What Is PCMCIA; What Is CardBus?
Problem: I often read the terms “PCMCIA”, “CardBus” and “PC Card”. What do they mean and what are the differences between them? Solution: What is the difference between “PC Card”, “CardBus”, and “PCMCIA”? PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) is a nonprofit trade association and standards body that promotes PC Card technology. In the past, cards were known as “PCMCIA Cards”, but the industry now refers to products based on the technology as “PC Cards” and refers to the association as PCMCIA. “CardBus” and “PC Card” are two alternative types of PCMCIA interfaces on laptops, desktops, and PDAs. PC Card is a 16-bit interface, while CardBus is a 32-bit interface. The CardBus 32-bit interface supports higher data rates. What are the capabilities of “PC Cards”? PC Cards are the mobile equivalent of the ‘old’ 16-bit ISA cards, often referred to as “PC Card-16”, “Legacy PC Card” or “R2 Card”. They offer the same performance and resources as the ISA host bus, which th
