T22 - Can I put an IBM a/b/g mini-pci in this?

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Bob Collins · #1 Post by **Bob Collins** » Sat May 29, 2004 9:18 am

I am currently using a PCMCIA wireless card in my T22, but would like to use a fully internalized wireless card if possible. The subject says it; can I put the a/b/g mini-pci card into the T22, or am I stuck with the Intel mini-pci for the RJ45 jack?

I assume there may be an issue with no antenna built into the chassis....and even weirdness with the RJ45 port but no device to run it...

#2 Post by **erik** » Sat May 29, 2004 9:45 am

the T22 won't recognize the a/b/g card. it may, however, recognize the modem+wifi card from the T23 -- but, i'm not sure.

there won't be any issues with unhooking the ethernet since the only difference between the ethernet- and non-ethernet models is in which mpci card is installed.

my father has a T22 issued from work and a T23 that i recently upgraded to internal wireless, so if i get time this weekend i will see if the T22 recognizes the T23's wifi-b card...

-erik

Bob Collins · #3 Post by **Bob Collins** » Sun May 30, 2004 8:29 am

Thanks for the info, I assumed as much.

I would certainly be interested to hear what your results are for the wifi b card. That would be a very nice alternative.

Thank you
B

JHEM · #4 Post by **JHEM** » Sun May 30, 2004 9:29 am

Hiya Bob,

Bob Collins wrote:I would certainly be interested to hear what your results are for the wifi b card. That would be a very nice alternative.

I sincerely doubt you could get this "upgrade" to work:

1) The mini-PCI adapter will only support TWO functions, not three. Therefore you'd have to give up the Ethernet function to get the WiFi/Modem card to work.

2) No T20, T21 or T22 was shipped from the factory with WiFi capability, so you're not going to find any antennae installed. Purchasing the WiFi antennae and leaving them in the lower unit will result in not getting as good reception as you probably presently enjoy with your PC card.

As I've mentioned before, I'm a devotee' of the 3COM X-Jack WiFi cards for use in early Thinkpads. They work very well, have an excellent range and when not in use the antenna retracts and doesn't protrude from the laptop like all other PC card WiFi NICs. Plus, housing the antenna has an additional benefit in that this turns the card off and lessens battery drain.

I'm using the 3COM a/b/g cards in my TransNote, 600X and T21, as well as the 3COM 11b card in several 770Zs and other 600s. I paid less than $20 for the 11b versions on eBay.

Regards,

James

#5 Post by **erik** » Sun May 30, 2004 10:01 am

Bob Collins wrote:I would certainly be interested to hear what your results are for the wifi b card. That would be a very nice alternative.

hey bob, the T22 didn't like the T23's wifi-b/modem card. the T23's architecture was changed to allow wifi compatability where the T22's architecture seems to have "pre-dated" the technology. sorry... i tried.

JHEM wrote:As I've mentioned before, I'm a devotee' of the 3COM X-Jack WiFi cards for use in early Thinkpads. They work very well, have an excellent range and when not in use the antenna retracts and doesn't protrude from the laptop like all other PC card WiFi NICs. Plus, housing the antenna has an additional benefit in that this turns the card off and lessens battery drain.

I'm using the 3COM a/b/g cards in my TransNote, 600X and T21, as well as the 3COM 11b card in several 770Zs and other 600s. I paid less than $20 for the 11b versions on eBay.

james, i have to agree with you on this one -- not that i've ever disagreed with you... lol

wifi standards inherently change, get faster, become obsolete, etc. it's much easier and typically less expensive (thanks to ebay, et al.) to upgrade a pccard than it is an internal mpci card.

-erik

Bob Collins · #6 Post by **Bob Collins** » Mon May 31, 2004 6:36 pm

Thanks to James and Erik for the great input. I had a feeling it might be an exercise in futility. I was hoping for perhaps an easy way to get the wireless and ditch the extension from the case. Oh well.

Erik thanks for giving the project a test run.

And James, thanks for a lead on a good wireless card that suites my design criteria a bit better than most other solutions.

JHEM · #7 Post by **JHEM** » Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:19 pm

Bob Collins wrote:And James, thanks for a lead on a good wireless card that suites my design criteria a bit better than most other solutions.

You're welcome Bob. I find that most engineers warm to the 3COM design for it's elegance.

BTW, I never did get that 600X motherboard working you sent me.

