page_title: USB flash drive
section_title: Essential components
hierarchical_section_title: USB flash drive / Technology / Essential components
caption_attribution_description: English: Kingston DataTraveler USB flash drive with case removed to show circuit board inside. (Original description at en.wikipedia: "Kingston Datatraveler Flashdrive.")
context_page_description: A USB flash drive is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. It is typically removable, rewritable and much smaller than an optical disc. Most weigh less than 30 g. Since first appearing on the market in late 2000, as with virtually all other computer memory devices, storage capacities have risen while prices have dropped. As of March 2016, flash drives with anywhere from 8 to 256 gigabytes were frequently sold, while 512 GB and 1 terabyte units were less frequent. As of 2018, 2 TB flash drives were the largest available in terms of storage capacity. Some allow up to 100,000 write/erase cycles, depending on the exact type of memory chip used, and are thought to last between 10 and 100 years under normal circumstances.
  USB flash drives are often used for storage, data back-up and transfering of computer files. Compared with floppy disks or CDs, they are smaller, faster, have significantly more capacity, and are more durable due to a lack of moving parts. Additionally, they are immune to electromagnetic interference, and are unharmed by surface scratches.
context_section_description: There are typically five parts to a flash drive:
  Standard-A USB plug –  provides a physical interface to the host computer. Some USB flash drives use USB plug that does not protect the 4 contacts, with the possibility of plugging it into the USB port the other way around.
  USB mass storage controller –  a small microcontroller with a small amount of on-chip ROM and RAM.
  NAND flash memory chip(s) –  stores data (NAND flash is typically also used in digital cameras).
  Crystal oscillator –  produces the device's main 12 MHz clock signal and controls the device's data output through a phase-locked loop.
  Cover –  typically made of plastic or metal, protecting the electronics against mechanical stress and even possible short circuits.
caption: The internal mechanical and electronic parts of a Kingston 2 GB flash drive
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