Maybe we should start working on how to replace the internal FLASH if/when
it
goes bad?... I seem to remember someone saying there was some data
programmed
in that FLASH memory at a certain place? David H? Any way for us to deal
with
this should the need arise in the future?
John
> -----Original Message-----
> From: newtontalk-bounce_at_newtontalk.net
> [mailto:newtontalk-bounce_at_newtontalk.net]On Behalf Of Eric Byrne
> Sent: Monday, August 06, 2001 8:49 PM
> To: newtontalk_at_newtontalk.net
> Subject: Re: [NTLK] wearing out internal memory? (longish)
>
>
>
> Hello again,
> further to PCBman's reply to my original message;
>
> I wrote:
> My worry is this;
> Although flash memory has a lifespan of approx. 100,000
> read/write cycles,
>
> > That should read "write/erase cycles" and depending on the chips used
> could
> > be
> > anywhere from 100K - 1M
>
> True! I was thinking of flash cards and the read/write voltages!(5v/5v or
> 5v/12v)
> But any flash ram cards I have purchased have quoted 100,000 write/erase
> cycles.
> Perhaps this is an average amount, and I have no idea how this compares to
> the flash ram
> in the Newton's internal memory? Any ideas?
>
> > As a block "dies" it is marked defective and is ignored from that point
> on.
> > The flash
> > will continue to operate but with reduced capacity.
> >
> > Not sure if the Newton OS has any kind of "wear-leveling" but this would
> > tend to
> > increase the flash life by even use of the blocks.
>
> I could be wrong here but I think that the Newton OS is not that
> sophisticated in
> this regard, and when a block or more die on a storage card
> anyhow, the card
> is shot?
> I think that laptops are better in this regard?
>
>
> > When you store a pkg on the Newton it is written to flash. But
> once it is
> > there, it
> > will stay there until it is erased. As you run a program, a
> copy of it is
> > put in dram
> > and it runs from there. The data you put in it, also gets put
> in dram. It
> > gets put in
> > Flash periodically.
> > I am not aware of the Flash being constantly written to and so it might
> not
> > get the kind
> > of wear you first thought.
> >
> > Now I am a hardware Guy and you programmer types might shed
> some light on
> > the inner software workings of the Newton that I have misunderstood.
>
> I see what you mean, but this also means that even defaulting all new info
> to a storage card,
> the Newton's dram still gets used to some extent (of course).
> Considering that I am entering up to 10-15 meetings and perhaps the same
> amount of notes every day for 4 years plus,
> apart from using it for e-mails, internet etc., I am still worried about
> wear as I intend to use my Newton for the next 5 years+ at least.
> But I think that you are correct in saying that the internal flash doesn't
> get as much wear as I first thought.
> Any feedback regarding heap/speed issues of storing all new info
> on storage
> cards, and/or prospective life of the internal components of the Newton,
> would be much appreciated,
> yours,
> Eric Byrne
>
>
>
>
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