From: Dan (dan_at_dbdigitalweb.com)
Date: Sun Apr 17 2005 - 08:28:50 PDT
Matthew Hudson wrote:
> The eMate and 2x00 series are Flash based and everything prior to that
> is SRAM based, correct? Anyone know the write cycle lifetime of the
> Flash used inside the eMate and 2x00 series? Being a programmer and
> wanting to do some 2x00 specific programming I was wondering if any
> one has a PCMCIA SRAM card for sale? Nothing big as a 2MB or 4MB card
> would be fine.
The internal memory previous to the 2x00 series is SRAM based. As for
how long flash will last, that is a matter guesswork. Some say 30 years
or more, others say longer than you will. And still others say only a
few years if you use it everyday. It has been said that one or two
MP2x00 have failed due to flash memory failure caused from use. And
then others say it has never happened yet. So basically we really don't
know exactly how long a MP2x00 (or emate) internal memory will last
under normal conditions.
What I do is move all the data that changes on a regular basis to a SRAM
card, so I don't use up flash cycles unecessarly. I also use a SRAM
card for testing since one has to load and reload any work that needs to
be debugged. And I use FLASH for large storage of books and programs I
use on a regular basis, and data that don't change much.
As for how long the battery will last in a SRAM card, I have one that is
over 8 years old and still on the original battery. And it was my main
card for years, but now I use it more for storage (but with a backup of
course, just in case that battery does give out). Most SRAM cards have
a backup system so that even if the main battery dies it will still
maintain the memory for some time. And the Newt will let you know when
the battery is getting low long before that point is reached. In short
I have never lost anything due to SRAM battery failure.
Here is another site with more information on both types of cards and
ones that do work in various models of Newton:
http://www.mac3.de/sig/newton/memory_cards.html
-Dan
-- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Apr 17 2005 - 11:00:02 PDT