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Sirfishalot · Oct 31, 2003, 04:02 AM

How do folks use this slot? What can I do with it, why is it useful? Does each adapter have its own drivers and are there many that work on the Mac?

Thanks

ngrundy · Oct 31, 2003, 05:56 AM

I use it for external wireless network cards as I use my laptop to lineup dishes quite often on the community wifi network here.

///Milien · Oct 31, 2003, 09:52 AM

I use it for my SAN Disk Flash Card reader.

Freeflyer · Oct 31, 2003, 10:17 AM

I use an adapter to load images from the compact flash in my camera. Easier than lugging a media reader along.

J.

h00ligan · Oct 31, 2003, 10:58 AM

if you have an older pb, you could use it for 802.11g instead of the buit in airport. there is a hack to make the mac see it as a native card.. but specific cards must be used.. do a search on it.

flash reader

maybe a bletooth adaptor one day when apple gets off their booty

removable hard drive

scsi adaptor

that's what hits me off the top of my head.

gif32 · Oct 31, 2003, 06:37 PM

I would gladly trade the PCMICA slot on my 15" AL for some extra battery real estate. It seems like it would be so easy to do... they're right next to each other.

In this age of built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB, I can't really see the use for it.

iDaver · Oct 31, 2003, 07:26 PM

Originally posted by gif32:
In this age of built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB, I can't really see the use for it.

I use a xD picture card reader. With a fairly high resolution digital camera, photos download to the Mac much faster with the PC card reader than they do via USB. Maybe it's just a slight convenience but better in my opinion than digging out the cable to connect the camera to the Mac.

cdhostage · Oct 31, 2003, 07:52 PM

I too would prefer a larger battery, but I haven't used a PCMCIA card on a mac (except original Airport which is kinda different). On various PC laptops I've plugged in modems and ethernet cards and wireless cards with antenna things sticking out. All of these are included in Macs anyway. Also, I think there is less use for the large, dedicated, powered port when USB 2 and FW800 service those kinds of devices. I would love to have a double-size battery instead of a PCMCIA card slot.

I seriously considered getting a teeny HD to stick in the side of my Pismo. It's great - a square 2" on a side. Toshiba makes one

There are special devices which PCMCIA are good for, but I don't see a reason to not build them for FW.

forcelite · Oct 31, 2003, 07:56 PM

Wireless internet cards that get on cell phone phone towers is a good example. It is unrealistic for any computer company to internally put in say a sprint card, and leave att, cingular ect, out.

Also it is used for expanding in the future. You never know what will come out, hints why towers have pci slots, same thing to pcmcia slots.

Simon X · Oct 31, 2003, 07:57 PM

Originally posted by gif32:
In this age of built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB, I can't really see the use for it.

You sure do for video and only one FW port. (even if there were two like on the pre-TiBooks it still wouldn't help as they would be off a single bus)

Reason? DV cameras connected to a FW drive which is also used for capture create unusable DV captured footage. I can't capture to my Lacie FW drive by connecting it to the drive. Capturing to the internal drive whislt still connected to the FW drive is ok, but a pain to keep moving and will undoubtedly create drop frame issues when the slower internal drive becomes more fragmented. Therefore I'm going to have to buy a FW PCMCIA card to connect one of them to. Or buy a DV camera which doesn't reset the FW bus, which apparently is the problem. So thank heavens for the slot.

romeosc · Oct 31, 2003, 08:47 PM

I use it with a SD flash reader..... great to downlaoad pics & even to copy files to for a "sneaker net" data transfer.

slider · Nov 1, 2003, 02:01 AM

The next best thing

tooki · Nov 1, 2003, 02:46 PM

I, too, use it for a flash card reader for copying off digital camera images.

On my 15" AlBook, that works perfectly... on my Pismo, it kernel panics.

tooki

iDaver · Nov 1, 2003, 03:09 PM

Originally posted by tooki:
On my 15" AlBook, that works perfectly... on my Pismo, it kernel panics.

