Industrial Disk on Module Solutions
A disk on module is storage without a single cable: the drive plugs directly into the SATA or USB header on the motherboard and is held by the connector itself. Nothing can be shaken loose, nothing occupies a drive bay, and the host still sees a normal disk that boots an operating system. Satron Electronics supplies industrial DOM products from Adata Industrial — the ISMS331 SATA DOM on MLC and the IUMU211 and IUMU23C USB DOM modules on MLC and SLC NAND flash — with traceable flash lots and a fixed bill of materials.
SATA DOM: Horizontal and Vertical Versions
A SATA DOM drive uses the standard 22-pin connector and runs at SATA III 6 Gb/s, so it needs no driver, no BIOS setting and no adapter. Two mechanical variants exist for a reason: the horizontal type lies flat and suits low-profile 1U chassis, the vertical type stands upright and saves board area. Power is the detail worth checking first — some models draw 5 V from pin 7 of the connector, others require a separate power lead from the board.
USB DOM for Embedded Platforms
A USB DOM plugs into the internal 10-pin USB header and behaves as a fixed USB drive that can be marked non-removable, which lets the BIOS treat it as a proper boot device. Speed is lower than SATA, but the module is smaller, cheaper and works on boards with no free SATA port — a common situation on single board computers and compact controllers. SLC versions are chosen where the same sectors are rewritten constantly.
Key Features of Industrial DOM Drives
Capacity in this class stays modest, usually 1 GB to 128 GB, because the typical role is a firmware and OS carrier rather than a data archive.
Applications of SATA and USB DOM
DOM storage is the standard boot medium in thin clients, POS and self-service terminals, network appliances, firewalls, digital signage players and machine control cabinets. In all of them the module is installed once and expected to run for years untouched, so predictable endurance matters far more than throughput. When the design does need a serviceable drive with real capacity, the logical step up is a Half Slim or mSATA SSD on the same SATA bus.
How to Select an Industrial Disk on Module
Start with the header: SATA or USB, its orientation and the clearance around it, since a vertical module may collide with a heatsink or a card. Confirm how it is powered, then match NAND type to the write pattern rather than to capacity. For certified equipment, agree on firmware revision locking so the configuration stays reproducible over the product lifecycle.
DOM Supply from Satron Electronics
We confirm lead times, NAND type and firmware revision before the purchase order, quote per configuration and provide samples for validation on your hardware. If a part is discontinued, our engineers select an equivalent and support its introduction. All storage formats are collected in the Memory and Storage catalogue, and modules can be fitted during contract assembly of your equipment.
Disk-on-Module FAQ
How much faster is a SATA DOM than a USB DOM?
The difference can be substantial. The ADATA ISMS331 SATA DOM is specified for sequential speeds up to 340 MB/s read and 200 MB/s write. The USB 2.0 IUMU211 reaches up to 43/32 MB/s, while the SLC-based IUMU23C is rated at about 19/18 MB/s. A SATA DOM is therefore better suited to operating systems with frequent disk access, while a USB DOM is often sufficient for compact boot images and firmware storage.
Will a USB DOM fit any internal 10-pin USB header?
Not automatically. Besides checking the USB pinout and available clearance, the connector pitch must match the motherboard header. ADATA IUMU211 and IUMU23C modules are available with 2.00 mm and 2.54 mm pitch connectors. A module with the wrong pitch cannot be mounted directly even though both interfaces may be described as 10-pin USB headers.
Can a DOM be hardware write-protected?
Some models can. Hardware write protection is useful for locked operating-system images, recovery partitions and appliances where application software must not modify the boot medium. The ADATA ISMS331 SATA DOM and IUMU23C USB DOM support hardware write protection, while the IUMU211 specification does not list this feature. It should therefore be selected at part-number level rather than assumed for every industrial DOM.
How much more endurance does SLC provide than MLC in a DOM?
The difference can be large when the same blocks are rewritten repeatedly. In ADATA's industrial DOM range, the SLC configuration is rated at up to 60,000 P/E cycles, compared with about 3,000 P/E cycles for the MLC IUMU211 and ISMS331 — roughly a 20× difference in raw program/erase endurance. Actual service life still depends on write amplification, wear leveling and the application's write pattern.