OEMs set to save space with externally mounted rugged portable memory

The unique on-surface mounting style minimises the amount of interior space required, as only the receptacle's pins extend inside the OEM device. Also, the Bar Receptacle has a small footprint of only 5.3 square centimeters. The receptacle is secured using two screws and an adhesive gasket, which also contributes to the Bar's IP-67 rating and provides a tamper-evident installation.

While originally designed to meet the requirements of tactical military applications like Crypto Ignition Keys (CIKs), the Bar can also be used in other harsh environment applications, such as: machine access control, calibration & parameter uploads, feature enable/disable, and data transfer.

Designed for use in the most challenging environments, the Bar series meets United States Department of Defence MIL-STD-810F specifications, including: shock, vibration, immersion, salt-fog, blowing dust, blowing sand, freezing rain and more. This is extremely useful for OEMs selling into the military as well as into commercial applications that have chosen to implement this influential standard.

The Bar has an operating temperature range of -40°C to +85°C (-40°C to +100°C storage) and has ESD (Electro Static Discharge) protection to greater than 15kV. Also, both the Bar token and receptacle are designed to minimise electromagnetic emissions, which is important in many military applications.

The Bar provides an intuitive slide-in/slide-out operation and features an open design for easy in-field cleaning, an important feature for tactical devices. The Bar token and receptacle have physical features to ensure that the token can only be inserted in the proper orientation, allowing for “by-feel” operation in the dark. The receptacle features a retention pin that provides tactile feedback when the token is fully inserted, and also helps keep the Token firmly in place during operation - standing up to the most demanding shock and vibration requirements.

Both the Bar memory token and the Bar receptacle use solid over moulded construction, making them extremely rugged and durable. The token uses industry standard serial EEPROM with SPI, I2C and Microwire serial interface options and memory sizes ranging from 1Kbit to 256Kbit. Additionally, the Bar token features a writeable label and is small enough to be carried in a pocket or placed on a keychain or lanyard.

Unlike consumer memory solutions, such as SD cards and USB flash drives, the Bar series memory tokens have a high mating cycle-life (25,000-cycles for the receptacle and 15,000 cycles for the token), are sold only to OEMs, and have long-term product availability. Free token and receptacle samples are available to UK customers from Nexus GB.