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The Risks of Overlooking Flash Storage in Rugged Industrial Applications
By Jason Cardona
multiple part suppliers. The purpose of these engagements is to ensure that each embedded part will not on- ly work for the application, but also meet the workload and environmen- tal requirements in the field. As a result, OEMs may opt to
D
purchase off-the-shelf parts, particu- larly when the part is perceived to be a “commodity” item. This is often the case with flash memory, which is usually selected based on type, mem- ory capacity and form factor. Since flash memory is widely
available in a variety of form factors for consumer electronics, many OEMs assume that they do not need a cus- tomized solution. But, OEMs often overlook certain considerations, such as workload, power management is- sues and environmental conditions.
uring the design process, OEMs must go through long engagement processes with
These factors can lead to data
corruption and other errors in the field, while reducing the reliability and lifespan of the flash storage. For industrial OEM products, which can have a lifecycle of three to five years or longer, rather than 6 to 18 months for consumer applications, this can cause device failures in the field. “Many industrial OEMs pur-
chase flash storage devices over the internet only to discover at the launch of the product that there were unexpected issues, due to inaccurate assumptions about the environment and workload requirements,” says Tony Diaz, product manager, Delkin Devices. Delkin is a value-added sup- plier of non-volatile flash storage so- lutions in a variety of SSD, card and module solutions.
Workload Demands All flash storage has a finite
life, depending on how well it is man- aged and the workload requirements. To optimize and extend the life of a flash storage device, therefore, care- ful consideration must be given to how data is written to the device. Writing to flash is the process of
preparing the blocks of flash and then programming new data to the flash blocks. However, new data can- not be saved to flash until the old da- ta is first erased. Due to the nature of flash stor-
age, only a finite number of program- ming and erasing cycles can be per- formed before wear renders it unreli- able to store data. Some flash media is not used evenly, further reducing the life of the device. Fortunately, there are options
to extend the life of a flash device, in- cluding reducing unnecessary copy- ing of files or downloading of data, consolidating writes, wear leveling technique and even selecting whether the data is written sequen- tially or randomly. “If an OEM misjudges or misun-
Quality Solutions for Complex EMI/RFI and EMC Filter Requirements
derstands the workload require- ments, there are implications for the storage,” explains Diaz. “It could be as simple as unexplained errors in the field, or it could be a situation where they are wearing out the flash memo- ry much faster than they realize.”
Environmental Conditions An important flash storage cus-
tomization option involves mechani- cal ruggedness. Although industrial flash storage is designed to be rugged, different applications have different operating requirements. One of the best ways to ensure a
storage device will work as expected in operating conditions is to partner with a manufacturer who offers test- ing reliability services. Companies like Delkin Devices offer design veri- fication testing, ongoing reliability testing and even accelerated lift test- ing to simulate long-term operating conditions.
Power Issues One of the more common real-
Turn-key and fully integrated approach to design and fabrication of precision electronic components, assemblies and subsystems.
High reliability multi-circuit and discreet feed-through (F/T) input, output, power aerospace applications. WEMS is AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 registered.
www.wems.com
world scenarios for industrial flash storage is power issues, such as dirty power, excessive power cycling and unexpected power failures. When power is lost during a write opera- tion, it can cause data loss. This is because the data that was being written to the storage was not com- pletely saved. Even a small amount of data
lost, due to a power failure, can cause significant ongoing problems. It can also cause inefficient use of memory capacity, which can dramatically shorten the lifespan of the embedded
flash storage. Taking steps to reduce external
sources of power loss is important for mitigating the risk of power failures. Failures can still occur, though, so internal protections are essential for reducing the risk of data loss. For flash systems that handle
critical data, this means built-in power loss controls, including sys- tems for monitoring power supply and the ability to recover data after a power loss that occurs during a write operation. Excessive power cycling can al-
so become a problem. In some indus- tries where OEM products are used in remote locations, the power is cy- cled tens of thousands of times a year to keep the battery in a sleep mode or to power it off altogether. This can degrade the performance of flash memory.
Operational Issues Finally, the operational require-
ments refer to the manufacturer’s supply chain and how they go about sourcing parts, engaging suppliers and ensuring that the parts they source will be available throughout the product lifecycle. It is common for the BOMs of
commercial-grade flash storage to be updated without warning. This is necessary for consumer OEMs, be- cause it helps to maximize function- ality, while minimizing cost. For in- dustrial OEMs, however, what is needed above all is consistency and reliability. Diaz says that there is a higher
standard that can be achieved, which is when component parts are con- trolled and “locked.” “This means that once qualified,
the flash, controller and firmware will not change as long as the part number is active. If anything needs to be changed, the part number is changed and that essentially guaran- tees that the customer is notified and the BOM is updated,” he says. In the short term, off-the-shelf
flash storage may have the right specs and cost less than a customized part from a supplier, but there are al- ways hidden costs and risks for the OEM.
Flash storage is a critical part of
many rugged industrial applications and more manufacturers should en- gage a supplier from the beginning of the design process, to ensure they get what they need for the entire lifecy-
cle of their product. Contact: Delkin Devices, 13350
Kirkham Way, Poway, CA 92064 % 858-391-1234 E-mail:
tdiaz@delkin.com Web:
www.delkin.com r
May, 2020
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