Toshiba's Innovative 'Card-in-Card' Concept Brings Versatility of Floppy Disks to Flash Memory Cards

15 May, 1995


TOKYO--Toshiba Corporation today announced the development of a unique data storage media called "solid state floppy disc card"(SSFDC). This new medium, which combines the advantages of size and memory capacity offered by semiconductors with the flexibility of floppy disks, brings a new level of utility and expandability to solid-state data storage for portable equipment.

The new medium proposed by Toshiba has two main components: the Solid State Floppy Disk Card (SSFDC) and the Solid State Floppy Disk Adapter (SSFD). SSFDC is a tiny, floppy-shaped memory card (45.0mm x 37.0mm x 0.76mm), which incorporates a 16-megabit NAND flash EEPROM. The SSFD is a special adapter/driver designed to the same size and function specifications as a PC card, which is compatible with the PCMCIA and JEIDA interfaces (Type II) for PC expansion slots.

Users insert the small SSFDC into the Adapter, and use it the same way as they use the conventional PC card. However, this match-up, which the company named "card-in-card" concept, offers an advantage over standard memory cards: users can record and store the data as much as the number of memory floppy discs (SSFDCs), and can save the cost of buying as many flash memory cards.

Toshiba will start sample marketing of the new card system for card vendors and system manufacturers from the end of July, 1995, with the SSFD priced at 25,000 yen, and the SSFDC, at 12,000 yen for 16-megabit devices. Mass production will begin from January 1996 at a monthly volume of 20,000 units, which will be expanded to 100,000 units in next Spring.


 
Specifications 

Solid State Floppy Disk Adapter (SSFD): 
Model:                        TH6MM080000AAA 
Interface:                    PCMCIA/JEIDA TYPE II 
                              68-pin PC-card interface 
Dimensions:                   85.6 x 54.0 x 5.0mm 
Supply voltage:               Single 5V 
                               

Solid State Floppy Disk Card (SSFDC): 
Model:                        TC5816ADC 
Dimensions:                   45.0 x 37.0 x 0.76mm 
Memory:                       16-megabit NAND flash memory 
                              incorporated  
Storage capacity:             2MB 
Terminal:                     22-pin flat electrode terminal 
                              8-bit I/O interface 
                              Indirect/Addressing method 
Supply voltage:               Single 5V

Information in the press releases, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the press announcement,but is subject to change without prior notice.