Customization - Laser Etch, Labeling, Custom IDs and Format

Sometimes custom requirements are as simple as a special label to denote a company's name, part number or branding. Cactus offers custom labeling to our customers wanting to add a little personalization to their cards, SSDs or other flash devices.

Cactus also offers laser etching of parts in addition or in place of labels. We can review and determine feasibility for any other marking or coloring scheme an OEM has to enhance their design as well.

Other times more detailed items are needed, like a method for the host system to guarantee the flash storage device used in their application is the fully qualified version they want to supply.

A custom manufacturer's ID is a great way to ensure an OEM's card is the only one able to function on their specific platform. The ID can only be loaded at time of manufacture by the factory, so off the shelf parts won't have this ID.

To implement this in the OEM's system environment, the system issues and identify drive command. If it does not see the expected ID in the returned field, it will either not function, give an error message or request that an authorized flash storage device is inserted.

Over the years, we've seen a number of legacy systems that were designed prior to the industry standard spec being solidified or possibly being designed to a specific card rather than the spec. They functioned well while a certain manufacturer's controller and memory configuration was available, but as soon that model or manufacturer was out of the market, they had no working alternatives.

In these legacy systems, Cactus engineering is able to analyze the host system and cards in our lab to determine what is causing the issue. Once the cause is determined, Cactus is generally able to modify the format, firmware or potential hardware characteristics to resolve the issue.

Once the customization feature is fully defined and documented, Cactus will assign a custom part number suffix. From that point on, this specific part number can be purchased to meet a particular OEM's needs.

Contact Cactus to discuss if these or any other customization features are right for your application.