ESIS New Website

PCMCIA & Other Card Drives & interfaces
(PC Card
Drives), Compact Flash Drives, Cardbus
PCMCIA Slot to USB, Wireless LAN, Ethernet, Firewire IEEE 1394, HD, CD


Esis Pty Ltd - Australia - Ph 02 9481 7420  Fax 02 9481 7267  www.esis.com.au 
E-mail: click here       Go to Esis main page

Prices (Australian dollars) do not include GST and may change without notice.  


Do you have a Wireless Broadband PCMCIA card, but no PC Card slot for it?

External PCMCIA (PC Card) Slot Drives with USB plug
   for Wireless Broadband PCMCIA cards
   See further down this page

What kind of slot does your Notebook have?
PCMCIA, ExpressCard, or both?
     List of Notebooks, with kind of slot:
click here
     January 2008 or before.

 PCMCIA Cardbus cards with Firewire IEEE 1394 for Video Capture  

 PCMCIA Slots - PCI Bus PCI to PCMCIA Adapters


Jump down to:
  External PCMCIA Card Slot Drives with USB plug, for Wireless Broadband PCMCIA cards, or Flash cards

  Kingston Memory      PCMCIA Wireless LAN Station Adapter        

  PCMCIA Drives (slots) with PCI, ISA or IDE controllers   

  Adaptors: Plug an ExpressCard into a PCMCIA slot, or PCMCIA into ExpressCard slot


Cardbus information
32-bit PCMCIA - a 32-bit 33MHz fast standard for cards.
(PCMCIA bus is 16-bit).

CardBus Info

PCMCIA  Information: www.pcmcia.org   www.compactflash.org (these open new windows)

CardBus to USB converter: Notebooks without a USB port, but with CardBus, can have USB: click here
Cardbus to Firewire IEEE 1394 Firewire: click here   
Cardbus to Ethernet Adapter: click here


Installing the drivers for cards and devices under Windows

It is best to install the driver software before you install the actual hardware
1. Reboot the computer
2. Install the driver.
3. Insert the card into the PCI bus
4. Power on. Take note of the i/o and interrupt the PnP bios gives the card.
5. Boot into Windows
6. Let the cards be detected and let Windows search for the driver.

If you installed the card before installing the drivers:
1. Uninstall the driver, power off, remove the card.
2. Reboot, reinstall the driver.
3. Power off.
4. Reinsert the card into the PCI bus, but in a different slot
5. Power on. Take note of the i/o and interrupt the PnP bios gives the card.
6. Boot into Windows
7. Let the cards be detected and let Windows search for the driver.


Card Adaptors

AEC34-PCMCIA

Do you need to use an old PCMCIA card in a newer laptop with only an ExpressCard slot?

Allows PCMCIA cards to be plugged into computers with ExpressCard slots    zmx
ExpressCard(Host) to CardBus(Device) Adapter, it allows CardBus to be connected into new notebooks with an ExpressCard Slot. It is compatible with most CardBus cards. It also supports 3G, and 3.5G wireless CardBus cards.
Works with all PCMCIA cards.

Data on AEC34-PCMCIA (mfr site www.diarts.com.tw)

AEC34-PCMCIA    PCMCIA Slot to ExpressCard,
Requires a laptop with an ExpressCard slot.

Hangs out the side of the laptop.    AEC34-PCMCIA:  $164+GST

ECA16  High Power PCMCIA (PC Card) Adaptor for ExpressCards

Do you need to use a new ExpressCard in an older laptop with only PCMCIA available?
Now you can, using the ECA16. Plug your ExpressCard into the ECA16, then insert into your PCMCIA slot and away you go.    lxb

Host interface : 16-Bit PCMCIA Card; works in all PCMCIA slots (including CardBus hosts)
Datacard interface : ExpressCard 34mm (USB) including WLAN, WiMax, 3G (HSDPA and CDMA) and memory
Uses Elan's proven VMB5000 interface chip for maximum reliability and stability
Comes with drivers for Windows 2000 and XP with support also for Linux and Mac OSX also available
External dimensions : 16.9 x 15.5cm 3.8cm.    Packaged weight : 95g

ExpressCards often have high power requirements. The PCMCIA port is capable of supplying the required power, but the ECA16 is the only adapter available to supply enough power to guarantee the performance of your ExpressCard.
By drawing the full 5V which is only available to 16-bit PC card solutions, you can be sure that your ExpressCard won't suffer the performance problems that are associated with the lower power 32-bit adapter interface.

