PCMCIA cards were developed to compete with JEIDA memory cards and later expanded to include modems, network cards, and hard drives. They were replaced by faster ExpressCard cards in 2003. PCMCIA cards were renamed PC cards and use an interface with two rows of 68 pins. All PC cards store a Card Information Structure (CIS) and later versions are called CardBus, which supports bus mastering and cannot be plugged into a 16-bit slot.
A Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) card is a type of interface card for portable computers. PCMCIA defined and developed the PCMCIA card to compete with Japan Electronic Industries Development Association (JEIDA) memory cards. These two standards merged in 1991 and the PCMCIA 2.0 standard is equivalent to the JEIDA 4.1 standard.
The development of a standard for laptop peripheral interface cards resulted in a variety of PCMCIA cards. The first PCMCIA card provided memory expansion, and these were soon followed by modems, network cards and hard drives using the PCMCIA standard. Notebook computers in the 1990s used a PCMCIA card, which was largely replaced by faster ExpressCard cards in 2003. Early digital cameras also used a PCMCIA card.
A PCMCIA card started to be called a PC card with version 2.0. This reflects the fact that the acronym “PCMCIA” is long and often difficult to remember. Additionally, the scope of the PCMCIA standard has expanded beyond its original use as a memory card. PCMCIA acquired the rights to the name “PC Card” from International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation.
PC Card devices use an interface consisting of two identical rows of 68 pins. They measure approximately 3.4 inches (85.6 mm) by 2.1 inches (54 mm), which is about the size of a credit card. A PC card might use 3.3 volts or 5 volts, and some devices can operate at both voltages. A 3.3 volt card has a key on the slot to prevent it from being inserted into a 5 volt slot.
All PC Card devices store a Card Information Structure (CIS), which describes how the data on the card is formatted and organized. The CIS contains specific information such as the manufacturer, model number, card type, power supply, and power management features. A damaged CIS is often the cause of an unrecognizable PC Card.
A device using PCMCIA 5.0 or later is specifically called CardBus, which became the standard interface for laptops in 1997. A CardBus device uses a 33 MegaHertz PCI bus and supports bus mastering, which means that a bus controller can communicate with other devices without going through the central processing unit (CPU).
A CardBus device is a 32-bit device, so it cannot be plugged into a 16-bit slot. Most laptops have slots that accept both 32-bit and 16-bit devices as of 2010. A CardBus device has a gold band on the card to distinguish it from older devices.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
