Question 1: Can I plug PC Cards into my PowerBook on the fly?
Answer: Yes, individual cards can be plugged in at any time the PowerBook is powered on and they will be recognized. If, however, the actual PCMCIA Expansion Module is inserted or removed while the unit is powered on or in sleep mode, the unit will shut down.
Question 2: Will the Apple PCMCIA modem for the Newton work with PowerBook 500 PCMCIA Expansion Module, and other PowerBook models with PC card slots?
Answer: Yes, the Apple PCMCIA modem for the Newton will work with PCMCIA capable PowerBooks provided you are using a communications application that uses the CTB (Communications Toolbox). The vast majority of communications programs currently available are CTB compliant.
Question 3: Will Newton storage cards work with PCMCIA capable PowerBook computers?
Answer: No, Newton storage cards will not work with PowerBook computers. They use a different PCMCIA implementation and many are too wide to properly fit into a PowerBook.
Question 4: If I insert a DOS formatted drive card, will it be recognized by my PowerBook?
Answer: If PC Exchange 2.0.2 or later is installed, the drive will be mounted on the desktop and you'll have full access to its files. PC Exchange itself does not do anything with regard to file format. However, you may or may not have an application on your PowerBook which can do anything useful with the PC files.
Question 5: How do I initiate the ejection of a PC Card?
Answer: PC Cards should eject if the desktop icon is dragged to the Trash or if Put Away is selected from the Special menu.
Question 6: How are cards physically ejected from my PowerBook and how do I get them out if that method fails?
Answer: PC Cards are ejected by a mechanism triggered by a thin bi-metallic wire called NitiNol (Nickel Titanium alloy) which contracts when a voltage is applied to it. This contraction triggers the mechanism to eject the card. If you are having trouble ejecting a PC Card, a paperclip can be inserted into the small hole next to the PCMCIA slot to manually eject the card. Avoid manually pulling the card out of the computer - this could leave the mechanism set in the wrong position (see the next question).
Question 7: The card will not eject from my PowerBook even when I insert a paper clip. What now?
Answer: You can pull the card out yourself with a pair of needle nose pliers or sometimes with your fingers, if you have strong fingernails. Once the card is pulled out, try inserting the paper clip again to release the spring mechanism. If you hear the springs release, you can try inserting the card (or a different card) again. Of course, the issue may recur.
Inspect the card for any obvious physical damage, large scratches, or other irregularities. If the ejection issue recurs, especially with various cards, you should have your PCMCIA Expansion Module or PowerBook inspected by an Apple Authorized Service Provider or returned to Apple by calling 1-800-SOS-APPL.
Question 8: Can I start my PowerBook from a PC Card?
Answer: The PC Card slots are polled at startup, so if a card is inserted which contains the appropriate resources to start up the PowerBook and the startup control panel has the PCMCIA device selected, it will boot from the card.
Question 9: How much power does the PCMCIA Expansion Module draw?
Answer: Idle with no cards: .460 mA...less than 1 milliamp.
Operating with cards: Typical is 56mA plus inserted cards power draw. Maximum is 58mA plus inserted cards power draw.\\
The cards can vary from 150mA for modems to 600mA for rotating media. (New ExCA spec is trying to limit cards to 300mA.) Also, some cards have very high peak requirements (spinning up drive).
The PowerBook 500 series PDS connector is rated at 600mA continuous for the entire PDS module.
Question 10: What kind of power draw can I expect from PC cards in a PowerBook?
Answer: The following numbers are based on initial testing by Apple Computer. Some cards may vary from these numbers.
| Modems | ||
| Memory | ||
| Hard Disks | ||
| Ethernet |
Question 11: How do I protect the PDS connector on the PCMCIA Expansion Module when it is removed?
Answer: A small cover for the connector is included with the module. This cover should be in place any time the module is removed from the PowerBook.
Question 12: There are three types of PC Cards, how many of each type will PCMCIA-capable PowerBooks accept?
Answer: There are two card slots which can accept one each Type I or Type II, or a single Type III card in the bottom slot.
Question 13: Are there standards which assure that every PC Card is the same size?
Answer: The PCMCIA PC Card standard only defines a specification for the pin configuration and the height of the card. The most common variations are the width of the card and rounding of the corners. If you have problems with the fit of a PC Card, try using the bottom slot.
The specification defines all dimensions for a Type II except radius of corners. In reality, not all cards (but most) conform to the spec. Some modem Type II specs exceed the 5mm height. The 5mm is a maximum.
What is undefined for Type III cards is the top case minimum dimensions. The maximum is defined, so cards that conform to the maximum work with the connector. Variants of the spec (unusual shapes and divots) in the top case can cause issues.
Question 14: Which PC Cards can be used with the PCMCIA Expansion Module and with the PowerBook 5300/1400 computers?
Answer: With the PCMCIA Expansion Module for the PowerBook 500 series, you can use modem cards that conform to the PCMCIA 2.1 standard and flash cards and hard disk cards that conform to the ATA standard.
PCMCIA on other PowerBook models offer full Card and Socket Services support. This means that any 3rd party developer can modify their software drivers to make their cards available on the Macintosh. Card and Socket Services is part of the PCMCIA industry standard.
Other PCMCIA for PowerBook FAQ's can be found in the following article:
Article 31362: PCMCIA for PowerBook: Frequently Asked Questions (2 of 2)