For what it's worth, I had the same problem with my TiBook until I figured out that ejecting the PC card before inserting the flash card, then inserting both together solved that problem under OS 10.2. The problem is gone with Panther. Hope this helps.

tooki · Nov 2, 2003, 12:48 PM

No, what happens on the Pismo is that when you insert the card (that is, the adapter card containing the CF card, not that it matters since CF -> PC Card adapters are completely passive), the machine locks up for a minimum of one minute, usually around 4 minutes. Usually, after that time, it would unfreeze and work, sometimes it would never unfreeze. Regardless, if you pull the card during the freeze, you get an instant kernel panic.

The same applies with the Pismo's media bay -- hot-plugging the DVD-ROM or zip drive causes the same problem.

That didn't start till 10.2.4 -- in earlier versions of OS X it all worked fine. I still haven't put Panther on the Pismo, maybe it fixed the problem. But certainly it seems that (at least on some hardware) 10.2.4 and up have trouble with hot-plugged ATA (which is what PC Card is, too).

tooki

iDaver · Nov 2, 2003, 01:05 PM

Bummer!

woodsman · Nov 2, 2003, 02:13 PM

My 15" Al PB is my "Digital Darkroom" for photography out of the studio. I use a Kodak 16 Megapixel back on a Hasselblad 555ELD camera.

I capture large image files onto IBM microdrives (1 GB) in the camera, and I use a PCMCIA card adapter to transfer the files from the IBM microdrives to the PB.

If the PB did NOT have a PCMCIA slot, I would NOT buy it. Transfering a GB of images by firewire or USB takes forever. The card slot adapter makes it very, very fast.

If PowerBooks are to continue to be a major player in the world of professional photography, the PCMCIA card slot is a MUST HAVE feature.

forcelite · Nov 2, 2003, 02:29 PM

you really think that Firewire 800 is slow when transferring 1 gig files?

I have used firewire 800 Hd's and 1 gig takes no time (3 mins or so) I dont know if you consider that slow, maybe it is for some

tooki · Nov 2, 2003, 02:33 PM

FireWire and USB 2 card readers are just as fast as PC Card. (In fact, they're both faster, but since in this case the memory card is the bottleneck, it's a moot point.)

tooki

bmhome1 · Nov 2, 2003, 03:28 PM

Delkin has imported a CardBus PCMCIA CF adaptor that rivals or exceeds firewire transfer speeds. It needs a driver for OSX that they promise early 2004. PC laptop reports are very encouraging for throughput.

Just installed Panther on my Pismo, and to my amazement, inserting an expansion bay hard drive or a CD-R/DVD module no longer freezes everything, but acts just the way it did pre-10.2.4. Yay!

Have heard PCMCIA desktop freezes are cured also. Afraid to check out PCMCIA, it can't be true, too.

woodsman · 07:28 PM

The PCMCIA card adapter is much faster than using USB or firewire (400) to download images FROM THE CAMERA. I don't want to carry around a bulky, external card reader to download from the IBM 1 GB microdrives. The car reader I use in the studio is a USB, and I would not want to have to use it for work away from the studio.

The PCMCIA slot is essential for PowerBooks.

dgbatchelor · Nov 3, 2003, 03:41 PM

At this point, I use the PCMCIA slot on my 17" PB for transferring digital camera images from a 2GB Compact Flash...

I wouldn't want to live without it.

The crash problems from TiBook days seem to be solved on the new 17" PB with Panther...

-- dgbatchelor --

aapljack · Nov 3, 2003, 03:53 PM

Since there is a large number of you using the slot for card readers, I would like to know which card readers work best? I would love to get a compact flash reader for my PB PC card slot.

