PCMCIA QUESTION~~~

[FIRSTJONTAR]

OK... They build the freaking T20(et al.) to be able to support two pcmcia cards.. yet most cards produced are bigger than just the flat part of the card, so they don't fit well (or at all.) Does anyone know of an "extension" adapter to be able to fit say.. a actual high end wireless card and a usb 2.0 port expansion card?

[rkawakami]

All current PCMCIA slots are of a standard size. With the T2x systems, there's two stacked on top of each other in order to provide room for Type III cards (i.e., "double height"). All wireless adapters and most USB and/or Firewire adapters will stick out from the side of the system somewhat but they should fit in the slot. If not, then there's something wrong with your system. The exceptions are the types of adapter cards which use a "dongle" (separate cable with a thin connector on one end for the PCMCIA card and the opposite end having the required USB or Firewire plug). Don't know if anybody makes an extension PCMCIA card; probably so for testing and/or diagnostic purposes. However, using something like that would not be recommended for everyday use since the card would be sticking way out from the laptop.

If it's a question of trying to use a wireless AND USB adapter at the same time, then yes, you're going to have problems since both will protrude. In that case, you would have to get a USB adapter which uses a dongle or convert your system to use an internal wireless (MiniPCI) card.

[gator]

There is a reason why most PCMCIA wireless cards don't fit flush: the antenna. If are looking for a flush fitting wireless card, look for 3com XJACK cards, these have a retractable antenna (which you can push in and keep things flush when you are not using the card).