Compact Flash vs PCMCIA
Kevin Trimm
Slots and PCMCIA or Type II expansion slots. PDA manufacturers are
advertising for one or the other, or sometimes both, and it has left me a
little confused.
Kevin
Besides the obvious physical differences, CF cards have only 50 pins compared
to PCMCIA 68 pins. Most CF cards are actually ATA storage devices (as the form
factor was started by Sandisk), although a (very) few other options have popped
up. Because of the physical size, the storage capacity of CF cards cannot be
as high as that in the PCMCIA form -- CF cards are now available above 160MB,
while PCMCIA cards may contain more than twice that.
PCMCIA cards are available in many more functions -- modems, Ethernet adapters,
and various other non-storage devices. If connectivity is your thing, get a
full-sized PCMCIA slot so a modem or Ethernet adapter can be installed. If
storage is your goal (like reading from a digital camera or backing-up large
document files), then get the CF size.
In any case, an adapter is available so CF cards can be used in PCMCIA slots,
just like PCMCIA ATA cards.
Kevin
Virgil Smith
cards, and RS-232 adapters are cropping up. IOW CF is not limited to
storage, however, there are much fewer CF products than full PCCard
products, and they will likely be more expensive than PCCard products
due to the difficulties involved in fitting a useful device into the
tiny CF form-factor.
The other thing to watch is non-storage CF devices typically need
attachments at the end of the card <modem/network cables, RS-232
cables etc>, but many handheld devices that support CF don't provide a
slot at the end of the device, but rather a small opening that can be
sealed after the card is inserted <like an opening for a coin
battery>.
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