CHEAP USB HOST + PCMCIA CARDS!

[omega]

Hi everyone, i just came across a post that you can get a CF to PCMCIA convertor as it just a wiring adaptor.

http://www.zaurususergroup.com/index.php?n...c&p=20966#20966

I checked this out and it seems that the thing is that these adaptors are very cheap indeed - $20!
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/insidecomputer...fltopcadco.html

Now, insert a usb pcmcia host card and you can then plug whatever you like into your Zaurus. Much cheaper than a ratoc card. If you buy a cheap powered usb hub then you can plug in an external usb harddrive etc.

The thing is, i\'m only getting my c860 in the next few days, and it will take a while to get back up to speed with Linux. But guru\'s hear me, how hard is it to bring over standard linux drivers in the cacko 1.21 ROM? I.E. the USB PCMCIA controller, and PCMCIA network cards? I don\'t see power being the problem, only the software.

[omega]

Does anyone know what the voltage is of the CF slot on the Zaurus?

[coolass]

You can use a 3.3v or a 5 v card draw

[omega]

It seems you can buy a lot of different pcmcia usb NEC controllers, that have already got an external power socket on them.  What about a Compact Flash extension lead, or even a pcmcia extension lead? I\'d like to have a flexible connection to the zaurus, and not a static block sticking out of the side of it.

[omega]

The SMC pcmcia card, apparently is the same model as the supported CF card. So they should work transparently?  I hope people will help me out here with their opinions, as it opens a lot of cheap and perhaps readily available accessories to the Zaurus...

[omega]

Does anyone know the current rating on the Zaurus CF port?

[DrWowe]

Be careful when using this adapter, that your card is PCMCIA, and not Cardbus.  Cardbus cards won\'t work with the adapter, even though they look the same.

[lardman]

Any ideas where to get one of these in the UK (or Europe if that\'s too much)?

 I\'ve googled for \"PCMCIA to Compact Flash adaptor\" and \"Compact Flash to PCMCIA adaptor\" and all I get is a PCMCIA card which you can slot a CF card into. Why can\'t they standardise the nomenclature!!

Cheers,


Si

[omega]

how hard is it going to be to find an old pcmcia ISA USB host?

[arniel]

I couldn\'t find any european supplier that wanted less than 40 Euros, best bet is to have a look on eBay.
The power output from the adapter is 3.3v only.
I tried 3 cards:
. A very old Psion Gold Card modem.  No card insertion noticed.
. An Intel Fast Ethernet card.  The card appeared to insert correctly, but the actrivity light on the dongle did not light up.  Maybe a driver needs configuring first?
. An Apricorn EZ GIG IDE adapter card.  This appears to work, but the 3.3v was not enough to fire up an old 2Gb IBM hard drive.  However, a 1Gb Toshiba drive worked correctly (I\'ve only copied a 40Mb file to it so far).

From this, it seems that cards that need to power some external interface might not work, but the cards themselves can talk to the Z.

[omega]

Arniel, are you saying you\'ve tried using the PCMCIA cards with the Z? That\'s great. It seems that there is no 16-bit USB PCMCIA host cards as they are roughly equivalent to ISA, and Cardbus can use the same chipsets as the PCI USB hosts so that\'s why they are so widely available. Does anyone know definitely that CARDbus will not work with the Z? There are many Cardbus USB 2.0 cards out there that have external power socket that we could plug into a USB battery box and run any USB stuff we need. So close, but so far...

[omega]

I also came across a usb host, current version only controls printers but next version will be usb 2.0 and control many different devices. It can be accessed over WIFI which looks very interesting. But back to this avenue, is it pretty much exchausted apart from using pcmcia network cards (16-bit) and certain PCMCIA harddrives.   Arniel is theat Apricorn a PCMCIA interfaced HDD enclosure?

[DrWowe]

If your main purpose is to get a USB host, then your best bet is either

1) Forget about the PCMCIA adapter, and get a CF USB host card.  Web search for \"compactflash usb host\" and you\'ll find some options.  There\'s at least one that I know of made by Cypress Semiconductor.  It\'s advertised as a USB host for PocketPC.

2) Upgrade to an SL-6000.  The USB host is built in.

[omega]

I thought the SL-6000 had a limited USB host?

[lardman]

I couldn\'t find any european supplier that wanted less than 40 Euros

That\'s not too bad, I could live with that, but it does depend on what I could run. Could you point me in the right direction please?

I assume there will be driver issues (just as there are for non-standard CF devices), but for little money I could attach to a wired ethernet and use a modem which otherwise (as CF) cost a fair bit (in the UK at least).

I\'m a little concerened about this cardbus thing though. I\'ll have to do some digging (I\'ve never had to deal with PCMCIA/PCCARD/CARDBUS stuff before) to see whether there\'s enough stuff still available which could work with the PCMCIA adaptor.


Simon