Wireless Networking Wanted, inexpensive, reliable PCMCIA platform

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Subject Author Date
Wanted, inexpensive, reliable PCMCIA platform jamessmalljr 04-14-06
Posted by on April 14, 2006, 8:02 am
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I have a 5220 Aircard (Verizon Wireless 1x, evdo access ) and have need
to share it with multiple machines (e.g. personal machine, plus work
VPN machine, they need to be separate).

I'm currently using an old laptop that's about to die. I'm looking
for a replacement. I had tried a PCI/PCMCIA converter card and put
that in my personal machine. However, about every 3 days or so, the
card would wiggle loose enough to cause a hard bus lock up on the
machine.


I'd consider a 'stompbox' (linksys style router with a pcmcia adapter
to share the 5220), but I haven't seen any for less than what I could
buy a barebones PC.

I could buy another laptop, but that'll run around $500-$600 for a
barebones model, and if I got a power laptop, I'd be spending more.

I could try a barebones PC with another PCI/PCMCIA card, but then I'm
stuck with uncertainty of stability of the PC to begin with, and with
the uncertainty if the PCI/PCMCIA card might just wiggle loose every
couple days from this new machine too.

Any other options I've missed? Or any different takes on the situation
that may help?


Posted by William P.N. Smith on April 14, 2006, 8:36 am
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jamessmalljr@gmail.com wrote:
>I had tried a PCI/PCMCIA converter card and put
>that in my personal machine. However, about every 3 days or so, the
>card would wiggle loose enough to cause a hard bus lock up on the
>machine.

I'm not understanding this, you put this in a desktop machine and it
wiggles loose? What's coming loose, the PCI or the PCMCIA card? Can
you solve this problem instead of buying another machine?

Posted by on April 14, 2006, 8:48 am
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The PCMCIA/PCI converter card slips loose from the motherboard about
every 3 days. It's loose enough that the machine locks up. No, the
problem can't be solved with the desktop in question. The PCMCIA card
wiggles loose, even though it's screwed in to the motherboard. If I
didn't screw it in, the back section would pop out. If I do screw it
in, three days later the front section visibly looks like it's in the
same position, but if you tap it with your figure, it shifts. Same
behavior occur even if different slots are used.

The Desktop PC is a stable platform, I'd prefer to not mess with it
futher, and find some other platform to host PCMCIA card instead.

The claim may be suggested to 'get another PCMCIA card that works'.
Ok, then please find me one that WILL work, not one that might work and
that I spend a week's worth of time trying to get it to work.


Posted by William P.N. Smith on April 14, 2006, 9:11 am
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jamessmalljr@gmail.com wrote:
>The PCMCIA/PCI converter card slips loose from the motherboard about
>every 3 days. It's loose enough that the machine locks up. No, the
>problem can't be solved with the desktop in question. The PCMCIA card
>wiggles loose, even though it's screwed in to the motherboard. If I
>didn't screw it in, the back section would pop out. If I do screw it
>in, three days later the front section visibly looks like it's in the
>same position, but if you tap it with your figure, it shifts. Same
>behavior occur even if different slots are used.

Ah, I've seen this before, there are a couple of different standards
(or interpretations of the standard?) for PCI cards, and not all cards
fit well in all machines.

Can you bend the bracket on the card so that it's not trying to pull
the card towards the back of the machine, which is what's apparently
pulling the card out of it's socket?

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