Ram & Reason: Keeping Your Laptop Young: The Resilient PC Card
         by Rob Rice     June 2005

      Laptop computers are pricey little gizmos that depreciate faster than a new car just driven off the lot. Just as soon as you have convinced yourself that you bought the most current and feature-packed model, some gee-whiz component comes out that has people asking why didn’t you buy that other model. Fortunately there is a saving grace, that little PC Card slot on the side of almost all laptop computers built in the last ten years or so.
      The PC Card is a small, thin, metal and plastic card that is 85.6mm long and 54mm wide. It is a tough little device, able to be stored and operated at freezing and up to roughly 130 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures.
     There are three types of cards having differing thicknesses and uses, but all utilize the same 68-pin interface and slot on the computer.

 

• Type I that has a thickness of 3.3mm and typically is used for memory devices such as RAM, Flash, OTP, and SRAM cards.
• Type II has a thickness of 5.0mm. It is typically used for I/O devices such as data/fax modems, LANs, and mass storage devices.
• Type III has a thickness of 10.5mm and is typically used for thicker devices such as hard drives.

      Founded in 1989, “To establish standards for Integrated Circuit cards and to promote interchangeability among mobile computers,” the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), who are also the same folks that brought you the SmartMedia flash card for digital cameras, defined the requirements for the first PC Card in the Standard Release 1.0/JEIDA 4.0 - June 1990. This described a plug and play device with a 68-pin interface and the Type I and Type II PC Card form factors. The second standard followed shortly after by defining input/output (I/O) cards in releases 2.0, 2.01 and 2.1 - 1991-1994. February and March of 1995 saw improved compatibility as well as support for features such as 3.3 volt operation, DMA support, and 32-bit CardBus busmastering. A series of recommended guidelines for developers of specific types of PC Cards, such as modems, wireless devices, ATA cards and CardBus cards was also issued. PC Card Standard 8.0 issued April 2001, added the CardBay USB Interface and Vcore Supplemental Voltage.
      In 2003, the PCMCIA announced a new standard that is backwards-compatible with the older card slots, but is smaller and faster, accomplished by taking advantage of USB and PCI Express.
      What all of these standards and revisions mean is that the PC Card has not only kept up with technology, but has provided a vehicle for getting new equipment to the customer, such as wireless connectivity. Compatibility has also been maintained, thanks in part to the PCMCIA having over 200 member companies and a staff of industry insiders. The PCMCIA’s board of directors is currently staffed by folks from Intel, Microsoft, Dell Computer, Lexar, Texas Instruments and Hewlett Packard. The Chairman of the Board and Technical Chair is from Intel and the current President is from Microsoft.
      One must admit that the real beauty of the PC Card is that it keeps pace with technology and gives the buyer the ability to expand and upgrade their laptop – holding on to it for at least one more year.
      As an example, consider this list of PC Cards that are available and can be put into any PC Card slot:

 

Storage

• Flash Memory – The earliest use of the PC Card and still a viable one.
• Hard Drive – I priced a 5 gig drive at $169.
• Flash Media card readers – I priced a 4-in-1 Card Slot(SM, MS, SD, MMC) reader at $24.

Expansion

• USB 1.1 & 2.0 – Adds USB connections, $15 and up.
• IEEE 1394 & 1394b Firewire – Adds Firewire/ iLink connections, $15 and up.
• USB and Firewire Combo Cards – about $30 and up.
• SATA – Connects a Serial ATA external hard drive to your laptop, $20 and up.
• SCSI – Connects a SCSI external hard drive to your laptop, $100 - $155.
• Serial Ports – Adds serial ports your laptop, $45 and up.
• DVD Drive – Adds an external DVD drive to your laptop, $145.
• CD ROM Drive – Adds an external CD ROM drive to your laptop, $120.

Connectivity

• Ethernet – Adds a LAN connection, a 10/100 card goes for around $19.
• Wireless – Adds a wireless network connection, $10 (on sale) and up.
• 56k modems – Good old dial-up modem, $25 to $35.
• Bluetooth – Adds Bluetooth capability, $45 to $65.

Sound Card

• The Creative PCMCIA Sound Blasterฎ Audigyฎ 2 ZS Notebook with THXฎ certified 24-bit ADVANCED HD™ audio quality playback and encompassing 7.1 surround sound for Dolbyฎ Digital EX as well as DTS-ES™ supported DVD movies; any DirectSound3D games and CMSS 3D virtualized 7.1 stereo music, can be had for around $120

TV Tuner

• The LifeView 700450202060 TV Tuner PCMCIA Card features Worldwide TV and stereo sound standards Inputs for S-Video and composite video Real-time record digital TV to MPEG2, analog video to MPEG 4/2/1 TimeShifting Functionality with Composite, S-Video and Audio ports goes for around $80.

Video Capture

• Video conferencing, live video feed from a camera for monitoring, or video mail, about $250 or less.

Radio

• FM Radio, $149 or less. Often included in a TV Tuner card.

PCMCIA Card Reader for the Desktop with a PCI Interface Cable

• Quatech PCD2-F/PCI-E for a 3.5 inch bay, $100.

      So before you declare your old laptop as being hopelessly out of date, have a look at the latest PC Cards. You may be amazed at what it can still do!
      The PCMCIA, http://www.pcmcia.org
      Prices are from the Internet and meant only to give a general idea of cost.

 

 

        Rob Rice is a computer specialist working in Anchorage, Alaska. Rob can be contacted at articles@isp.com