Using USB2 technology, the ECA16 supports high speed applications beyond 3G (including HSDPA and HSUPA ExpressCards).
The ECA16 is designed to fit snugly into your PC card slot, with only a minimal protrusion outside of your laptop.
ECA16 High Power PCMCIA (PC Card) Adaptor for ExpressCards:  $155+GST


External PCMCIA Card Slot Drives, with USB plug

Simulating a PCMCIA (PC Card or CardBus) slot using USB
It is not possible to make a generic PCMCIA drive (slot) with a USB interface to a host computer that would fully comply with the PCMCIA standard. This is because the PCMCIA standard gives much greater access between the CPU and the peripheral device than what USB can give.

So, there is no universal interface between a PCMCIA (PC Card or CardBus) slot  and  a USB port plug, which works with every type of card.
However specialized interface units can be made for particular kinds of card, eg for Flash cards, or for UMTS (3G) DataCards.
This is done by using suitable hardware and firmware in the interface unit to simulate a PCMCIA slot.

   PCMCIA Slot for Wireless Broadband PCMCIA cards: Jump down this page

   PCMCIA Slot for Flash Memory Cards: see next item

What kind of slot does your Notebook have?
PCMCIA, ExpressCard, or both?     List of Notebooks, with kind of slot:
Click here (up to January 2008)

External PCMCIA Card Slot Drives with USB port
   for Flash Memory cards

AEPUDDU Pocket Ultra DigiDrive, PCMCIA Slot to USB, for ATA Flash memory cards

Only works with ATA Flash memory cards (not linear flash or SRAM). Now supports eSata connection.  sdba

Pocket UDD USB 2.0
The Addonics Pocket UDD (Ultra DigiDrive) is the ultimate reader/writer for PCMCIA hard drive and ATA Flash memory with today fastest USB 2.0/1.1 or the latest 150 Mbytes/sec Serial ATA connection to any Desktop or Notebook computer. By using an optional CF DigiAdapter or the Addonics 4-in-1 DigiAdapter, the Pocket UDD can also be used like a regular floppy drive to read/write to other popular Flash media - CF-I, CF-II, Smart Media, Memory stick, Secure Digital Card, Multimedia Card or Micro Drive. Even the latest XD Card from Fuji and Olympus can now be easily used on your Desktop PC via the XD PCMCIA adapter. Such versatility together with the flexible interface design, the Addonics Pocket UDD will fast becoming the only Flash reader/writer that any computer will ever need.

The Addonics 4-Slot UDD integrates 4 Pocket UDDs into a compact, stylish and high performance Readers/Writer. The 4-Slot UDD adds further versatility to the Pocket UDDs by using 4 independent USB connections. You can read or write to as many as 4 PCMCIA hard drives or any combinations of 4 flash media simultaneously, or to transfer data between any of the 4 media, all at the full USB 2.0 speed!

The Pocket UDD and the 4-slot UDD now also come with choice of the lightning fast eSATA interface. You can also easily upgrade your current USB model with the Addonics eSATA USIB interface cale.

Contents: Pocket UDD, USB 2.0/1.1 USIB interface cable, Driver CD, user guide. ( RoHS Compliant )

* USB 2.0, USB 1.1, or eSATA
* Power from USB or optional AC/DC power adapter
* Read and write to PCMCIA hard drive, ATA Flash.*
* Read and write to CF-I, CF-II, Smart Memory, Memory Stick, Micro Drive, Multimedia Card,
                              Secure Digital Card and XD Card using optional Flash adapter.
* Complete Plug and Play (1)
* USB Bootable from PCMCIA hard drive (depending on system BIOS support)
* Serial ATA Bootable from PCMCIA hard drive
* Up to 480 Mbits/sec (60 MB/sec) data transfer* for USB 2.0, 10 times the speed of USB 1.1
* Up to 1,500 Mbits/sec (150 MB/sec) data transfer for Serial ATA
* USB version works under Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP, Linux kernel 2.4 and higher
* eSATA version works under DOS, Windows 95, NT4.0, 98SE, Me, 2000, XP and Linux Kernel 2.4 and higher.
* RoHS Compliant (except for SATA)

Note: The Panasonic P2 card is a 32-bit Cardbus device and therefore is not supported with the Pocket UDD. The Desktop Card Drive, PCI Cardbus/PCMCIA Controller, and ExpressCard Cardbus Adapter all support the Panasonic P2 Card.

(1) Serial ATA hot swap feature works only with controllers basing on Silicon Image chip set from our inhouse testing. Other controllers that are not Silicon Image based may not support hot swap. You may consider adding one of the Addonics Serial ATA host controllers to your systems to ensure the hot swap capability. New controllers from Intel and other suppliers may finally support this feature. Please verify with your controller manufacturer if you need to have hot swap in your application. Hot swap is supported in Windows 2000 and XP only. On other OS, drive can be removed without crashing system. But replacing with a different drive can result in crashing the OS.

