Thinkpads Forum

Drats.... I didn't select the correct express card option.

I have what appears to be an empty bank in the front left side of my t61...I guess that's where it goes.

OK, is there a good after market media card reader I can slip in that slot?

Thanks

what media format(s) do you need to read?   do you have the expresscard + pccard bus or the pccard + smartcard bus?

there are tons of options here once we know more about what you have and what you need.

This is what is on my order form:
42X0805 VBB PC CARDSLOT EX CARDSLOT

I'd like to be able to read SD cards... well, most of the typical cards found in cameras... even the Sony format if possible

Thanks... I don't know what i was thinking when I didn't order the thing, hopefully I didn't make an unnecessarily expensive mistake.

you ordered the correct card bay option.   now you just need to pick a card adapter format; expresscard/54, expresscard/34, or cardbus.   expresscard is more future-proof so i'd go with a 54 or 34 card.

many companies make #-in-1 adapters which can read SD, SDHC, memory stick, XD, etc.   search newegg for "expresscard reader" and you'll see what i mean.

I second the recommendation for ExpressCard.

See this page for some of your options in ExpressCard adapters. Memory card makers like SanDisk and Lexar also sells them.

In my experience, PCCard adapters are hit or miss. A CardBus adapter will work just as fast as ExpressCard, but they are hard to find. You can identify them by the row of bumps near the connector edge. The regular PCCard adapters work in PIO mode, tops out around 1-2 MB/s and slows the computer down during copying.

and it works like a charm (I bought it at Newegg).

Done. Thanks... I ordered Cy's suggested card.

This forum has been the bomb!

Taking into account the speed of an SD card, which solution is faster for adapting SD, an express adapter, or a USB adapter? Is the USB adapter as fast as you are going to get anyway considering the card's speed?

2 Bricks Short wrote:Taking into account the speed of an SD card, which solution is faster for adapting SD, an express adapter, or a USB adapter? Is the USB adapter as fast as you are going to get anyway considering the card's speed?

Keep in mind that the ExpressCard bus actually uses a USB connection besides the PCI-E bus. So most all ExpressCard SD card readers will be functioning as USB devices unless otherwise noted.

That said, a USB reader can make more sense than an ExpressCard reader granted that the one also needs to read memory cards with one's other laptops and desktops--which may not even have an ExpressCard slot at all and if they have a built-in SD card reader, said reader may not be compatible with higher capacity SD and SDHC cards.

meekus wrote:

2 Bricks Short wrote:Taking into account the speed of an SD card, which solution is faster for adapting SD, an express adapter, or a USB adapter? Is the USB adapter as fast as you are going to get anyway considering the card's speed?

Keep in mind that the ExpressCard bus actually uses a USB connection besides the PCI-E bus. So most all ExpressCard SD card readers will be functioning as USB devices unless otherwise noted.

That said, a USB reader can make more sense than an ExpressCard reader granted that the one also needs to read memory cards with one's other laptops and desktops--which may not even have an ExpressCard slot at all and if they have a built-in SD card reader, said reader may not be compatible with higher capacity SD and SDHC cards.

Sounds like for just reading SD cards the little Sandisk USB reader may be the way to go.

Does the expresscard reader fits completely inside the slot or does it pops out of the laptop like some USB PCMCIA Cards?

I have a buffalo 1394 PCMCIA Card which fits nicely inside PCMCIA Slot & doesn't POP Out. (http://buffalo.jp/products/catalog/item ... index.html)

I am planning to buy Sandisk expresscard reader. http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Item(24 ... apter.aspx

Thanks
Sandy