4 ms·

I've wondered about this for years now. Why do USB drives get so hot? My SD cards don't. Maybe it is the interface chip? But my tiny USB card readers don't get

by nom 5y ago

I've wondered about this for years now. Why do USB drives get so hot? My SD cards don't. Maybe it is the interface chip? But my tiny USB card readers don't get hot and they have more design constraints. Maybe it's because of cheap components that push thermal limits to keep the prices down? I'd love to hear some insights from someone working lose to that field.

tpmx 5y ago
My guess: super crappy (chinese) low budget voltage regulators. Not working near this field, but have had some practical related experience. Clarification: I don't think Samsung etc are using counterfeit inferior regulators - I suspect they are using inferior regulators because it makes the BOM cost lower.
randyrand 5y ago
5v down to 3.3v on device.
- tpmx 5y ago
  Yeah. I guess it must be as simple as a) switching voltage regulation vs b) resistive voltage regulation. Right?
- rasz 5y ago
  1.2 and 1.8 V
uj8efdjkfdshf 5y ago
To be fair, I've always had overheating issues with the microSD cards I've used to the point where I've stopped bothering with them.