Regards,

James

Bob Collins · #8 Post by **Bob Collins** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 8:01 am

Yes, the 3Com is quite elegant and cool too!

I figured as much with the board. I guess it was time for it to give up the ghost. Of course in replacing the board, I had managed to break the speaker cable, so I had to disassemble again a few days later to put in a new cable.

Fun projects, sort of like working on my MG Midget. Yes, it is not an Uno, but to me it was both joy and albatross.

Cheers

JHEM · #9 Post by **JHEM** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 10:57 am

Bob Collins wrote:Fun projects, sort of like working on my MG Midget. Yes, it is not an Uno, but to me it was both joy and albatross.

Midget!! I always thought they were a cool looking little toy, sorta' like a "Hot Wheels" on steroids!

Of course, at 6'6" tall, I would have needed one for each foot.

Regards,

James

Bob Collins · #10 Post by **Bob Collins** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:43 am

"Of course, at 6'6" tall, I would have needed one for each foot."

Hahahahahaha.

Actually I gotta tell you. I worked with a guy who was 6'-6" and drove a Midget. He had removed the drivers seat from it's mounts and moved it back to fully against the rear axle housing and he had taken the slider rails off. The seat was actually directly bolted to the floor boards and was unadjustable.

It was a riot to see him unfold out of the car, especially when the top was up![/quote]

JHEM · #11 Post by **JHEM** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 12:29 pm

Removing the seat rails and bolting the seat to the floor was my concession to getting in and out of my diminuitive Steyr-Puch.

But for sheer laugh-a-minute thrills, you wanted to see me unfold out of my girlfriend's fixed top Lotus Europa! She had borrowed my Elan to get to work when the Europa wouldn't start and "didn't want to wake" me.

I had to literally sit on the sidewalk, stick my feet in and then skooch my butt into the seat. Driving was an adventure as my knees were somewhere around my ears, the steering wheel brushed my chin and my size 13 jumpboots had a tendency to mash all three pedals at the same time.

Extricating myself from the car was a reverse of the mounting, leavened by the fact that there was no sidewalk to hand so I had to sprawl full length on the parking lot asphalt. This was capped off by the fact that as I finally regained my feet and turned around I came nose to nose with the Commanding General of my Troop!

He looked at me, then at the tiny Europa, then back at me from spitshine to brushcut, then back to the Europa. He turned to me and offered the suggestion that perhaps I should put a bit more thought into my choice of personal vehicle. I tugged my forelock, muttered an abject "Yes sir, sorry sir" and slinked away.

A few days later I was sitting right seat in a Huey we were going to orbit in the local pattern for a check ride. We were told by the tower to hold departure for a VIP when lo and behold the CG hops aboard and wants to go along for a look at the field from the air. I turned in my seat and raised the sun visor on my helmet in order to ensure the General's headset was properly plugged in and found him staring intently at me. I greeted him and he replied with an ah yes, you're the large gentleman with the tiny car! I answered that indeed I was and had taken his suggesion to heart and was test driving this vehicle as a replacement.

Regards,

James

Bob Collins · #12 Post by **Bob Collins** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 2:00 pm

Most excellent story! Beats mine.

Size 13 jumpboots! Airborne, no? Iam not of such service, but the son of an 82nd Airborne MP! Basically grew up demanding (my Dad that is) that I not serve unless drafted or otherwise conscripted, so lo and behold, I became an Architect. And not the software kind everybody is calling themselves these days, but an honest-to-god building designing Architect.

No such great stories other than dropping a dowel with guide wings on one end and a wad of C4 on the other from the 4th floor of the Architeture building and onto the pavement below. Nice BANG!!!

Bagbklyn · #13 Post by **Bagbklyn** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 6:55 pm

I ordered the A/B/G mpci card from IBM should be arriving 6/24, right now I have an actiontec mpci 802.11b card in my T23 2647-n16. I know im taking a chance. I guess if it doesn't work I will have to fork up the shipping cost and return it. But do you guys think I have a chance of making it work? I know that the actiontec card was also my modem card so I would be losing my modem capability, but I can add that with a xircom pcmia card.

JHEM · #14 Post by **JHEM** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 8:09 pm

Should be an interesting experiment, keep us informed.

Regards,

James

T22 - Can I put an IBM a/b/g mini-pci in this?

T22 - Can I put an IBM a/b/g mini-pci in this?

T23 experiment

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