. pen drives) have an operating shock rating of 2,000 Gs, which is equivalent to a 10-foot drop. With typical usage, a compact flash card can be used for more than 100 years with no loss or deterioration of data. This puts it leaps and bounds ahead of the floppy disk, and its highly dust-sensitive drive. Power Compact flash cards typically consume less than five percent of the power required to operate 1.8" and 2.5" disk drives. Instead, the cards run at 3.3V or 5V with a single power supply. This makes them ideal for a range of current and next-generation small-form consumer applications. Cost Compact flash provides the lowest cost flash storage solution for all capacities. With the built-in controller, a wide variety of low cost flash technologies can be used. The built-in controller saves you money by reducing costs in the host device and allowing defective flash chip cells to be mapped out, thus increasing flash chip yields.
