W25Q512JV 64MB Serial NOR Flash For Teensy

Flash memory is used to add 512M-bit non-volatile memory to Teensy 4.1

DESCRIPTION

The Teensy 4.1 boards supports one of these 8-pin 64MB (512M-bit) Flash chips to expand the memory on the module primarily for use with the LittleFS library

PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• Winbond W25Q512JV SMD IC (WSON Package)

KEY FEATURES OF 64MB SERIAL NOR FLASH:

• 64MB (512M-bit) memory organized as 262.144 pages x 256 bytes
• SPI / Dual SPI / Quad SPI Interface
• True random access to every memory location
• Faster read speeds than NAND
• Longer potential life span than NAND
• 133/266/532MHz clock rate
• 3.3V operation

These ICs provide additional non-volatile memory for the Teensy 4.1 board.

NOR Flash chips have some benefits over NAND flash chips.  They can be accessed as true random access memory and can support higher read rates.  This allows them to perform better than NAND chips for certain applications such as where data must be read or written frequently in small chunks.  The downside is that they are more expensive and limited in their maximum size compared to NAND.  NOR is limited to 64MB compared to 256MB for NAND.

Note:  We don’t currently offer a standard Teensy 4.1 Fully Loaded product built with this part, but if you need the largest supported NOR Flash chip preassembled onto a Teensy 4.1, drop us an email at support@protosupplies.com with your requirements.

The larger footprint on the bottom of the board supports one of these 64MB Flash chips.  The PCB pads are designed for an SOIC chip, but the WSON package can be soldered in the location if care is exercised.  Since the leads are tucked under the sides of the chip, soldering and testing the chip before the header pins are installed is highly recommended.  An unsoldered chip is shown in the location below.

Note that the bottom of the chip has a rectangular metal pad.  This pad is not connected to anything in the chip, but can be a possible shorting hazard across the PCB pads if the chip is not centered on the pads.  Keeping solder limited to the outer portion of the board pads helps to minimize that concern.  It may be desirable to cover the pad with Kapton tape or similar insulator to avoid the possibility of shorting.

The PaulStoffregen/LittleFS Library can be used to work with this chip.

When used with the LittleFS file system, the 64MB/512M-bit Flash chip uses the LittleFS_QSPIFlash constructor.

#include “LittleFS.h”
LittleFS_QSPIFlash myfs; // NOR FLASH 512Mb

FURTHER READING:

LEARN – Working with Teensy 4.1 Memory – Overview of the Teensy 4.1 memory architecture including the optional PSRAM and Flash memories.

Notes:

1. These chips are not available in Tape & Reel, so they are packaged individually loose in a high quality ESD bag.  Since there are no external leads on the chip package, this doesn’t cause a problem.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS