What are the main features of SmartMedia?

SmartMedia is a very small (37mmx45mmx0.76mm) and lightweight (2g) flash memory card. Because of its simple structure, SmartMedia is highly portable, making it an ideal removable data storage medium.

What's the difference between SSFDC and SmartMedia?

They are the same products.  "SSFDC" is short for "Solid State Floppy Disk Card". The new "SmartMedia" name better conveys the characteristics of the flash memory card. "SmartMedia" is a registered trademark of Toshiba.

What are the advantages of SmartMedia?

Because of its small, thin structure, SmartMedia is the ideal removable memory card for portable equipment. In addition, its simple structure makes SmartMedia available at a lower price. And since it is equipped with a NAND flash memory chip developed mainly for file storage, SmartMedia allows fast write/erase activity.

If you use a PC card adaptor, SmartMedia functions as a PC card standardized by PCMCIA/JEIDA.

There seem to be two different types of SmartMedia, with 5V and 3.3V specifications respectively. How can they be distinguished?

When the golden terminal on the card is faced upward, the 5V card has a notch on its upper left, while the 3.3V type has one on its upper right. Capacity is indicated on this plastic card, followed by the operating voltage.

How much compatibility is there between the 3.3V and 5V types? Can the 5V SmartMedia run on equipment designed for 3.3V?

Some equipment supports only the 3.3V SmartMedia, some the 5V type only, and some both types. Be sure to choose the correct type of SmartMedia for your equipment. In general, the 5V SmartMedia does not fit into equipment running on 3.3V specifications.

How many images can be stored in 128MB SmartMedia card for a digital camera?

The number of storable images depends on the number of CCD pixels and data compression method employed in your digital camera. If it uses a 2.0 million-pixel CCD with JPEG compression, it can normally produce 280 images with the 128MB card.

What advantages are there in using SmartMedia as a form of electronic film for the digital camera?

The greatest advantage of SmartMedia is its low price. This allows you to carry a number of cards around at any one time, as a sort of large personal library. Thus, unlike built-in type film, SmartMedia eliminates any fear of running out of film while you're travelling.

I hear SmartMedia can be used for sound recording. How long can it record?

It depends on the sound compression rate. Generally, if you're recording on the level of voice-memo, the 8-Mbyte type is sufficient for about 120 minutes of material long enough to be used to record most meeting discussions.

How can the data in SmartMedia be transferred into a PC?

If you're using a notebook PC, insert a SmartMedia card into the PC card adaptor, and you can perform data transfers via the PC card slot on the computer. If you're using a desktop computer without a PC card slot, install a PC card drive inside or outside of your computer to transmit the data.

How widely can SmartMedia be applied?

SmartMedia is appropriate for portable file storage equipment such as the digital camera, PDA, electronic musical instruments, voice recorder and player, fax, printer, scanner, word processor and handy terminal, as well as equipment that processes such data.

In addition, it can be used in a range of ways with equipment that requires a removable memory for portability, version upgrades or memory upgrades.

What's flash memory, which is used in SmartMedia?

Flash memory is an electrically rewritable type of memory that can retain data without battery power.

SmartMedia is mounted with a NAND type of flash memory developed by Toshiba mainly for file data storage.

This memory is called NAND-type for its serial arrangement of memory cells. By contrast, the other main type of flash memory, the 'NOR' method, has the memory cells arranged in parallel.

Does the pin arrangement used on SmartMedia differ according to capacity?

Generally, the number of address pins in memory increases with capacity. SmartMedia, however, employs the same pin arrangement regardless of capacity, because addresses are input via I/O pin.

SmartMedia has wavy lines on its golden terminal surface. What are they?

The wavy lines on the terminal surface are not intended for visual purposes; they are there to reinforce the product.