Product category: Memory Devices and Modules
News Release from: Renesas Technology Europe | Subject: MultiMediaCards
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 6 January 2004

Low-voltage Flash cards cut consumption

Renesas Technology Europe has added dual-voltage and reduced-size dual-voltage versions to its MultiMediaCard (MMC) family, both of which are capable of operating on either 1.8 or 3V

The new 32, 64 and 128Mbyte cards can reduce system power consumption and size for 1.8V systems while supporting existing 3V systems. Both versions are suitable for use in digital consumer products such as mobile phones, digital cameras, PDAs, portable music players and digital TVs. The company has also developed 256 and 512Mbyte 3V MMCs.

The dual-voltage MMCs use a 0.13um process AG-AND type Flash memory and a newly developed controller.

Both versions comply with the MultiMediaCard Association's (MMCA) System Specification Version 3.3 for dual-voltage capability, while offering upward compatibility with previous specifications.

The RS-DV-MMC is approximately half the size (24.0 x 18.0 x 1.4mm) of the standard MMC (24.0 x 32.0 x 1.4mm) but offers the same functions, pin count and thickness in addition to MMC compatibility.

All the cards offer a fast operating speed of 1.8Mbyte/s.

Unlike many small memory cards, including current MMCs, that require a 3V (or 5V) operating environment, the new cards operate on either 3 or 1.8V, reducing system power consumption and helping to extend battery life.

This also means that a 1.8 or 3V system can be designed without having to consider the operating voltage of a card in the end product.

With a 1.8V system, for example, support for a step-up circuit that was previously required for 3V card operation is no longer necessary, enabling both the design load and the number of parts to be reduced.

The cards can also be used as a bridge medium that removes the concern about different operating voltages of various devices.

For example, data recorded in a mobile phone operating at 1.8V can be read by a PDA or similar device operating at 3V.

The 256Mbyte HB28J256MM3 and 512Mbyte HB28J512MM3 are 3V operation versions of the MMC that support, for example, higher pixel count digital cameras.

The large Flash memory capacity of these cards is provided by the 0.13um process AG-AND type Flash memory.

These cards comply with MMCA System Specification Version 3.1.

Development support tools for these cards include existing support driver and file manager software in addition to hardware, such as an H8S microcontroller-based development platform, and system analysis tools such as a dedicated MMC protocol analyser.

These are available from various third party vendors.

Third party providers are also planning to make adapters available for the RS-MMC, so that its external dimensions can be adjusted to the standard size MMC, and for an open-top type socket for mounting an RS-MMC on a mounting board for product embedding.

Further information, including Renesas Technology's Flash card lineup, will be available in Q2/2004.

The 32Mbyte models of both dual voltage cards will be available as initial-phase products in March 2004, followed by 64/128Mbyte models in May 2004.

Sample shipments of the large capacity 3V 256/512Mbyte products will be available in March and June 2004, respectively, with 1 and 4Gbyte versions under development for future release.

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