Re: Dumb question
Anthony J Stieber <anthony@csd4.csd.uwm.edu>
Errors-To: brian@grot.starconn.com
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 15:18 PST
Message-id: <9401212257.AA19747@csd4.csd.uwm.edu>
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From: Anthony J Stieber <anthony@csd4.csd.uwm.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <zoomer-list@grot.starconn.com>
Subject: Re: Dumb question
Status: OR
-> Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 12:20 PST
-> From: actionvrb2@aol.com
-> This is probably a dumb question, but being primarily a Mac person, I don't
It's not a dumb question, just a frequently asked question.
-> know much about PCMCIA cards. Do the RAM cards have any sort of battery
-> backup so that they retain their info when disconnected?
Yes, a lithium button cell plugs into the the short edge opposite the
pin sockets. Generally low power SRAM is used rather than PSRAM or
DRAM because of the lower power requirements.
See below for details.
Last revision 1994.01.18
Here are some specifications for PCMCIA that I've picked up in
magazines and some technical documents. They are not official, and may
very well be inaccurate (or even outright wrong). Feel free to send
corrections or additions. Use at your own risk. The latest version of
this file is available via anonymous ftp on the Internet as
csd4.csd.uwm.edu:/pub/Portables/pcmcia.specs
A list of PCMCIA card dealer is available via anonymous ftp on the
Internet as csd4.csd.uwm.edu:/pub/Portables/pcmcia.sources. In the
same directory archived newsgroup articles are in the file pcmcia.news,
PCMCIA card manufactuters are are in the file pcmcia.devices. These
files are also available via gopher from the same host using the path
"UWM Information/ Computing Services Division/ Csd4 Public FTP Archive/
Portables/".
The information here is not intended to replace official standards
documents and other information from the PCMCIA. To obtain a more
complete overview and to buy the complete specification please contact
the PCMCIA.
--
<-:(= Anthony Stieber anthony@csd4.csd.uwm.edu uwm!uwmcsd4!anthony
Contact information
-------------------
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
PCMCIA Administration
1030 East Duane Avenue, Suite G
Sunnyvale, CA 94086 USA
408-720-0107 voice
408-720-9416 fax
408-720-9388 BBS
AWUTKA@BCRVM1.VNET.IBM.COM Tony Wutka, 407-982-5206
bryan@cirrus.com Bryan Richter
Japan Electronic Industry Development (JEIDA)
Kikai Shinko Kaikan 313
3-5-8, Shibakoan, Minato-ku
Tokyo 105, Japan
81-03-433-1923 voice
81-03-433-6350 fax
Note that the full name of the standard is PCMCIA/JEIDA, as it is a
collaboration between the two organizations.
Sources of more unoffical information, use at your own risk
-----------------------------------------------------------
Usenet NetNews newsgroups: alt.periphs.pcmcia, comp.sys.palmtops
ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/laptops
PCMCIA Timeline
---------------
1989 August PCMCIA committee formed
1990 April initial release
1990 November PCMCIA Release 1.0
1991 September PCMCIA Release 2.0
1993 PCMCIA Release 2.01 (typographic error correction?)
1993 July PCMCIA Release 2.1
PCMCIA card Releases and Types
------------------------------
There are currently two distinct versions, release 1.0, and release 2.0.
There are several kinds of release 1.0 cards. Nearly all are memory of
some sort. Most are Type I, some are Type II:
SRAM
Ordinary low power static RAM packaged in a PCMCIA card. These
cards have an internal user replacable lithium battery to
provide power when power isn't available from the host
computer. There is a write protect/enable switch at the end
opposite the connector end. SRAM must always draw power to
maintain memory contents either from the host computer or from
the card's internal battery. The internal battery typically
lasts a year in normal use. As of this date the largest
generally available SRAM card is 4MB, 8MB supposdly exist.
Type I cards are the most common, Type II is rumored to exist.
flash
An entirely different kind of memory developed by Intel. It is
neither RAM, nor ROM. It most closely resembles EPROM except
that it can be erased electrically rather than with ultraviolet
light. Unlike EEPROM or EAROM, individual bytes in
flash memory cannot be erased. Instead the entire device or a few
large blocks (zones) can be erased. After erasure individual
bytes may be written. This limitation means special file
systems must be used or else the cards must be treated as
merely ROM. The file system may simply mark deleted blocks which
are later erased or may emulate a more convential device.
There are two different flash memory card technologies, Intel
and SunDisk. Intel uses a straight memory mapped interface,
SunDisk uses a block device interface that resembles IDE hard
disk drives (ATA). The two are mutually incompatible. Intel
cards are generally Type I, SunDisk cards are generally Type II.
Epson, Seagate, ACE Technologies, and several other companies
make or license the SunDisk technology flash memory cards.
There are two variants of SunDisk cards, 12 volt and 5 volt.
