I was at the Winchester Science Centre recently and I came across this quote:
I know that there’s some doubt over whether Bill actually said this, but either way, there’s a point there worth exploring.
Memory capacity has obviously grown A LOT over the last 30 years.
Sometimes, more memory is necessary, but with embedded systems, we usually overestimate how much is needed.
But that doesn’t stop designers over specifying their memory requirements when it comes to the new projects.
In our personal lives, we’re used to going for the most memory because we know that our data usage will just go up and up and up.
But in embedded systems, memory requirements are usually very different, and often the required memory capacity can be measured in KB or MB, not GB.
And sometimes the effect is more than just financial.
The assumption that you need more memory than you do can result in you selecting USB or SD memory.
Not only does serial memory cost less, but it’s been around for much longer, and will certainly out live USB and SD, meaning your design is less likely to obsolesce.
So, if you’re designing a new device which you’ll want to be usable for at least the next decade, I’d seriously consider serial memory – it can save you a lot of time and money further down the road.