Specifications

 
Pocket UDD
4-Slot UDD
Interface:
USB 2.0 or eSATAUSB 2.0 or eSATA
Type of slot: I/II PCMCIA Card socketI/II PCMCIA Card socket
Number of slotsonefour
Maximum data transfer rate:
(varies depending on computer hardware and type of media)

480 Mbits/sec (60 MB/sec) with USB 2.0
12 Mbits/sec with USB 1.1

1500 Mbits/sec (150 MB/sec) with SATA

480 Mbits/sec (60 MB/sec) with USB 2.0
12 Mbits/sec with USB 1.1

1500 Mbits/sec (150 MB/sec) with SATA

Supported OSUSB 2.0 /1.1Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP, DOS, Linux Kernel 2.4 and higherWindows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP, DOS, Linux Kernel 2.4 and higher
Serial ATADOS, Windows 95, NT4, 98SE, Me, 2000, XP, Linux kernel 2.4 and higherDOS, Windows 95, NT4, 98SE, Me, 2000, XP, Linux kernel 2.4 and higher
Dimensions:4.63 in (W) x 5.4 in (D) x .95in (H) 4.63 in (W) x 5.4 in (D) x 4.25 in (H)
PowerDirect from USB
Optional AC/DC power adapter
Direct from USB
Optional AC/DC power adapter
Weight:8 oz (approx.) without cable16 oz (approx.) without cable
Storage Temperature:-20 C to + 60 C -20 C to + 60 C
Storage Humidity:5 - 90%5 - 90%
Warranty:one yearone year

* maximum data transfer rate depends on type of media. Due to large number of flash memory types and suppliers, actual data transfer rate may also vary from brand to brand.

At the present moment, there is an incompatibility problem with following media: ATA flash with Ricoh or Hitachi controller chip, Viking ATA Flash, Olympus 32 MB XD, Fujitsu HDD Model 8340PA. and Viper 8340PA

System Requirements
Pentium 200 Mhz or faster, Minimum RAM 32 MB, Minimum free hard disk space 10 MB, One free USB 2.0, USB 1.1 or Serial ATA port
BIOS supports for USB hard disk boot for the boot function
One of the following Operating Systems: Windows 98/SE, Me, 2000, XP, Linux kernel 2.4 or higher, Solaris 8.

AEPUDDU Addonics Pocket Ultra DigiDrive, PCMCIA slot to USB2, for ATA flash memory cards:   $131+GST    5/10
Only works with ATA Flash memory cards (not linear flash or SRAM). Now supports eSata connection.

 

U111-M: USB Adapter for Memory cards

USB adapters for CF memory cards are widely available, but there are very few models around that support full size PCMCIA. The U111-M is perfect for applications where PCMCIA cards are still being used, and the host PC no longer has PCMCIA connectivity.        lxb

Suitable for:
• Laptops without PCMCIA slots
• Desktops
• Point of Sale machines
• Mobile computers, e.g. in car systems.     More info ( Mfr website, opens new tab or window)

The U111-M supports ATA memory, SRAM memory, and Linear Flash cards which support the Common Flash Memory Interface (CFI).
No driver installation is normally required.
     U111-M: USB Adapter for Memory cards:  $343+GST

 

09SH-12IN1 Shintaro 12-in-1 Card Reader

Finally there is a well priced digital camera memory card reader that is compatible with the major digital camera brands including Olympus, Sony and Canon.      lls
The brand new Shintaro 12-in-1 card reader supports 21 different camera types in total.
Featuring super fast USB 2.0 connectivity and a slim compact design, it's one of the most versatile and exciting new products we have seen in ages.

12-IN-1 USB 2.0. Read & Write:
Secure Digital/MiniSD,   MMC/MMCII,   Compact Flash Type 1 & 2,   Microdrive,   Smart Media,   xD Picture card,
Memory Stick/Pro/Duo, (not full size PCMCIA cards).
USB 2.0 Type A to B cable & driver disc included. Suits Win98/SE,ME,2000,XP & MacOS    -1 year warranty.

       09SH-12IN1 Shintaro 12-in-1 Card Reader: 1: $60+GST    2+: $50+GST

Kingston Flash Cards

• CompactFlash cards CF/32, CF/64, CF/128, CF/256, CF/512, CF/1024, etc    32, 64, 128, 256, 512MB, 1024MB, etc.      rhl
• SmartMedia cards SM/32, SM/64, SM/128,                     32, 64, 128MB, etc.
• MultiMedia cards MMC/32, MMC/64, MMC/128,        16, 32, 128MB, etc.
• Secure Digital cards SD/32, SD/64, SD/128, SD/256,      2, 64,128, 256MB, etc.

