The type of memory or semiconductor device that provides storage options for consumer electronics can influence the device’s performance. For what it is worth, it is better to go for the memory types that are not only robust, but can also be erased or modified.
The Serial NOR, a type of Flash Memory, ticks that box because of the flexible data transfer process and the erasing function. MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT is an example of a Serial NOR Flash Memory – but this time, it has a sector erase feature.
This article explains what a Flash Memory type does, how to maximize MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT’s sector erase feature and the product attributes.
What is a Serial NOR Flash Memory?
Also called a Serial Flash Device, a Serial Flash Memory is a type of non-volatile memory that allows for electrical reprogramming and erasing.
Wikipedia defines a Flash Memory to be an “electronic non-volatile computer memory storage medium that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed.”
If you are looking for the best type of Flash Memory to buy, there are two (2) major options to pick from. These are the NAND Flash Memory and the NOR Flash Memory. MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT uses the latter – the NOR Flash Memory.
How a NOR Flash Memory Works
The NOR Flash Memory is one of the major types of the broader Flash Memory. It follows the same functioning pattern of the Flash Memory, but with the addition of low latency attributes that allow for the target devices to be configured with single memory data storage and direct code execution.
Features of the MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT Serial NOR Flash Memory
The seriality of MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT’s memory is that it can be configured, and extended to multiple applications at the same time.
These are some of the remarkable features:
1. The Sector Erase Capability
The data or wireless information inside the MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT might have to be removed or erased to make way for the memory to be reprogrammed. If that were to be case, you can be sure of completing the process in good time because of MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT’s sector erase capability.
There are two options to deleting the data. It can either be done via the 4KB sub-sector or the 64KB sector. The latter (the 64KB) has an erase performance of 80 kilobytes of data deleted every second. If you were to use the 4KB sub-sector, the erasing time can be faster, because it supports up to 400 kilobytes erased per second.
MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT also supports bulk erase, so you can expedite the data removal process and start the process of reprogramming the memory.
2. MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT Supports Different Memory Security Options
The security of the data inside the MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT Serial NOR Flash Memory is also important. For that reason, the memory has enabled different kinds of security and write protection features to keep the data safer.
Below are some examples of the supported security options:
Accidental Change Detection
MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT uses the Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) operation to detect changes in the raw data. The CRC is a “hash function designed to detect the accidental changes to raw data.”
The detection is relevant because it helps MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT to identify where and how these accidental changes were made. Leaving the changes unattended might not be in the best interest of the memory’s function because it could negatively affect the data’s integrity.
To this end, the CRC detects the changes and prioritizes the changes in the digital networks and specific storage devices, such as Hard Disk Drives (HDDs).
Data Locking
MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT also supports the locking of the volatile and the non-volatile memory. It also offers software write protection for each of the 64KB sectors.
The other security and write protection functions are:
- Erase and program protection when the MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT is being powered up.
- Password protection
- Non-volatile configuration locking
- MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT also supports the hardware write protection, which sees to the defined protection of the non-volatile bits area size.
Advantages of MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT
If you want to choose a Serial NOR Flash Memory, it has to be for specific reasons, such as the flexibility and the data erasing model.
Here are some of the additional reasons why MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT is a good investment:
3. Extended Life Cycle
MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT is JESD47H-compliant. Due to this, it offers a minimum of 100,000 ERASE cycles on each of the sectors.
What’s more? The life cycle is higher and is typically pegged at 20 years for retaining the data.
4. MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT is Affordable
Considering the innovative data storage model and the configuration options, one may not expect the Serial NOR Flash Memory to be very affordable.
On the contrary, it is one of the most affordable or cost-effective memory types because of the following reasons:
- Reduced Pins: Not many pins are used on the memory, so that saves some costs of buying these pins.
- The Integration of the SPI: MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT supports the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) Bus. It is a dedicated protocol that allows for the device to only have serial access to the rather than reading and writing larger data bytes, based on their groupings.
5. MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT is Power-Centric
MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT doesn’t much power, thanks to the dramatic reduction of power consumed by up to 50%.
Choosing between a NOR and a NAND Flash Memory
MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT is a NOR flash memory and that is why it offers many of these features we mentioned.
However, there are some discrepancies between the NAND and the NOR flash memories. These are some of them:
6. Different Memory Interfaces
The memory interfaces for the two differ. On the one hand, we have the NOR flash memory allowing for a random access to the data, while the NAND flash memory is used to only allow page access for the target device.
7. The Cost-Effectiveness is Relative
Although MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT’s cost is affordable, it could be relative when put side-by-side with the NAND flash memory.
The NAND flash memory may save more costs because of the lower footprint, which could amount to just 60% of the mass occupied by the NOR flash memory. The NOR flash memory occupies more spaces because of the use of a separate metal contact for each of the flash cells.
Final Words
MT25QL256ABA1EW9-0SIT as a NOR flash memory offers increased data security, stores executable codes in specific consumer electronics and can be reprogrammed with ease.
