PC Card
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
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The PCMCIA [PC Card] specification defines both the Electrical and
Physical specifications for a 68 pin interface residing in one of 3 form
factors, which differ only in thickness;
Type I: dimensions 3.3mm x 85.6mm x 54.0mm (TxLxW), Version 2.1
allows the length to increase 50mm to 135mm
Type II: dimensions 5.0mm x 85.6mm x 54.0mm (TxLxW), Version 2.1
allows the length to increase 50mm to 135mm
Type III: dimensions 10.5mm x 85.6mm x 54.0mm (Tall x Length x
Width)
In most cases cards designed to the PCMCIA specification are used on
laptop computers. The smaller size
of the PCMCIA card can be used to implement normal desktop expansion boards into a
smaller form factor which may be inserted into a notebook computer.
PCMCIA cards are commonly used as memory expansion [physical memory, or
hard disk drive], modem, or other uses. In some case PCMCIA slots are
also provided on desk top computers.
The implementation of this spec based on the ISA bus is termed the PC Card with a
8/16 bit data bus, 26 address lines, and no bus mastering. PC Card-16
cards use an 8-bit or 16-bit interface that operates at ISA bus speeds
(10 MHz) using an ISA-like asynchronous protocol. It's called CardBus when implementing the local PCI bus (32 data bits only). All of the PCMCIA
implementations use Plug and Play and have Hot Swapping capabilities. The
16-bit PCMCIA 'PC Card' will operate up to a maximum of 20MBps, or
160Mbps. However the actual throughput will depend on the minimum cycle
time and the transfer mode [Byte/Word] and will never reach the maximum
throughput rates.
Miniature Card is a smaller
implementation of PCMCIA. Miniature Cards dimensions 3.5mm x 33mm x 38mm
(Tall x Length x Width). The electrical specifications are a subset of
the PC Card standard, restricted to memory applications only. It uses a
16-bit data bus and a 24-bit address bus to allow a single card to store
up to 64MB.
The PCMCIA 'PC Card' standard [discussed on this page] should not be used
as an up-grade because it's based on the slower ISA bus standard. Use the Cardbus standard of
PCMCIA instead, which is based on the PCI bus specification. The PCI
implementation in Cardbus is much faster, and a newer bus standard. I've
heard that version 2 [1991] of the PCMCIA standard was not widely
followed or was not well defined. Version 2.1 [1993] addressed some of
the standards issues, but may still have issues with standardization. The
PCMCIA 'PC Card' bus is obsolete, and should not be used for new designs.
At a minimum use the PCI version of the bus discussed above. Removable
memory cards are produced in a number of different formats
The figure provides a comparison of different types of flash memory cards
and the PC Card format.
For additional information on other flash memory
board standards refer to the Personal Computer Buses page.
The PC Card specification was released in 1990, version 2.0 in 1991, version 2.1 in 1993, version 5.0 in 1995, version 8.0 released in 2001
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
No IC manufacturers are listed because this interface is out-dated.
The
PC Card standard has been replaced by the CardBus standard, and ExpressCard standard.
Use the link below to search for IC manufacturers.
IC Manufacturers {All other types}
The PC Card uses a 68 pin connector, with two rows of 34 pins, with 0.05
inch spacing [1.27mm]. Female pins are used on the card side, male pins
on the system end.
The power and ground pins are longer than the signal
lines, allowing them to make connect first.
Vendors;
AVX {PCMCIA PC Memory Card Connector, PCMCIA Frameless Kit}
Foxconn Electronics {PCMCIA Card End Connector, SMT Type, Pitch 1.27mm [.050"], 68 Pos.}
Molex Inc. {PCMCIA Connectors}
OUPIIN America Inc. {Through-Hole PCMCIA Socket, 34 contact per row, x2}
3M
The table provides the pin out for the 16-bit PC Card.
Pin # | Signal name | Pin # | Signal name | Pin # | Signal name | Pin # | Signal name | Pin # | Signal name |
1 | Ground | 15 | WE | 29 | A0 | 43 | VS1/RFSH | 57 | VS2/RFU |
2 | D3 | 16 | Ready | 30 | D0 | 44 | Reserved | 58 | Reset |
3 | D4 | 17 | Vcc | 31 | D1 | 45 | Reserved | 59 | Wait |
4 | D5 | 18 | Vpp1 | 32 | D2 | 46 | A17 | 60 | Reserved |
5 | D6 | 19 | A16 | 33 | Wp | 47 | A18 | 61 | Reg |
6 | D7 | 20 | A15 | 34 | GND | 48 | A19 | 62 | BVD2 |
7 | CE1 | 21 | A12 | 35 | GND | 49 | A20 | 63 | BVD1 |
8 | A10 | 22 | A7 | 36 | CD1 | 50 | A21 | 64 | D8 |
9 | OE | 23 | A6 | 37 | D11 | 51 | Vcc | 65 | D9 |
10 | A11 | 24 | A5 | 38 | D12 | 52 | Vpp2 | 66 | D10 |
11 | A9 | 25 | A4 | 39 | D13 | 53 | A22 | 67 | CD2 |
12 | A8 | 26 | A3 | 40 | D14 | 54 | A23 | 68 | GND |
13 | A13 | 27 | A2 | 41 | D15 | 55 | A24 | -- | --- |
14 | A14 | 28 | A1 | 42 | CE2 | 56 | A25 | -- | --- |
PCMCIA Extender Cables;
PCMCIA Modules; PCMCIA Card Manufacturers
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