M6765  Flash card read/write - Front Access Bay - USB 2- Firewire

Never have to reach behind the computer again with this 5.25" front access bay.
Will read and write 6 Memory cards, CF, SM, MMC, SD, MS and MD.
Compact Flash,  Smart Media,   Multimedia,  Secure Digital,  Memory Stick,  
and  IBM MicroDrive
The unit also has three USB 2.0 ports and two firewire ports.
Plus audio in/out and 5volt/12volt out.
It will operate with Win 98SE or later and Mac OS 8.6.

M6765  Flash card read/write,
                                Front Access Bay, USB 2, Firewire:
 $158+GST       11/09

SmartMedia (SSFDC): An ultra-compact flash memory format developed by Toshiba. About the size of CompactFlash, but as thin as a credit card.
The cards can be plugged into a SmartMedia socket,   or into a standard Type II PC Card slot with a PC Card adapter.


WGIPQ-FPC-PC   Compact Flash Card Adapter
Allows a compact flash card, as used in many digital cameras, to be read in a standard PCMCIA drive.    vdr
Just copy the files from the Compact Flash card to your hard drive with Windows Explorer.  WGIPQ-FPC-PC: $25+GST

M21028 Compact Flash to PCMCIA Adaptor   $25+GST


External PCMCIA Card Slot Drives with USB plug
for Wireless Broadband PCMCIA cards

  All downloads:  http://www.elandigitalsystems.com/eng/drivers/u111/

U132 for 32-bit cards are discontinued.  See U142 below.

  Information about Telstra Wireless Networks   (Telstra website)

What kind of slot does your Notebook have?
PCMCIA, ExpressCard, or both?     List of Notebooks, with kind of slot:
click here

U111: PCMCIA Slot to USB

Only works with old Merlin U630 or US630 wireless 3G cards. $175+GST.

U142 for Telstra Next G (or NextG) Wireless PCMCIA Cards

U142 only works on BigPond "Option" GT Max GX0202 cards now ("Option" is the brand name),
all the other cards have had firmware updates that stop them from working correctly.
 
    U142 for Next G cards: $212+GST  (delivery time 2-4 weeks, no returns)   4/10       U p

The U142 has been tested with Windows and supports the Bigpond Next G (or NextG) card.
The latest drivers are required.
Also MAC support in just released, initial version and will only work with certain cards at this stage,
details can be found at the following web link:
MAC support:     http://www.elandigitalsystems.com/support/ufaq/u132mac.php

Use this with the "Option GT Max" card, marketed by Telstra, for their Next G network.

The U142 is a new model developed in response to overwhelming customer demand.

Take your Next G wireless internet access anywhere using the U142!
This USB adapter allows the use of some new HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access, see green text below) datacard models via a USB port, enabling these PC cards to be used with a desktop or laptop without a CardBus slot.

The U142 is ideal for customers who live in an area without high speed wired internet access, or whose laptop does not offer a PCMCIA/CardBus slot, such as the new Dell Latitude X1 models.
The adapter is compatible with desktops, notebooks or specialist systems (such as Point of Sale machines).

Most CardBus wireless modem cards are compatible with the alternative U132 model; check the list below to find out whether yours is included or contact our stockist in your area for advice.

Please note that the unique hardware design of the U142 has been developed especially for this type of wireless modems, so other card types are not supported. The U142 does not support memory cards.

     Data sheet on U142 (.pdf)

Supported Cards
The U142 has been designed to support the latest datacard models from "Option". ("Option" is a brand name of wireless cards.)
These models are usually rebadged by the operator who supplies them.
However the back label (black) on the back of the card identifies the manufacturer and model name.
The most reliable way to identify specific models of Option cards is to check the two letters at the start of the serial number;
   the cards supported in the U142 have serial numbers which start with N or with G.

Selected 32-Bit CardBus 3G Cards ONLY supported
     Note that if your card includes a Wireless LAN (802.11) connection, this is not supported via the U132

USB Interface
Supports TypeI and II card sizes. Slot has ejector lever
Uses Elan's unique silicon to bridge between USB and 32-bit CardBus interface.
Supplied with software driver for Windows 2000 and XP.

External Power Supply option for high current cards (normally not required).

Technical Data
Operating Temperature: 1 to 75°C,   Storage : -50 to +150°C
Power measurements:  Compliant with USB specification (requires below 500mAmps)

Estimated MTBF: for all our card readers is 100K hours under normal operating conditions.

