USB Memory Sticks

USB Memory Sticks consist of a NAND-type flash memory data chip integrated with a USB interface.

USB Memory Sticks are normally rewritable and removable and much smaller than a floppy disk. Most USB Memory Sticks weigh less than 10 grams. Storage capacities typically range from 64 MB to 64 GB, however most promotional USB Memory drives range from 128MB to 8GB. As time has gone by the prices of each memory size has come down with the most competitive size being roughly 2GB. Some allow over 1 million write or erase cycles and have a 10 year data retention, connected by USB 1.1 or USB 2.0.

USB Memory Sticks offer potential advantages over other portable storage devices, particularly the floppy disk. USB Drives will have the capacity to hold much more information, be much more compact and much more durable, basically erasing any need for the Floppy disk drive. Also, it has become more and more common for computers to be sold without floppy disk drives. USB ports, on the other hand, appear on all mainstream PCs and laptops.

These types of USB drives use the USB mass storage standard, supported by modern operating systems such as Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and other Unix-like systems. USB drives with USB 2.0 support can also operate faster than an optical disc drive, while storing a larger amount of data in a much smaller space. Nothing will actually move in a flash drive: the term drive exists because computers read and write flash-drive data using the same system commands as for a mechanical disk drive, with the storage appearing to the computer operating system and user interface as just another drive.

A flash drive consists of a printed circuit board protected by a metal, plastic or rubber case, robust enough for carrying around with you with no extra protection, so either in your pocket or on a keychain. The USB Connector is normally protected by a cap, or a swivel system allowing the head to disappear from sight. Saying this even if the head is not protected it is unlikely to get damaged easily. Most flash drives use a type-A USB connection allowing plugging into a USB port on a personal computer.

Trek Technology and IBM began selling the first USB flash drives commercially in 2000. Singaporean company Trek Technology sold a model called the "ThumbDrive," and IBM sold the first drives in America, with its product the "DiskOnKey", manufactured by M-Systems. IBM's USB Memory Stick was available December 15, 2000, with a storage capacity of 8MB, five times the capacity of the floppy disk.

Second generation Modern flash drives have USB 2.0 connectivity. However, they do not currently use the full 60MB/s the USB 2.0 Hi-Speed specification supports due to technical limitations from the NAND flash. The fastest drives available use a dual channel controller, although they still fall short of the transfer rate possible from a hard disk, or the maximum high speed USB throughput.

Overall file transfer speeds vary alot, and should be checked before buying. Typical fast drives read at up to 30 MB/s and write at about half that.

There are typically four parts to a flash drive:

Male type-A USB connector provides an interface to the host computer.
USB mass storage controller implements the USB host controller. The controller contains a small microcontroller with a small amount of on-chip ROM and RAM.
NAND flash memory chip stores data. NAND flash is typically also used in digital cameras.
Crystal oscillator produces the device's main 12 MHz clock signal and controls the device's data output through a phase-locked loop. [edit] Additional components

The typical device may also include:

Jumpers and test pins for testing during the flash drive's manufacturing or loading code into the microprocessor.
LEDs indicate data transfers or data reads and writes. Write-protect switches indicate whether the device should be in "write-protection" mode.
Unpopulated space provides space to include a second memory chip. Having this second space allows the manufacturer to develop only one printed circuit board that can be used for more than one storage size device, to meet the needs of the market.
USB connector cover or cap reduces the risk of damage and prevents the ingress of fluff or other contaminants, and improves overall device appearance. Some flash drives do not feature a cap, but instead have retractable USB connectors. Other flash drives have a "swivel" cap that is permanently connected to the drive itself and eliminates the chance of losing the cap.
Transport aid the cap or the main body often contains a hole suitable for connection to a key chain or lanyard.
Some drives offer expandable storage via an internal memory card slot, much like a memory card reader

Size and style of packaging Flash drives come in various, sometimes bulky or novelty, shapes and sizes, and our wide variety of USB Memory sticks shows this. Some designs can have bulky elaborate housings which we steer well clear of as this can affect the connection to a USB port.

USB Memory Sticks have been integrated into other commonly-carried items such as watches, pens, and even the Swiss Army Knife; others have been fitted with novelty cases such as toy cars or LEGO bricks.

The small size, robustness and cheapness of USB flash drives make them extremely popular promotional merchandise in a variety of designs. Check our entire range and see if we can help you with your specification.