s230 Series of Slim SATA SLC SSDs by Stec

STEC, Inc. announced the small-form-factor s230 Series of Slim SATA SSDs providing an efficient storage design tailored for embedded systems.

Anchoring STEC’s line of industrial-grade embedded solid-state-storage solutions that feature SATA and SATA-II SSDs and capacities of up to 50GB, the s230 is a low-power, small-footprint Slim SATA drive in an industry standard JEDEC MO-297 format occupying less than half the space of a standard 2.5-inch drive.

It features advanced PowerSafe Technology, making it a reliable and cost-effective device for space-constrained systems, in which protection against drive corruption (due to unexpected power loss) is essential. The s230 is available in a range of capacities – from 8GB to 32GB.

As the industrial SSD market continues to grow – market researcher IDC projects annual shipments of intelligent embedded systems of nearly 4 billion units by 2015 – the need for smaller embedded-computing solutions is increasing. These compact embedded designs require long-endurance and reliable storage solutions that are smaller than today’s traditional 2.5- and 1.8-inch HDDs or SSDs. The s230 Series is suited for space-constrained, fan-less system designs where traditional storage solutions are too large. The compact design fills the growing need for small-format SATA SSD solutions in both the integrator and OEM markets.

"STEC is meeting the business demands for cost-effective embedded SSD solutions that provide protection against unexpected power loss," said Scott Phillips, senior manager, product marketing at STEC. "The s230 Series offers the best solution for highly integrated systems in which heat dissipation is a key concern, or where the total system power budget is limited. Through this product line, we are happy to extend our long track record of supporting the embedded markets."

The s230 Series is architected as a cost-effective solution
for embedded uses, which include:

• system booting
• application servers
• code storage
• data logging

As with the Slim SATA family, the s230 Series leverages STEC’s high-performance, industrial-grade SSD controllers and flash management. These elements deliver high capacities in solid-state-storage solutions that provide embedded system designers with plug-n-play storage devices, short design cycles and fast time to market.

The s230’s use of SLC flash media helps ensure extended endurance and reliability, as well as support for industrial (-40°C to 85°C) temperatures. The inclusion of the PowerSafe Technology provides instant data integrity in the event of an unplanned power failure.

The s230 Series of Slim SATA SSDs are sampling, with volume unit pricing beginning at $85.