3
–
2
on a 7-terminal serial bus. The MultiMediaCard system specification defines a communication protocol for MMC
cards, referred to as MultiMediaCard mode. In addition, all MMC cards work in the alternate SPI mode. The SPI mode
allows a microcontroller to interface directly to the MMC card, but at the cost of slower performance.
The voltage range for communication with MMC cards is 2.0 to 3.6 V, and the memory-access voltage range is a
card-specific subrange of the communication voltage range. Like SmartMedia cards, MMC cards can be read-only
or read/write; however, MMC cards can also have I/O functionality.
MMC cards are designed to be used in either a stand-alone implementation or in a system with other MMC cards.
When in the MultiMediaCard mode, the bus protocol can address cards with up to 64K of memory, and up to 30 cards
on a single physical bus. However, the maximum data rate is only available with up to 10 MMC cards on the bus. In
order to accommodate such a wide variety of system implementations, the MMC clock rate can be varied from 0 to
20 MHz. UltraMedia will support one MMC card per UltraMedia socket.
MMC cards, like SmartMedia cards, are also used in many types of consumer electronic devices. Because of their
small size, they are primarily used in portable music players and phones.
3.1.3
Secure Digital (SD)
SD cards are the same size as MMC cards, except for the thickness, which at 2,1 mm is slightly thicker than an MMC
card. SD cards are based upon MMC cards, with the addition of two terminals. The use of these two terminals and
a reserved terminal on MMC cards allows the data bus on SD cards to be up to 4 bits wide instead of the 1-bit width
of the MMC data bus. SD cards can communicate in either SD mode or SPI mode.
The voltage range for basic communication with SD cards is 2.0 to 3.6 V, and the voltage range for other commands
and memory access is 2.7 to 3.6 V. SD cards can be read-only or read/write.
SD is essentially a superset of MMC, in that MMC cards will work in SD systems, but SD cards will not work in current
MMC systems. Unlike MMC, each SD card in a system must have a dedicated bus. One of the primary benefits of
SD cards is the added security that they provide. SD cards comply with the highest security of SDMI, have built-in
write-protect features, and include a mechanical write-protect switch.
SD cards are used in many of the same devices as MMC cards. The additional security features of the SD cards also
allow their use in more-secure applications or in devices where content protection is essential.
3.1.4
Memory Stick
Memory Stick cards are about the size of a stick of gum and are 2,8 mm thick. Developed by Sony, Memory Stick
cards have a 10-terminal interface of which three terminals are used for serial communication, two terminals apply
power, two terminals are ground, one terminal is for insertion detection, and two terminals are reserved for future use.
Each card also includes an erasure-prevention switch to protect data stored on the card.
The voltage range for Memory Stick cards is 2.7 to 3.6 V, and the clock speed can be up to 20 MHz. Memory Stick
cards use the FAT file system to allow for easy communication with PCs.
There are two types of Memory Stick cards, the standard Memory Stick and the MagicGate Memory Stick. MagicGate
technology provides security to Memory Stick cards so that they can be used to store and protect copyrighted data.
Memory Stick cards are primarily used to store still images, moving images, voice and music. As such, they are used
in a variety of devices, including portable music players, digital cameras, and digital picture frames.
3.1.5
Smart Card
Smart Cards, also called integrated circuit cards or ICCs, are the same size as a credit card, and they contain an
embedded microprocessor chip. Smart Cards can either have contacts or be contactless. In addition, there are both
asynchronous and synchronous versions of Smart Cards with contacts. UltraMedia supports asynchronous cards
with contacts. Within this data manual, all use of the term Smart Card refers only to asynchronous Smart Cards with
contacts.