AN 492: CF+ Interface Using Altera MAX Series

ID 683351
Date 9/22/2014
Public

1. CF+ Interface Using Altera MAX Series

You can use Altera® MAX® II, MAX V, and MAX 10 devices to implement a CompactFlash+ (CF+) interface. Their low-cost, low-power, and easy power-on features make them the ideal programmable logic devices for memory device interfacing applications.

CompactFlash cards store and transport several forms of digital information (data, audio, pictures) and software between a wide span of digital systems. The CompactFlash association introduced the CF+ concept to enhance the operation of CompactFlash cards with I/O devices and magnetic disk data storage apart from flash memory. The CF+ card is a small form factor card that includes compact flash storage cards, magnetic disk cards, and various I/O cards that are available in the market, such as serial cards, ethernet cards, and wireless cards. The CF+ card includes an embedded controller that manages data storage, retrieval and error correction, power management, and clock control. CF+ cards can be used with passive adapters in PC-Card type-II or type-III sockets.

Nowadays, many consumer products such as cameras, PDAs, printers, and laptops have a socket that accepts CompactFlash and CF+ memory cards. In addition to storage devices, this socket can also be used to interface I/O devices that use the CF+ interface.