
MultiMediaCard Flash
Preliminary MultiMediaCard Product Manual;
1998 SANDISK CORPORATION
Page 6 of 79
1 INTRODUCTION TO THE MultiMediaCard
The MultiMediaCard (MultiMediaCard-F00XX) is a very small, removable flash storage
device, designed specifically for storage applications that put a premium on small form
factor, low power and low cost. Flash is the ideal storage medium for portable, battery-
powered devices. It features low power consumption and is non-volatile, requiring no
power to maintain the stored data. It also has a wide operating range for temperature,
shock and vibration.
The MultiMediaCard is well suited to meet the needs of small, low power, electronic
devices. With a form factor of 32mm by 24mm and 1.4mm thick, MultiMediaCards are
expected to be used in a wide variety of portable devices like mobile phones, pagers and
voice recorders. This ultra-small form factor is part of a new, emerging, proposed open
standard.
To support this wide range of applications, the MultiMediaCard protocol, a high
performance seven pin serial interface, is designed for maximum scalability and
configurability. All device and interface configuration data (such as maximum frequency,
card identification, etc.) are stored on the card.
The MultiMediaCard interface allows for easy integration into any design, regardless of
microprocessor used. For compatibility with existing controllers, the MultiMediaCard offers,
in addition to the MultiMediaCard interface, an alternate communication protocol which is
based on the SPI standard.
The MultiMediaCard provides up to 10 million bytes of memory using Flash memory chips
which were designed especially for use in mass storage applications. In addition to the
mass storage specific flash memory chip, the MultiMediaCard includes an on-card
intelligent controller which manages interface protocols and data storage and retrieval, as
well as Error Correction Code (ECC) algorithms, defect handling and diagnostics, power
management and clock control.
Figure 1-1 MultiMediaCard Block Diagram
1.1 Scope
This document describes the key features and specifications of the MultiMediaCard, as
well as the information required to interface this product to a host system.
Single
Chip
Controller
Flash
Module
MultiMediaCard/SPI
f
Data In/Out
Control