|
|
PCMCIA Hard Drives - guide
PCMCIA hard drives are something that many people are not familiar with, yet they present a very interesting option. PCMCIA hard drives fit right into the PC Card slot Type II on your laptop. This is the same slot that you would use for your Ethernet card or a Wireless NIC. It is the same slot that
is often called a PCMCIA Slot, a NIC Card Slot or a
CardBus Slot These drives full description often goes as 1.8" Type II PC Card hard drives.
What are PCMCIA and CardBus?PCMCIA is a 16-bit interface standard for all PC Card slots (type I, II and III). In 1995 the PCMCIA standard was updated to its 32-bit version called CardBus, and so now all PC Card slots on laptops are of the CardBus standard. Though, the drives that fit into these slots may be called PCMCIA drives or PC Card drives or CardBus drives. If your laptop was purchased prior to 1995 then you most likely still have a 16-bit PCMCIA interface, and its speed is twice less (3MB/sec) than the CardBus (6MB/sec). The CardBus drives are backward comparable and will work with the older PCMCIA slots. PCMCIA Slot TypesThere are three types: I, II and III. They all have the same width and depth but different height. Type II is most common on laptops today. This is the same slot that you use to fit your Ethernet 10/100 or Wireless Card to.
(A Type III slot can hold two type II cards.) AdvantagesThese credit card sized drives need no cables, are easily removable, and are great for backup. They provide portable storage and great mobility for laptop users. They can be conveniently used to transfer data between two laptops or a laptop and digital camera.
|
Tip-1Build your own home mobile system with a cheap laptop and a cheap laptop docking station Tip-2Enhance the cheapest laptop with USB port replicator Tip-3Upgrade your cheap laptop to wireless internet laptop Tip-4Build your own laptop gaming system with a cheap laptop and cheap computer speakers |
Really lightweight, they
let you carry all your important data in your pocket - to
get a better idea ... 5GB drive stores 350
high-resolution 5MB digital photos, holds 7 CDs or as
many as 3,472 floppy disks.
Many laptops have two Type II PC card
slots, so storage can be doubled by using two PCMCIA
drives. 
PCMCIA hard drives are true mechanical
drives