Technical Information

Original document is at: http://login.eunet.no/~sverream/pcmcia_technical_information.htm

Some links in this list are currently dead, especially links into SystemSoft and Databook. SystemSoft had a server crash and had to rebuild their web site from scratch. Databook is revamping their site. I have left the links alone, in the hope that they might reappear in the not so distant future....

Generic articles about the PC Card standard

• PCMCIA Overview provides an interesting, technical overview of the standard. It is not complete, but provides a good starting point for the technically oriented.

• PC Card FAQ from David Cary. The FAQ usually posted to the newsgroups.

• Extending Interactive TV: PCMCIA Design for the Set-Top Box

• Booting From Alternative Devices is a technical discussion on the technology and issues around booting from a PC Card.

• Compaq PCMCIA Memory Optimization Whitepaper Ever tried to tune the memory usage of a notebook with a full set of PCMCIA drivers loaded? If you have, you know what a daunting task it can be. This paper provides some invaluable insights in this art. One of the best technical publications ever published on PCMCIA! Downloadable in Microsoft Word format.

• Compaq PC Cards Solutions List Compaq has an extensive testing and certification program for PC Cards. Why purchase a card nobody has ever heard of before, when you can pick a card that is fully supported by both the card vendor and the notebook vendor? \

• Compaq Premier PC Card Configurations How to configure the most popular PC Cards on Compaq notebooks.

• Megahertz has a few articles on their Web site:
  • Multi-Function PC Card Technology White Paper
  • Cellular Technology Brief.
  • Operating System Compatibility from their Technical Support page.

• modems.com has a PCMCIA Fax/Modem page with information like
  • Overview
  • PC Card Software
  • Inserting PC Cards
  • Software Installation
  • Troubleshooting
  • FAQ's.

• Challenges in Multifunction PC Card Design - A White Paper from Motorola.

• Data Over Analog Cellular Systems Problems and Solutions - A White Paper from Motorola

• The Pocket Guide To Cellular Data Communications from Motorola

Card and Socket Services

• PCMCIA Software: More than Card and Socket Services is a discussion on Card and Socket Services and the importance of software to achieve compatibility.

• Intel Card Manager Software and Cross PC Card Compatibility

• PhoenixCard Manager from Phoenix Technologies. You'll find a few press releases, White Papers and "Tips from the Experts".

• CardWare from Award.

• SystemSoft PC Card Software. SystemSoft is a leading provider of PC Card software:
  • CardWizard™ for Microsoft Windows® 3.1x
  • CardWorks™ For Windows® 95
  • CardWizard™ for Windows NT® 4.0

Flash Technology

• Flash Technology is a technical overview of flash technology from SystemSoft.

• Flash Memory from Intel

• Installation Guide for Sandisk FlashDrive IDE

• SanDisk PCMCIA ATA FlashDisk User's Guide

Zoomed Video

• Zoomed Video Technology Overview from Databook. (Note! This link is currently dead)

• Zoomed Video: Mobile Multimedia Through PC Cards Systemsoft's White Paper on Zoomed Video.

• Enabling Complex Multimedia Applications on Mobile Platforms with Zoomed Video is another White Paper from SystemSoft on Zoomed Video.

CardBus

• CardBus Software Issues contains some info about the latest revision to the PC Card standard. White Paper from SystemSoft.

• CardBus Controllers and BIOS POST Requirements by Microsoft

• PCI-to-CardBus Controller from Texas Instruments.

• CardBus and Mobile Systems: Beyond 16-Bit I/O by Xircom

Host Bus Adapters

• Notebook Graphics and PCMCIA Chipset Survey is a list of notebooks and which graphics and PCMCIA chipset the notebooks use.

• PC Card Host Adapters from Cirrus Logic:
  • CL-PD6710/PD6720/PD6722: PC Card Host Adapters
  • CL-PD6729: PCI-to-PC Card Host Adapter
  • CL-PD6730: PCI-to-PC Card Host Adapter
  • CL-PD6832: CardBus Host Adapter, with support for Zoomed Video.

Windows 95 and Windows NT

• Improved PC Card Support in Windows 95 discusses how PC Cards work with Windows 95.

• Windows and the Plug and Play Framework Architecture Want to know the history and the technology behind Plug and Play? This is a good place to start!

• PC Card Standard and Windows 95: A Developer's Update from Microsoft.

• PC Card: Display Tuple Utility DTPL.EXE is a tool from Microsoft designed for interpreting the tuples on a PC Card.

• PC 97 Hardware Design Guide The PC 97 Hardware Design Guide presents information for engineers who build personal computers, expansion cards, and peripheral devices that will be used with the Microsoft® Windows® 95 and Windows NT® operating systems.

• Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Hardware Compatibility List

• Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 Hardware Compatibility List

• Windows 95 Hardware Compatibility List

• Advanced Parallel Technology (APT) and Windows 95 White Paper Read about Microcom's parallel modem interface and Windows 95. APT has been licensed by Microsoft and incorporated directly into Windows 95.

• Windows NT 4.0 for Mobile Computing from SystemSoft's Advantage Newsletter

OS/2

• OS/2 PCMCIA Support A discussion about the PCMCIA Support in OS/2 (yes, OS/2 is still alive!).

Other Operating Systems

• Linux PCMCIA Information Page

• Linux PCMCIA Programmer's Guide This document describes how to write kernel device drivers for the Linux PCMCIA Card Services interface. It also describes how to write user-mode utilities for communicating with Card Services.

Related Industry Standards and Specifications

• Plug and Play Specification from Intel, Compaq and Phoenix.

• Phoenix Plug and Play Solutions.

• Advanced Power Management Specification Version 1.2 from Intel and Microsoft. I have a HTML version of version 1.1 locally. They added some license stuff in the new 1.2 document, so they'll probably sue me if I copy it......

Technical Product Information

• U.S. Robotics PC Card Installation Page Lots of technical information, troubleshooting, specs, etc. Recommended!

• Synchrotech PC Compatible PCMCIA Card Reader Interface Drive Manual Information about Synchrotech's PC Card Reader for desktop PC's.

• Seagate PCMCIA Product Specifications contains specs for PC Card ATA drives from Seagate Technology.

• PCMCIA Modem Power Usage

• Electronic Packaging Analysis of Eight PCMCIA Cards

This page was last updated on 03 March, 1997