I've been trying to figure out whether to get the Dell SX270 desktop
and one of the last issues I have is that the boat has a weather
satellite receiver from Ocens that terminites in a PCMCIA card. The
Dell has no expansion slots but I did find a PCMCIA female to USB male
adapter: http://www1.dealtime.com/xPF-CMS_U_PCMCIA

Does anyone have experience pro or con or knowledge as to why this
might or might not work?

The Dell size is unbeatable but I want to be sure I can use it before
I buy.

Works fine. Tiger Direct has them....www.tigerdirect.com....about $39



On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 19:47:46 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:

I've been trying to figure out whether to get the Dell SX270 desktop
and one of the last issues I have is that the boat has a weather
satellite receiver from Ocens that terminites in a PCMCIA card. The
Dell has no expansion slots but I did find a PCMCIA female to USB male
adapter: http://www1.dealtime.com/xPF-CMS_U_PCMCIA

Does anyone have experience pro or con or knowledge as to why this
might or might not work?

The Dell size is unbeatable but I want to be sure I can use it before
I buy.


Larry W4CSC

3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million
gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air
conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right?

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:22:46 GMT, (Larry W4CSC) wrote:

Works fine. Tiger Direct has them....www.tigerdirect.com....about $39



Thanks Larry. I did notice after I sent the message that CMS
specifically disclaims any use other than for their automated backup
systems.

I guess for $39 I can try it on my laptop and if it works, spring for
the small computer.

Some PCMCIA-USB cards don't work fine in some laptops - don't know why
- and mfg can't seem to care for $20-$40. I have one now that
sometimes (about 1 in 8) hangs the boot - soln = pull out card and
power and battery and reboot - always works then. (Shrug of shoulders
and sigh ...) This one happens to be a USB2 card that I need.


On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:22:46 GMT, (Larry W4CSC) wrote:

Works fine. Tiger Direct has them....www.tigerdirect.com....about $39



On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 19:47:46 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:

I've been trying to figure out whether to get the Dell SX270 desktop
and one of the last issues I have is that the boat has a weather
satellite receiver from Ocens that terminites in a PCMCIA card. The
Dell has no expansion slots but I did find a PCMCIA female to USB male
adapter: http://www1.dealtime.com/xPF-CMS_U_PCMCIA

Does anyone have experience pro or con or knowledge as to why this
might or might not work?

The Dell size is unbeatable but I want to be sure I can use it before
I buy.


Larry W4CSC

3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million
gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air
conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right?

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:22:46 GMT, (Larry W4CSC) wrote:

Works fine. Tiger Direct has them....www.tigerdirect.com....about $39


Larry, thanks for the advice, but are you sure we're talking about the
same thing? Tiger direct doesn't have this or as near as I can tell
anything like it. Other stores have it in the $80-$100 range. This is
PCMCIA female to USB male. Tiger seems to only have the other way
around.

On Thu, 02 Oct 2003 18:30:38 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:22:46 GMT, (Larry W4CSC) wrote:

Works fine. Tiger Direct has them....www.tigerdirect.com....about $39


Larry, thanks for the advice, but are you sure we're talking about the
same thing? Tiger direct doesn't have this or as near as I can tell
anything like it. Other stores have it in the $80-$100 range. This is
PCMCIA female to USB male. Tiger seems to only have the other way
around.

Forgive me for replying to myself, but I just thought of how my
message could be misunderstood. Let me rephase:

I want to plug some radio equipnment that terminates with a male
pcmcia card into a computer that only has female USB sockets
available.

Sorry. I can't find them, either.....



On Thu, 02 Oct 2003 23:02:33 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:

On Thu, 02 Oct 2003 18:30:38 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:22:46 GMT, (Larry W4CSC) wrote:

Works fine. Tiger Direct has them....www.tigerdirect.com....about $39


Larry, thanks for the advice, but are you sure we're talking about the
same thing? Tiger direct doesn't have this or as near as I can tell
anything like it. Other stores have it in the $80-$100 range. This is
PCMCIA female to USB male. Tiger seems to only have the other way
around.

Forgive me for replying to myself, but I just thought of how my
message could be misunderstood. Let me rephase:

I want to plug some radio equipnment that terminates with a male
pcmcia card into a computer that only has female USB sockets
available.


Larry W4CSC

3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million
gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air
conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right?

Larry W4CSC wrote:

Sorry. I can't find them, either.....

