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PC Cards

The Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) establishes standards involving portable computers, especially when it comes to expansion cards, which are generically called PC Cards. PC Cards are roughly credit-card sized devices that enhance and extend the functions of a portable PC. PC Cards are as standard on today’s mobile computers as the hard drive. PC Cards are easy to use, inexpensive, and convenient. Figure 21-13 shows a typical PC Card.

Figure 21-13 PC Card

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EXAM TIP CompTIA uses the older term PCMCIA cards to describe PC Cards. Don’t be shocked if you get that as an option on your exams! You’ll hear many techs use the phrase as well, though the PCMCIA trade group has not used it for many years.

Almost every portable PC has one or two PC Card slots, into which you insert a PC Card. Each card has at least one function, but many have two, three, or more! You can buy a PC Card that offers connections for removable media, for example, such as combination SD and CF card readers. You can also find PC Cards that enable you to plug into multiple types of networks. All PC Cards are hot-swappable, meaning you can plug them in without powering down the PC.

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EXAM TIP Many manufacturers use the term hot-pluggable rather than hot-swappable to describe the ability to plug in and replace PC Cards on the fly. Look for either term on the exams.

The PCMCIA has established two versions of PC Cards, one using a parallel bus and the other using a serial bus. Each version, in turn, offers two technology variations as well as several physical varieties. This might sound complicated at first, but here’s the map to sort it all out.

Parallel PC Cards

Parallel PC Cards come in two flavors, 16-bit and CardBus, and each flavor comes in three physical sizes, called Type I, Type II, and Type III. The 16-bit PC Cards, as the name suggests, are 16-bit, 5-V cards that can have up to two distinct functions or devices, such as a modem/network card combination. CardBus PC Cards are 32-bit, 3.3-V cards that can have up to eight (!) functions on a single card. Regular PC Cards fit into and work in CardBus slots, but the reverse is not true. CardBus totally dominates the current PC Card landscape, but you might still run into older 16-bit PC Cards.

Type I, II, and III cards differ only in the thickness of the card (Type I being the thinnest, and Type III the thickest). All PC Cards share the same 68-pin interface, so any PC Card will work in any slot that accepts that card type. Type II cards are by far the most common of PC Cards. Therefore, most laptops have two Type II slots, one above the other, so the computer can accept two Type I or II cards or one Type III card (Figure 21-14).

Figure 21-14 PC Card slots

Although PCMCIA doesn’t require that certain sizes perform certain functions, most PC Cards follow their recommendations. Table 21-3 lists the sizes and typical uses of each type of PC Card.

Table 21-3 PC Card Types and Their Typical Uses

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NOTE PC Cards typically come with a hard plastic storage case. Always be sure to use this case to store the cards when you’re not using them. If dust, dirt, or grime gets into the array of contacts at the end of the card, the card won’t work when you try to use it next. Also, be careful when using PC Cards that extend out of the PC Card slot past the edge of your laptop. One dark night I set my laptop on the floor with a PC Card NIC sticking out of it while I went to get a drink of water. On my way back, I accidentally stepped on the card sticking out of my laptop and nearly snapped it in half. Luckily, my laptop wasn’t damaged, but the card was toast!

ExpressCard

ExpressCard, the high-performance serial version of the PC Card, has begun to replace PC Card slots on newer laptop PCs. Although ExpressCard offers significant performance benefits, keep in mind that ExpressCard and PC Cards are incompatible.