Tuesday, April 14, 2009

SmartMedia (SM)

SmartMedia

SmartMedia memory is a type of memory card created by Toshiba and Samsung.

Its architecture is based on NAND type flash memory circuits (EEPROM)

SmartMedia memory is equivalent in size to a postal stamp (45.0mm x 37.0mm x 0.76mm) and weighs barely 2 grams.

There are two types of SmartMedia card with different voltages:

·                                 3.3V SmartMedia cards have a notch on the right

                             

                                                                                             3.3V SmartMedia card


·                                 5V SmartMedia cards have a notch on the left


                                                                                                       5V SmartMedia card

Access to the data is carried out via a chip with 22 pins. Whatever the capacity of the SmartMedia card, the dimensions and location of the chip are the same.

Access time for the memory is approximately 25µs for the first access and cycles of 50 ns for the following ones.

Compatibility

There are two adapters making it possible to insert a SmartMedia card in a PCMCIA location, so as to enable the transfer of data directly from a SmartMedia card to a laptop.