Power supply over-current protection is built into all our range of PCMCIA card readers and provides protection to the PC and card reader from faulty PCMCIA cards being inserted in the card reader.

Data Transfer Rates
Actual data rates will vary according to the system, resources, quality of data connection and operator provided software.

External Dimensions: 140 x 83 x 25mm (approx)
Mass: 140g, excluding USB cable

Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server, LINUX
Coming Soon: MAC OSX : Release expected November 2006

  Information about Telstra Wireless Networks   (Telstra website)

UMTS (aka 3GSM): Universal Mobile Telecommunications System is one of the third-generation (3G) mobile phone technologies.
It uses W-CDMA as the underlying standard, is standardized by the 3GPP, and represents the European/Japanese answer to the ITU IMT-2000 requirements for 3G Cellular radio systems.
To differentiate UMTS from competing network technologies, UMTS is sometimes marketed as 3GSM, emphasizing the combination of the 3G nature of the technology and the GSM standard which it was designed to succeed. - Wikipedia
EDGE: A change to the radio part of GPRS called EDGE (sometimes called EGPRS or Enhanced GPRS) allows higher bit rates of between 160 and 236.8 kbit/s - Wikipedia.

HSDPA: High-Speed Downlink Packet Access  is a mobile telephony protocol, is a 3G technology, which provides a smooth evolutionary path for UMTS-based 3G networks allowing for higher data transfer speeds.
Current HSDPA deployments support 1.8 MBit/s or 3.6 MBit/s in downlink.
Further steps to 7.2 MBit/s and beyond are planned for the future.

An evolution of the W-CDMA standard, HSDPA achieves the increase in the data transfer speeds by defining a new W-CDMA channel: a high-speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) that operates in a different way from existing W-CDMA channels and is used for downlink communications to the mobile.     More info    - Wikipedia


PCMCIA Drives with PCI, ISA or IDE controllers

Cardbus 32-bit: Note that for technical reasons (crosstalk, etc), 32 bit Cardbus slot PCMCIA drives
are not available with front drive bay access, as this would require a ribbon cable to the drive..

M6072   5¼" frame for 3½" drive with front opening (see picture below)   $20+GST

For PCI bus PCMCIA Slots, jump to separate page:
     PCMCIA Slots - PCI Bus   PCI bus to PCMCIA Adapters


M6072   5¼" frame for 3½" drive

           with front opening (see picture at right)    $20+GST

 

PC/104 card drive for PCMCIA cards:
    
see PCM-3110 & PCM-3112 on PC/104 page: click here (opens new tab or window)


M11341  Card Bus to Ethernet Adapter 10/100 Mbps

The Card Bus (32 bit version of PCMCIA (16 bit)) Ethernet card is a credit card size Ethernet adapter
that connects a notebook PC to an IEEE 802.3 standard Ethernet network.
It automatically negotiates 10Mbps or 100Mbps connection rate, depending on the speed of the network.

Complies with IEEE 802.3 10BaseT and 802.3u 100BaseTX standards.
Automatically negotiates 10Mbps or 100Mbps connection rate, depending on speed of the network.
32-bit CardBus Architecture brings the highest performance.
Complies to PC Card 1995 CardBus standards.
Provides full-duplex to enhance throughput.
Switchless design and software-configurable card setting..
3.3V low power consumption.
Compatible with all notebook PCs that comply with the PC Card standard.
Specifications:
Standards : IEEE 802.3 10BaseT and 802.3u 100BaseTX
Connectors : RJ45 x 1
Bus Width : 32-bit CardBus     CardBus Spec : PC Card 1995 CardBus standard
PC Interface : 68-pin connector   Media Coupler Interface : 15-pin flat connector
LED : 10/100Mbps, Activity     Power : 3.3V / 450mA Max.
Driver Support : ODI - Novell NetWare 3.x, 4.x , NDIS - Microsoft Windows 95/98, Windows NT 4.0
Temperature : 0 to 50°C (oper.)   Humidity : 10% to 90%
Certification : FCC Class A, CE Mark, C Tick
Packing Content: Datasheet, User's Manual (PDF)      $90+GST      10/06


M2821 Converter
      PCMCIA Cardbus to FireWire IEEE 1394 (Centos)   Click here


Kingston Memory

   Compatibility information: click here


PCMCIA Cards with Serial ports, Firewire ports IEEE 1394


Esis Pty Ltd - Australia - Ph 02 9481 7420  Fax 02 9481 7267  www.esis.com.au 
E-mail: click here       Go to Esis main page