Hi Folks,

I'm new to the PIC list and am back into PIC development mode after an absence
of a few years.

I'm working on a data logging application using a PIC16F84. I need a
low-power design with a large memory. These loggers may be recording for
several years under battery power before being interrogated.

Currently, I'm looking at a couple of 8 megabit serial flash memory
devices: the NexFlash NX25F080A and the ATMEL AT45DB081. Both operate at
2.7 volts, have a 4-wire serial interface and dual SRAM sector buffers
on-chip. This is important because it allows sectors to be assembled
on-chip before being programmed into FLASH. This style of memory requires
an entire sector to be written at once, and there is not enough RAM in a
PIC to hold the data.

The ATMEL part looks a little more flexible, since both sector buffers can
be programmed directly to FLASH. The NexFlash part has separate PROGRAM and
SRAM buffers; although data can be copied between the two, only the PROGRAM
buffer can be written to FLASH. However, the decider for me is the power
consumption. At 2 uA standby, the ATMEL part requires twice the power of
the NexFlash part (1 uA).

Does anyone have any experience (positive or negative) with either of these
parts? Are there any other devices that I should consider using?

Thanks,
- Stewart Greenhill