Flash Card moving to 3.3v Flash Chips
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- 1 Latest NEWS
- 2 Introduction
- 3 PCB Improvements
- 4 Comparing different Flash chips 1M x 8
- 4.1 General Features
- 4.2 Boot sector protect WP# input
- 4.3 Command Set and Firmware
- 4.4 Electrical Characteristics
- 4.4.1 Read / Write Current
- 4.4.2 Input / Output Voltage
- 4.5 Erase and Programming Performance
- 4.6 Changing 5V to 3.3V
- 4.7 Level Conversion
- 4.7.1 TSOP pinouts
- 4.7.2 DIL & PLCC Pinouts
- 4.8 1M Flash 3v3
- 4.9 512K Flash 3v3
- 4.10 128K Flash 3v3
- 4.11 OR Gates
- 4.12 Conclusion
Latest NEWS
Date | From |
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|---|---|---|
31/08/17 | Note | The 5v successor for the A29040C called A29040D has not appeared. See Future of 5v Flash Chips for more information |
24/02/17 | AMIC Technology | We are designing a successor for the A29040C called A29040D. This part will become available in Q2. In case you consider the 3 volt option we advise A29L040B which is also in design and will be released in Q3 this year. All these new designs are necessary to transfer to new wafer processes allowing long term availability. With best regards, Rob |
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Introduction
It has been around seven years since the current Flash card was designed. At that time it was done in a rush, without much research, as the AMD 1M chip was being withdrawn and the footprint for that device needed to be changed. As the footprint was a lot smaller, there was enough space on the PCB to add a 512K Flash and 1M RAM. The cost of manufacturing a PCB is based on the size of the card, if the 512K/512 Flash/RAM configuration worked or not, the cost would have been the same (although the workload in the design would have been a lot less!).
By a sheer coincidence, OZ 4.x was being developed at the same time and it was found that the INTEL chip could not run OZ 4.x but it could be used for storing files. What was NOT realised at that time was that the AMD 1M Flash chip, although was a lot better, it could also fail, when running OZ. This was not discovered until quite recently.
AMIC announced that the 512K Flash chip used was no longer being manufactured. That triggered this section to be written.
The purpose of this section is to compare the original 5v Flash chips with the 3.3v versions and to ensure that the next version addresses any outstanding issues.
PCB Improvements
There are changes that have been requested.
Real GOLD to be used on the card connector, instead of flash gold currently used.
Pads on the chips to be made larger for easier hand soldering.
4 Layer board to be considered
Comparing different Flash chips 1M x 8
General Features
Footprint | TSOP 48 | 40 pin TSOP | |
|---|---|---|---|
Type / Function | MX29LV800C | S29AL008J | Am29F080B-85 |
Datasheet Version | Dec. 22, 2011 | December 11, 2015 | April 1997 PRELIMINARY |
VCC Voltage Range | 2.7V ~ 3.6V | 2.7V ~ 3.6V | 5.0 Volt ± 5% |
Access Time | 55ns *1 /70ns | 55ns *1 /70ns | 85ns |
Bus Width | X8 / x16 | X8 / x16 | X8 |
Boot Block | Top/Bottom | Top/Bottom |
|
Sector Architecture | 16KB+ 2*8KB+32KB | 16KB+ 2*8KB+32KB |
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OTP Security Region | - | 256Byte |
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CFI Compliant | Yes | Yes |
|
Sector Protect/ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Temp Sector Protect/ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Erase Suspend/ | Yes | Yes |
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Hardware Reset# Pin | Yes | Yes |
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WP# Pin | - | Yes |
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Manufacture ID | C2h | 01h |
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Device ID Top/Bottom | 22DAh/225Bh | 22DAh/225Bh |
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Notes: 1. Restricted Vcc Voltage Range, Vcc = 3.0V ~ 3.6V.
Boot sector protect WP# input
The MX29LV800C and S29AL008J flash have virtually identical footprints and pinouts.
The only significant difference being the S29AL008J devices have a hardware WP# input (pin
#14 of the 48-TSOP package and pin B3 of the 48-BGA package) to protect the boot sector. These same pins are NC on the MX29LV800C devices. This difference will be transparent if the WP# pin is left unconnected or pulled high.
Command Set and Firmware
Basic commands and write status checking methods are the same for the chips shown above.
The Read operation and Write command could be used directly without any modification. Table below shows the command set in Word mode.
Basic Commands (Word Mode)
Command | Read | Reset | Program | Chip | Sector | Program/Erase | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st Bus | Addr | Addr | XXX | 555h | 555h | 555h | XXX | XXX |
Data | Data | F0h | AAh | AAh | AAh | B0h | 30h | |
2nd Bus | Addr |
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| 2AAh | 2AAh | 2AAh |
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Data |
|
| 55h | 55h | 55h |
|
| |
3rd Bus | Addr |
|
| 555h | 555h | 555h |
|
|
Data |
|
| A0h | 80h | 80h |
|
| |
4th Bus | Addr |
|
| Addr | 555h | 555h |
|
|
Data |
|
| Data | AAh | AAh |
|
| |
5th Bus | Addr |
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| 2AAh | 2AAh |
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Data |
|
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| 55h | 55h |
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| |
6th Bus | Addr |
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| 555h | SA |
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Data |
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| 10h | 30h |
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Note: SA: Sector Address
Electrical Characteristics
Read / Write Current
DC Characteristic | Condition | MX29LV800C | S29AL008J |
|---|---|---|---|
Read Current | typ @ 5MHz | 7mA | 7mA |
max @ 5MHz | 12mA | 12mA | |
Standby Current | typ | 0.2uA | 0.2uA |
max | 5uA | 5uA | |
Write Current | typ | 15mA | 20mA |
max | 30mA | 30mA |
Input / Output Voltage
DC Characteristic | Condition | MX29LV800C | S29AL008J |
|---|---|---|---|
Input Low Voltage | min | -0.5V | -0.5V |
max | 0.8V | 0.8V | |
Input High Voltage | min | 0.7VCC | 0.7VCC |
max | VCC+0.3V | VCC+0.3V | |
Output Low Voltage | max | 0.45V | 0.45V |
Output High Voltage | min | 0.85VCC | 0.85VCC |
VHV Temporary Sector Unprotect Range | 11.5V ~ 12.5V | 8.5V ~ 12.5V | |
Erase and Programming Performance
AC Characteristic
Symbol | Description | MX29LV800C | S29AL008J | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Taa | Random Read Access Time | VCC =3.0-3.6V | 55ns | - |
VCC= 2.7-3.6V | 70ns | 70ns | ||
Tce | Standby Current | VCC =3.0-3.6V | 55ns | - |
VCC= 2.7-3.6V | 70ns | 70ns | ||
Tcp | Chip Enable Pulse Width | VCC =2.7-3.6V | 35ns | 35ns |
Write Function Performance (Program and Erase)
Write Function | MX29LV800C | S29AL008J |
|---|---|---|
Byte Program Time | 9us | 6us |
Accelerated Byte/Word Programming Time | 7us | - |
Chip Program Time Byte Mode | 9s | 6.3s |
Sector Erase time | 0.7s |