upside down pcmcia

[jwehebrink]

Hi, I am new to this forum. Question - has anybody heard of upside down pcmcia cards? I have an older Dell Inspiron, which I am still quite happy with. This machine has two adjacent PCMCIA slots. The problem is that the standard PCMCIA "fat" cards (eg Ethernet, USB and Firewire ) all have the fat bit on the upper side. That means I can't actually insert two fat cards, one on top of the other. If could get my hands on an "upside down" of "right side" PCMCIA my problem would be solved.

Stupid question? Any solutions.

Many thanks in advance and Merry Christmas.

Jan

 

[Super_Nova]

Just how old is it? THe problem might be that it's too old to support 32-bit PC Cards and only supports 16-bit PCMCIA cards. Newer 32-bit PC Card slots allow for older 16-bit cards, but older 16-bit slots will not allow newer PC Cards.

 

[Cromewell]

Just how old is it? THe problem might be that it's too old to support 32-bit PC Cards and only supports 16-bit PCMCIA cards. Newer 32-bit PC Card slots allow for older 16-bit cards, but older 16-bit slots will not allow newer PC Cards.

nah, the problem is some pcmia cards are 2 slots wide at the external end and block off access to the slot above. I dont think they come in a flipped variety

 

[Super_Nova]

Oh i see what he's saying. yeah I think the only choice might be a docking station that might have some extra slots on it. If it has USB ports then maybe use the USB equivalent instead.

 

[jwehebrink]

Ok guys you are right. The machine is 99. But it does everything I need - including internet - wiseguy. I've upgraded to 360 MB memory, which suits my needs. I just didn't plan and bought a two slot wide Ethernet card... rather than one with a dongle. That means my top PCMCIA slot is taken and I can't get a USB/ Firewire card (double height) to go in the lower slot. Sounds like there isn't alot I can do - but buy a new PC, which for the low demands I have (Excel and Word) plus Inet is a bit of a waste..... C'est la vie as they say in Ole Europe. Thanks for the replies! Jan

 

[Praetor]

I dont think they come in a flipped variety

I concurr and have yet to come across such a card... would be quick little mechanical hack i think to separate the bulb part into a dongle-ish thing i would think