SD and compact flash power consumption

03-27-06, 05:32 PM

Does it make a difference using SD or compact flash? Will I get longer battery life by using SD as oppose to compact flash for listening to songs or vice versa? Hope this is not a dumb question. Was just wondering.

stevenator65 · 03-27-06, 05:41 PM

Not a dumb question, but the difference is negligible. You'll find that CF cards are less expensive but are larger, while sd cards are faster, but in practicle terms you won't feel the speed difference or power difference.

coolbre304 · 03-27-06, 05:44 PM

Don't they both use right at 3.3 Volts? or really close to

03-27-06, 05:54 PM

That's all I needed to know. Thanks guys. Oh yea and one more thing, my SD card I'm not sure whether its type-I or type-II but there is a gap between the SD and the CF. Is that type I or type II? And will dust get in and perhaps damage the PDA in any way??

coolbre304 · 03-27-06, 05:56 PM

I thought that the CF cards were Type I and Type II, not the sd. CF Type II are usually microdrives, and fill the gap from my understanding. Type I is no moivng parts.

stevenator65 · 03-27-06, 06:01 PM

Just use one of those air spray cans to clean out the dust. CF microdrives are a little bigger, hence the extra space.

03-27-06, 06:23 PM

Ops, I meant CF. Thanks guys.

Tex Murphy · 04-01-06, 12:23 AM

Confact Flash interfaces usually support Type II - which is thicker and supports Type I cards.

Type II CF cards are usually Micro-drives (mini hard drives). The advantage of a Microdrive is simple - cost per Gigbyte. The disadvantages are:
1) Increased power consumption
2) Easily damaged by any jarring movement

The electrical consumption between a CF card and an SD card is negligible. If you want to extend the life of your battery, you can either:
1) Throttle down the CPU
2) Dim down the display (this takes the most power)
3) Buy a bigger battery pack

Good luck!