Express cards on Dell laptop?

[BlackOctopus]

Does anyone use the express card slot on their laptop computers? I recently bought a Dell Inspiron B120 and it has 3 USB ports and also an Express card slot...unfortunately the manual is less than forthcoming as to what this os used for! I was told that i could install a Firewire port there! Does anyone know if that is true???

I have a MOTU 828 MkII Firewire interface that i would love to hang on to and use with my Dell Inspiron B120 laptop.

Anyone know if i have a chance ?
Is it possible to install a firewire port?
I found this article and that does look like the size...

http://www.belkin.com/pressroom/bulletins/uploads/25PB066_FireWire%20ExpCd.pdf

[EC_Beast]

It's called a PCMCIA slot...it can be used for ethernet cards, wireless cards, usb cards, firewire, various audio interfaces, sim cards for encryption. Basically a whole bunch of useful stuff.

[BlackOctopus]

Aahh. So the term Express Card / slot means it is actually a PCMCIA slot? So do you know if i can buy a firewire port that i can install in that slot?? Dell are of absolutely no help!

[EC_Beast]

Yep...you sure can http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/ADS-Technologies-Dual-Link-Cardbus-DLX181-/sem/rpsm/oid/67975/catOid/-13314/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

[Noah330]

An ExpressCard is NOT THE SAME as a PCMCIA card.

ExpressCard is a fairly new standard that is replacing PCMCIA on laptops. Some Dells and all the new MacBok Pros (what I am typing on right now) have these.

They offer more bandwidth than PCMCIA. There are already some cards availible. There is a Firewire card and some wireless cards. Soon you will start seeing more. A PCMCIA card WILL NOT WORK in this slot.

[EC_Beast]

You're right, Express uses a 26 pin contact beam while PCMCIA uses a 68 pin, but there's more often than not the PCMCIA slot right under it.

[E_Z_RIDER]

It's called a PCMCIA slot...it can be used for ethernet cards, wireless cards, usb cards, firewire, various audio interfaces, sim cards for encryption. Basically a whole bunch of useful stuff.

Don't get insulted, but is your job devoted to spreading ignorance?

[E_Z_RIDER]

Yep...you sure can http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/ADS-Technologies-Dual-Link-Cardbus-DLX181-/sem/rpsm/oid/67975/catOid/-13314/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

NO, you can't......... that link leads to a CARDBUS = CardBus are PCMCIA 5.0 or later (JEIDA 4.2 or later) 32-bit PCMCIA cards, introduced in 1995 and present in laptops from late 1997 onward. CardBus is effectively a 32-bit, 33 MHz PCI bus in the PC card form factor.

Sheesh, anyone ever think of actually doing some research?

WHAT IS A PC CARD? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PC_card)

WHAT IS AN EXPRESS CARD? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Express_card)

EXPRESS CARD . ORG (http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/)

[E_Z_RIDER]

What is a PC Card? Is that the same as a CardBus card?

PC Card (often incorrectly called a "PCMCIA" card) is the general name for a technology originally developed in 1989 that adds expansion capabilities such as memory, mass storage, networking and wireless communications to computers and other communications and consumer electronics devices. Over 95% of notebooks use PC Card technology for their I/O expansion, although this number is already dropping due to the emergence of ExpressCard technology. CardBus is the name of the significantly faster 32-bit PC Card interface introduced in 1995. CardBus slots are backwards compatible with non-CardBus PC Cards, but a CardBus card cannot be used in a non-CardBus slot.


Are PC Card and ExpressCard compatible?

No. Electrically, the PC Card interface utilizes a connection to ISA-style (16-bit interface) or PCI (CardBus interface) parallel busses. ExpressCard modules utilize either the PCI Express or Universal Serial Bus (USB) serial interfaces. Mechanically, the PC Card interface uses a 68-contact pin and socket connector, while the ExpressCard interface utilizes a 26-contact beam on blade connector. The ExpressCard Standard was developed to bring the high speed, flexibility and lower cost of the PCI Express and USB interfaces to an add-in module which does not require a device to attach externally to the host system, and making either the modules or the hosts backward compatible with PC Card is not feasible.