On Thu, 02 Oct 2003 23:02:33 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:

On Thu, 02 Oct 2003 18:30:38 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:22:46 GMT, (Larry W4CSC) wrote:

Works fine. Tiger Direct has them....www.tigerdirect.com....about $39


Larry, thanks for the advice, but are you sure we're talking about the
same thing? Tiger direct doesn't have this or as near as I can tell
anything like it. Other stores have it in the $80-$100 range. This is
PCMCIA female to USB male. Tiger seems to only have the other way
around.

Forgive me for replying to myself, but I just thought of how my
message could be misunderstood. Let me rephase:

I want to plug some radio equipnment that terminates with a male
pcmcia card into a computer that only has female USB sockets
available.

Larry W4CSC

3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million
gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air
conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right?

PCMCIA is basically a PC ISA bus with a few extra signals to handle
configuration and card insertion/removal. (CARDBUS is something else as
it can switch into a PCI mode)

It seems rather unlikely that anyone has a general purpose product that
virtulises then serialises the PCMCIA bus over USB because performance
would SERIOUSLY SUCK.

I belive there are a few products that can access memory cards, but I dont
think they will talk to a more general purpose I/O card.

At this point, if the PC has a PCI slot, get a PCI PCMCIA controller card,
I was looking at one yesterday which had twin pcmcia sockets in a pod
connected to it that mounts in a 3.5" bay for about £70. Should be fully
compatible with all operating systems that support PCMCIA. OTOH, if the
pc is a laptop with no PCMCIA slots, you got no choice but change it.
(or if you've allready filled up its slots, juggle your priorities and see
if you can get a USB version of any of the other devices)

Sorry to rain on your parade, but thats how it is.
--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk [at]=@, [dash]=- &
[dot]=.
*Warning* SPAM TRAP set in header, Use email address in sig. if you must.
'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Uffa Fox designed, All varnished hot moulded
wooden racing dinghy circa. 1961

In article ,
Dick Locke wrote:

On Thu, 02 Oct 2003 18:30:38 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:22:46 GMT, (Larry W4CSC) wrote:

Works fine. Tiger Direct has them....www.tigerdirect.com....about $39


Larry, thanks for the advice, but are you sure we're talking about the
same thing? Tiger direct doesn't have this or as near as I can tell
anything like it. Other stores have it in the $80-$100 range. This is
PCMCIA female to USB male. Tiger seems to only have the other way
around.

Forgive me for replying to myself, but I just thought of how my
message could be misunderstood. Let me rephase:

I want to plug some radio equipnment that terminates with a male
pcmcia card into a computer that only has female USB sockets
available.

Looks to me like you need a PCMCIA/USB Card for you Radio Gear
and then connect the USB output of that card to your USB connector
on the Laptop. That caould be done.

Bruce in alaska
--
add a 2 before @

On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 17:24:37 GMT, Bruce in Alaska
wrote:

In article ,
Dick Locke wrote:

On Thu, 02 Oct 2003 18:30:38 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:22:46 GMT, (Larry W4CSC) wrote:

Works fine. Tiger Direct has them....www.tigerdirect.com....about $39


Larry, thanks for the advice, but are you sure we're talking about the
same thing? Tiger direct doesn't have this or as near as I can tell
anything like it. Other stores have it in the $80-$100 range. This is
PCMCIA female to USB male. Tiger seems to only have the other way
around.

Forgive me for replying to myself, but I just thought of how my
message could be misunderstood. Let me rephase:

I want to plug some radio equipnment that terminates with a male
pcmcia card into a computer that only has female USB sockets
available.

Looks to me like you need a PCMCIA/USB Card for you Radio Gear
and then connect the USB output of that card to your USB connector
on the Laptop. That caould be done.

Bruce in alaska


OCENS latest version is USB output. They will upgrade my unit for a
mere .995 boat buck. I don't want to do that....

Putting all my requirements together, I need a computer with

Serial port for GPS (I could use a serial-USB adapter but would rather
not)
PCMCIA socket which comes on either a full height or half height PCI
card.
40+ gig hard drive for charts and photo storage
USB printer port
At least one remote monitor, and possibly two.
CD burner for archiving photos
DVD player for watching prerecorded movies
A couple extra USB ports.
Not a whole lot of speed

Fit in a convenient space that is 5" wide, 17" high and about 13"
deep. The "deep" part seems to be the stumbling block. There needs to
be room for cabling out the back.


I may just go with a laptop, mounted somehow under the nav table. It
would be nice if the laptop had an exterior on switch so I don't have
to pull the laptop out to open it up and turn it on.

I keep hearing stories about the $400 used laptop but haven't found
those yet.