Flash drives used for industry purposes only make up a small part of the whole market. This means that the consumer segment sets the pace – to the detriment of industry customers. Durability and robustness are often sacrificed in favor of greater memory density.
pSLC – the best of MLC flash
Until recently, industry clients were faced with a difficult choice. They either had to err on the side of caution and opt for durable, yet expensive SLC (single-level cell) drives or carry out a risk assessment and choose MLC (multi-level cell) drives instead. The new pseudo-SLC technology makes the decision easier.
Cactus Technologies is a leading provider of pSLC storage media manufactured exclusively for industry purposes. The pSLC technology offers a long service life and great value for money. In pSLC flash storage systems, the MLC-NAND cells only store one bit instead of the usual two bits, similar to a SLC-NAND cell. The pSLC technology makes MLC flash storage faster and more durable. It also increases the number of writes per flash cell – the so-called “write endurance” – considerably. The pSLC drives in the 245S series offer six times more writes than comparable MLC systems.
The new pSLC storage systems are available from the distributor Syslogic. For the time being, the Cactus 245S series consists of four form factors: SD card, CFast, 2.5 disk and M.2. Gitte Hübner, Product Manager at Syslogic, stated: “The Cactus pSLC storage systems are perfect for all industrial customers looking for durable solid-state drives at a reasonable price – and with large storage capacities.”
Clever security features
In addition to the pSLC technology, Cactus offers wear leveling to ensure the high durability of its flash drives. Wear leveling is a feature integrated in the controller. It ensures that the flash cells wear evenly, which further increases the useful life of the storage medium.
The pSLC drives also have an error correction code (ECC) and defect management system. These functions automatically detect and rectify the data errors to guarantee a high degree of operational security.
Thanks to the smart pSLC technology and the well-established Cactus firmware, the storage units in the 245S series are ideal for industrial automation, automotive and railway applications, construction machines and logistics systems. Cactus Technologies is one of only few manufacturers focusing exclusively on industrial storage media. Its long-standing experience, well-established technologies and first-class flash cells (Toshiba A-Grade) have made Cactus solid state drives the most durable and reliable of their kind. Cactus also prides itself on the long-term availability of its flash drives, which constitutes another important criterion for many industry customers.