PC Card |
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PC card was introduced in 1991 by the PCMCIA association as the first memory card based on the flash memory technology. Due to the PC Card’s form factor, the biggest memory card in the market, makes its use on small portable devices almost impossible. Therefore it is employed mostly by laptop computers and for industrial use.
PC Cards can be found in three physical sizes and are called for Type I, II and III. All types have the same dimension in height and width but not in thickness. The Type I is 3.3 mm thick, the Type II is 5 mm thick and the Type III is 10.5 mm thick. The thinner cards can be used in a thicker slot, but a thicker card can not be used in a thinner slot.
The Type I PC Card is typically used as a memory card, the Type II PC Card is typically used as a memory card and for expansion modules such as data/fax modems etc. The Type III PC Card is used for devices whose components are thicker, such as hard disk drives.
The PC Card Type II is the most common used today, both as a memory card and for extension modules. The chassis of the Type II PC Card is today not that common used as a memory card, instead it is more common used as a memory card adaptor and for expansion modules or even called I/O devices. The PC Card is the only memory card adaptor that can host all the memory card standards in the industry. |
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Introduced |
1991 |
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Association |
PCMCIA |
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Dimensions in mm/inch (H x W x D) |
85.6 x 54.0 x 5.0 - 3.37 x 2.13 x 0.20 |
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Storage capacity
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Storage capacity in |
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Data transfer speed
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Read
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Up to 20 MB/sec – 133 X
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Write |
Up to 20 MB/sec – 133 X |
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Copyright protection |
No |
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Write protection switch |
No |
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Operating voltage |
3.3V and 5V |
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Remarks |
Type I, II & III |
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Employed by |
Laptop computers – Industrial use |
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Adapters |
No |
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Expansion modules – I/O |
Yes |
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Memory card durability |
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Memory card reliability |
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