CompactFlash Association announces CF5.1 specification goals

CUPERTINO, USA: The CompactFlash Association (CFA) has announces key development goals for a new CF5.1 specification.

The CF5.1 work group was formed in December 2009 to add functionality to the recently released CF5.0 specification based on the PATA (Parallel ATA) interface while maintaining backward compatibility. The CF5.1 work group met and agreed upon the key development focus issues, which include adding an Ultra DMA mode supporting 167 MB/s.

The new CF5.1 specification is expected to be formally released later in 2010. Some of the key proposed CF5.1 development focuses include:

Ultra DMA 167 Mode: Enables the development of higher performance cards while providing complete backward compatibility.
Sanitize: Provides an efficient NAND Block Erase of the entire user data area to return the CF card to “fresh” state before reuse or repurposing. Leverages a command defined in INCITS T13 ACS-2.
Provide Trim Before Write Attribute Protocol: Provides an incremental performance increase by optimizing device physical allocation (allows improved internal data organization).
Mandatory Write Caching: An enhancement for certain Video Performance Guarantee profiles to improve write performance of CompactFlash cards.
Operating Temperature Range: An optional card capability to report the operating temperature range of the card. This allows card/camera combinations to enable use in extreme temperatures.

Today’s highest performance CompactFlash cards are capable of 600x or 90MB/sec throughput performance using the current Ultra DMA 133. This new proposed Ultra DMA 167 mode along with 48-bit addressing defined in the CF5.0 specification will enable the development of CompactFlash cards with up to 33 percent more throughput performance.

Shigeto Kanda of Canon and the CFA chairman of the board said: “The higher performance provided by Ultra DMA 167 will further increase the capabilities and value of DSLR cameras. These backward compatible improvements of CF5.1 are expected be viewed as a significant benefit within the professional imaging and video markets and should firmly establish CompactFlash cards as the highest performance professional card solutions for the foreseeable future.”

CompactFlash card slots are commonly used in digital cameras, video cameras and other electronic platforms including embedded systems, single board computers, data recorders, heart monitors, defibrillators, and slot machines.

CFA members are encouraged to participate in the CF5.1 working group and access documentation as the CF5.1 specification is completed.