The 12 volt cards are for use in machines that can generate the
12 volts needed to erase and write and otherwise are flash
memory compatible. The 5 volt cards have special circuitry to
generate the needed 12 volts at the cost of less storage, lower
speed, higher overall cost. With appropriate drivers some
PCMCIA Release 1.0 machines can use 5 volt cards. Regardless
of voltage, flash memory draws more power when writing than
SRAM, but drains about the same as SRAM when reading. No power
is needed when flash memory is not being used, unlike SRAM. As
of this date the largest flash memory card is 40MB.
ROM
Various types of Read Only Memory. No battery or write
protect/enable switch is present or needed. Most typically
Type I. Data may be either a file system or a memory mappable
image.
OTP
One Time Programmable ROM, just another name for PROM. These
require relatively high voltages (12v) and special software.
Once programmed they behave just like any other kind of ROM.
"special"
These cards are proprietary non-standard devices that work with
proprietary device drivers in certain machines. These cards
came about before PCMCIA release 2.0 palmtops became generally
available. Some flash memory cards are in this category for
those machines that otherwise would be unable to make use of
them. The only known card of this type is the New Media
Palm Modem for the HP-95LX, Olivetti Quaderno, and Zeos Pocket PC.
PCMCIA release 2.0 devices range from modems to hard drives and can
potentially include any kind of device which can at least partially fit
in a PCMCIA slot. Some are Type I, most of these devices are Type II,
hard drives are Type III or thicker.
Devices released include:
modem, ethernet LAN, token ring LAN, radio LAN, radio alphanumeric
pager, hard drive, SCSI adapter, analog-digital in/out, audio
input/output, serial, parallel, GPS, VGA
Device in the works include:
packet radio modem, tape drive, cellular phone, battery, docking station
Physical Specifications
-----------------------
Both release 1.0 and 2.0 use the same physical card specifications.
Release 2.0 defines a standard way to interface block (eg, disk drive,
network adapter) and stream (eg. modem) devices.
There are a few different physical PCMCIA card sizes apart from
the electrical and software specification:
Type I Card 54mm x 85.6mm x 3.3mm
Type II Card 54mm x 85.6mm x 5mm
Type III Card 54mm x 85.6mm x 10.5mm
Certain Toshiba notebooks and other machines have a non-standard
oversized slot for which there are non-standard oversized cards. The
thickness ranges from 14.5mm to 16mm or more. These are sometimes
referred to incorrectly as Type IV. These thicker cards will probably
not become part of the PCMCIA standard.
The standard allows cards to be up to 135.6mm long and extend outside
the host. This accomodates bulky devices such as batteries, full size
connectors, removable media, tranceivers, or antennae needed by some
devices.
PCMCIA Pinouts
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: a previous version of this file had the wrong number of address lines
and other errors. Use at your own risk.
Excerpted from the PCMCIA Technical Briefing:
Pin numbering and keying. Note the lack of front "ear" on right side
for keying purposes. The host computer has pins, the cards themselves
have pin sockets.
Connector edge view:
34 Top 1
===+----------------------------------+
|OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO|
|OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO|
===+----------------------------------+====
68 Bottom 35
34 Top 1
===+----------------------------------+
|GODDDAAAAAAAAAAAPPooAAAAAoAoDDDDDG|
|GcoDDDooooooAAAAPPAAAAAAOOODDDDDcG|
===+----------------------------------+====
68 Bottom 35
A0-A25 address lines [64MB address space]
D0-D15 data lines [16 bit data path]
G ground
c card detect
P power
O other
The CD pins are shorter than the other pins so that the host can only
detect the card after it is fully seated.
The I/O column shows those pins that are different for I/O cards
as specified in PCMCIA Release 2.x.
Pin MEM I/O
-------------------------------------------
1 GND
2 D3
3 D4
4 D5
5 D6
6 D7
7 CE1 card enable
8 A10
9 OE output enable
10 A11
11 A9
12 A8
13 A13
14 A14
15 WE/PGM write enable/program?
16 RDY/BSY IREQ
17 Vcc device power
18 Vpp1 erase/write power
19 A16
20 A15
21 A12
22 A7
23 A6
24 A5
25 A4
26 A3
27 A2
28 A1
29 A0
30 D0
31 D1
32 D2
33 WP write protect IOIS16
34 GND
35 GND
36 CD1 card detect
37 D11
38 D12
39 D13
40 D14
41 D15
42 CE2
43 RFSH refresh?
44 RFU IORD
45 RFU IOWR
46 A17
47 A18
48 A19
49 A20
50 A21
51 Vcc
52 Vpp2
53 A22
54 A23
55 A24
56 A25
57 RFU RFU reserved for future use?
58 RESET
59 WAIT
60 RFU
61 REG
62 BVD2 battery voltage detect SPKR speaker?
63 BVD1 battery voltage detect STSCHG status change?
64 D8
65 D9
66 D10
67 CD2 card detect
68 GND
Software Specifications
-----------------------
Socket Services
host hardware dependant
Card Services
hardware independant
Card Information Structure (CIS)
attribute memory
--
<-:(= Anthony Stieber anthony@csd4.csd.uwm.edu uwm!uwmcsd4!anthony