What is ExpressCard™ technology?

ExpressCard technology is the name of a new standard introduced by PCMCIA in spring 2003. The ExpressCard standard delivers thinner, faster and lighter modular expansion to desktop and notebook computer users. Consumers can add hardware capabilities such as memory, wired and wireless communications cards and security devices by simply inserting these modules into their systems. All ExpressCard slots accommodate modules designed to use either Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0, or the PCI Express standards. However, users of ExpressCard modules do not have to be familiar, or even aware of, the underlying technology being used by the module. The user experience is identical, whether the module uses PCI Express or USB 2.0.


Is ExpressCard technology backward compatible with PC Card technology?

No. The PC Card interface uses either an ISA-based 16-bit or PCI-based 32-bit parallel interface through a 68 contact pin-and-socket connector. The ExpressCard interface uses high-speed PCI Express or USB 2.0 serial interfaces through a 26 contact high-performance beam-on-blade connector. These technologies are not compatible with each other, and moving forward to the high performance, compatibility and cost savings of these modern interfaces unfortunately required sacrificing compatibility with the older PC Card Standard. We did realize that due to the lack of backward compatibility, the transition as laptop manufacurers moved from PC Card slots to ExpressCard slots would be awkward, and it has unfortunately resulted in problems for users. However, as adapter products have come online the transition has become smoother, and once ExpressCard technology is fully established, at it is now poised to become, all users will benefit from the industry's transition from PC Card to ExpressCard technology. All significant applications are available on ExpressCard modules today, and many of the more specialized applications are being released practically every day.


Why was ExpressCard technology developed?

The initial motivation for developing ExpressCard technology was the anticipated inclusion of the PCI Express serial interface as the standard internal bus in many new computers, replacing the older PCI parallel interface bus upon which PC Card/CardBus is based. This in addition to the near universal inclusion of USB 2.0 on modern computers meant that a standardized peripheral module could take advantage of the improved performance, simplicity and reliability these two interfaces offer. Continuing to include PC Card/CardBus slots in computers which use the PCI Express bus requires a "bridge" chip (in addition the CardBus controller chip) that limits PC Card/CardBus performance to parallel bus speeds. Because of ExpressCard technology, peripheral devices can be made smaller, faster and at less cost for both host and module manufacturers -- so users like you get a less cumbersome, higher performance and less expensive device!

Both host system and peripheral device developers and manufacturers are embracing ExpressCard technology because it:

- Offers expansion flexibility in less space with higher performance,
- Provides consumer-friendly expandability by supporting a sealed box computing device,
- Supports implementation of future, high-performance technology innovations,
- Has wide industry support by leading technology companies, and
- Helps drive down manufacturing costs via standardization.

ExpressCard technology offers the following advantages over existing PC Card technology:

- 45% smaller (ExpressCard/34) or 22% smaller (ExpressCard/54) than PC Card
- Up to 2.5X faster than CardBus PC Cards
- Lower cost due to elimination of CardBus controller in host and ability to easily repackage existing USB 2.0 and PCI Express peripheral designs into the ExpressCard form factor
- Longer battery life due to move to lower voltages and superior power management


What size is an ExpressCard module?

There are two sizes of ExpressCard module: one is 34 mm wide (ExpressCard/34) and the other is 54 mm wide (ExpressCard/54). Both modules are 75 mm long and 5 mm high. Host systems can provide either a Universal (54 mm) slot or a 34 mm slot. A Universal slot, as the name implies, will accept either an ExpressCard/54 module or an ExpressCard/34 module. An ExpressCard/34 slot will only accept an ExpressCard/34 module unless an extender is used which would put the ExpressCard/54 module outside of the host system.