InnoDisk has announced what it touts as the world's smallest SSD (solid state drive) with a Serial ATA (SATA) interface. Adapting the typical IDE module to SATA's smaller connector, the “Satadom” needs no separate power cabling, features a locking connector, and targets harsh environments, says InnoDisk.

(Click here for a larger view of InnoDisk's Satadom)

InnoDisk notes that SATA interfaces are gradually replacing IDE/ATA interfaces in embedded devices, because they offer higher transfer rates and take up less space. However, the company says, their need for external power cables has been less than ideal for any environment where intense shock and vibration might be encountered.

InnoDisk says its new Satadom gets around the power problem, needing no power beyond that supplied by the SATA connection itself. In addition, the lack of robustness sometimes exemplified by SATA connectors has been addressed via a special locking design, the company claims.

The Satadom SSD comes in vertical and horizontal configurations
As the mechanical drawings above illustrate, the Satadom comes in two different configurations. A standard vertical version (above left) is 0.8 inches wide, 0.3 inches thick, and 1.5 inches high including its connector. A horizontal version (above right) rises 0.3 inches from its connector, then is bent at a right angle, with an 0.7 inch width and 1.2 inch length.

The Satadom is available in capacities ranging from 128MB to 8GB. All use SLC (single level cell) flash, guarantee 100,000 program erase cycles, and employ a wear-leveling algorithm. They have a burst transfer speed of 150MB/sec., can read 24MB of data per second, and write at 14MB/sec., InnoDisk says.

Other specifications listed by the company include:

• Operating temperature — -10 to 70 deg. C
  
• Storage temperature — -55 to 95 deg. C
  
• Vibration resistance — 5G (7Hz to 2000Hz)
  
• MTBF — 3 million hours
  
• DC input voltage — +5V single power supply operation

Pricing and availability information was not provided.

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