-b

bmhome1 · Nov 3, 2003, 07:11 PM

PCMCIA>CF adaptors are just hard-wired pin adaptors without circuitry. Buy the cheapest, they are all the same. $5.00 on net, $15.00 at CompUSA.

xylon · Nov 3, 2003, 11:15 PM

Originally posted by woodsman:
I use a Kodak 16 Megapixel back on a Hasselblad 555ELD camera.

Drooooool. Doesn't that camera list for $12k? And does it shoot in medium format equivalent?

I have, to date, never used the PCMIA slot on my 17". But as some posters have pointed out, I may have some use for it in the future. Also, I hope to get a DSLR so a Flash Card reader will probably be occupying that slot.

Originally posted by aapljack:
Since there is a large number of you using the slot for card readers, I would like to know which card readers work best? I would love to get a compact flash reader for my PB PC card slot.

I'm also interested in this for my nonexistant (hopefully that will soon be rectified) camera.

iDaver · Nov 4, 2003, 12:43 AM

I use the Olympus xD Picture Card reader which also reads Smart Media Cards. I leave it in the slot all the time. It cost about $45. I don't know if there are other options out there for xD Cards.

forcelite · Nov 4, 2003, 03:17 AM

Ya I have to agree that USB is pretty slow.

Firewire 400 is faster but I can see your need for the card reader speed, since its crucial for you camera.

woodsman · Nov 4, 2003, 03:23 PM

>I use a Kodak 16 Megapixel back on a Hasselblad 555ELD camera.

> Drooooool. Doesn't that camera list for $12k? And does it shoot in medium format equivalent?

Yes, it is pricey. BUT, it replaced a whole ton of 4X5 cameras, lens boards, film holders, dark cloths, and related stuff. I can print 30X40 inch prints on an Epson 9600 from the Hasselblad/Kodak files that are stunning in resolution and color saturation. I've gotten rid of all my film cameras, and my enlargers, sinks and processors. The digital age really is here. Plus I get to use all of my existing Hassy lenses and accessories.

The Kodak DCS 16 megapixel files are huge, and that's why I use the PCMCIA card adapter to transfer them to the new PowerBook. The IBM 1GB microdrives can be purchased with an adapter that just plugs them into the slot. No wires, no bulky "readers". So, keep the slot!

slffl · Nov 4, 2003, 08:09 PM

Like myself, it seems most people use it for memory card adaptors. I would rather have the card readers built in and no PC card slot, but that's just me.

romeosc · Nov 4, 2003, 08:58 PM

Originally posted by slffl:
Like myself, it seems most people use it for memory card adaptors. I would rather have the card readers built in and no PC card slot, but that's just me.

Unfortunately it would have to be a 6 in 1 since every one has different flash memory and who knows what will come out as the new standard next year!

iDaver · Nov 4, 2003, 09:01 PM

Originally posted by slffl:
Like myself, it seems most people use it for memory card adaptors. I would rather have the card readers built in and no PC card slot, but that's just me.

There are too many different kinds of cards, micro-drives, etc.

todrain · Nov 4, 2003, 09:24 PM

Originally posted by ///Milien:
I use it for my SAN Disk Flash Card reader.

Ditto

riverfreak · Nov 26, 2003, 01:42 PM

What about PCMCIA GPS modules? I remember reading about several - and now that there are actually maps being released for the Mac again, these would be really cool.

I think I'll start a new thread on this...

MickS · Nov 27, 2003, 08:08 AM

As with many other people here I use the PC Card slot for transferring stuff too and from memory cards of one sort or another (Compact Flash, Memory Stick Duo).

I use these both as a floppy disk substitute and to transfer images from a 6 megapixel digital camera. The PC Card solution is much more convienent and portable than any other reader. They are also very cheap.

fraeone · Nov 27, 2003, 02:41 PM

I toast pop tarts in mine.

Timo · Nov 27, 2003, 03:02 PM

Originally posted by tooki:
On my 15" AlBook, that works perfectly... on my Pismo, it kernel panics.

Not seeing KPs doing this on my Pismo with 10.3.1. hmmm....