What Is a PC Card Adapter?
A PC Card adapter is any device that provides functionality to a PC through a PC Card interface. PC Card adapters allow the use of technologies such as video adapters, audio adapters, USB adapters and storage devices. PC Card adapters must comply with specifications as to their shape and properties. PC Card adapters plug into the PC Card slots on desktop and mobile computers.
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PC Card Standards
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PC Card specifications are set by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, or PCMCIA, a non-profit trade association for modular peripherals. The specifications promote interoperability and include requirements for PC Card adapters, the PC Card slots built into computers and the types of firmware and software that PC Cards may use to enable communication between external devices and computers.
PC Card Adapters
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The PC Card standards allow for three types of PC Cards, all of which have the same length and width, but which vary in thickness. Type I PC Cards have a thickness of 3.3 mm. Type II PC Cards have a thickness of 5.5 mm. And Type III PC Cards have a thickness of 10.5 mm. Although any type of PC Card is theoretically suitable for any PC Card application, certain applications are more common among certain types. For example, manufacturers more often deliver memory storage applications, such as RAM and flash memory, in the Type I PC Card adapter format.
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PC Card Adapter Slots
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Personal computers that support PC Card adapters offer slots that meet PC Card standards. PC Card slots must offer a 68-pin connector and must support either 16-bit memory transfer, 32-bit memory transfer, or both. PC Card slots must be able to host either 3.3-volt or 5.0-volt PC Cards. So long as it supports one type of voltage, it need not also support the other.
PC Card Adapter Uses
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PC Card adapters enable a wide range of capabilities. PC Card adapters may enable security in the form of fingerprint readers, multimedia in the form of webcam connectors, and network connectivity in the form of Ethernet connections, Wi-Fi access, and wireless infrared connections. PC Card adapters also enable a range of newer technologies, such as GPS-enabled software and Bluetooth connections to keyboards and mice.
Related Technologies
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PCMCIA, in addition to setting PC Card standards, also publishes standards for related technologies, such as ExpressCard and Zoomed Video (ZV) port technologies.
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