ECN Forum Forums Technical Discussion Re: Computers and the Internet How long do memory sticks last ?

I'm just curious if anyone on ECN knows how many times you can use, erase memory sticks on digital camera's.

I take a reasonable amount of digital photo's and there is an event counter, like DSC 000426 which keeps track and number of the photo's taken.

I use a Sony handicam, movies on tape in digital format, and stills on a memory stick duo ( 8 MB ) about good for 55 x 120 kB photo's. It works great, no problems whatsoever, stick full, in the computer and download photo's, direct to ECN, family or put on CD-R to get photo's made off in the shop.

I'm thinking to get a higher capacity memory stick as well which makes life a little easier for me.

Any replies would be greatly appriciated.
Thanks
Ray

I have a Sony camera (DCR-PC100) that has been in use for about 5 years now. I upped the memory - came with a 64mb - to a 256mb and have been using that card for about 4 years.

I think that they should last unless or until they get zapped. Dallas Semi. used to make tall non-volatile memory chips that held memory for 7+ years. That was because there were lithium batteries built in. EPROMs were supposed to hold data about 10 years before the charge would possibly bleed off and corrupt data. I don't think that either of these issues apply here though. You're off loading the pictures to other media for long term storage.
Joe

somewhere between 10,000 and 1,000,000 write cycles per sector.
assuming 250 pictures/card, and 10,000 cycles, thats 2,500,000 pictures over the life of the card.

google 'flash card write cycles' for more info.

Thanks guys !!

Ray