The A+ Exams Guide: (Exam 220-301), (Exam 220-302) (TestTakers Guides)

This section is designed to get you up to speed with the most popular laptop computer expansion card technologies. The two major expansion card technologies for laptop systems that are targeted by CompTIA 2003 Objectives are PCMCIA (PC Cards), which is a 16-bit expansion card technology, and mini-PCI, which is a 32-bit bus technology.

In the early 1990s, the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard was developed for laptop computer expansion cards. It was and still is a 16-bit standard offered in the form of three various card types that all use the same type of 68-pin connector. The major differences between the three card types are in their sizes and functions. The three types of PC cards that you need to be familiar with for the exam are as follows:

• Type I is used for memory and is 3.3mm thick.

• Type II is used for network interface cards or modems and is 5mm thick.

• Type III is 10.5mm thick and is used for hard drives.

Mini-PCI

The need for faster connection speeds and overall throughput spawned the need for a faster, wider bus that would support newer technologies, such as wireless and bandwidth-hungry media adapters. Thus, the mini-PCI form factor was born. Inspired by the PCI Special Interest Group (SIG), the mini-PCI is a 32-bit, 33Mhz technology that is based on the PCI form factor, which is found in most modern-day desktop systems. Keep in mind that the mini-PCI cards are internal cards, or ‘modules,' that are typically installed by the laptop/system manufacturer. Mini-PCI comes in three different form factors. The main differences in these form factors are the way in which they connect to the system board and other I/O connectors. The three types of mini-PCI form factors are:

• Type I. This card form factor connects via a twisted-pair cable to the phone (RJ11) or network (RJ45) connectors inside a laptop or system. It connects to the system board with a 100-pin stacking connector. This card can be positioned away from the edge of the system board or docking station chassis because the RJ45 or RJ11 jacks do not reside on the card.

• Type II. Based on their design, Type II cards must be located at the edge of the system board or docking station chassis in order to connect the cards' built-in RJ11 and/or RJ45 I/O connectors directly to the mounted external RJ11 and RJ45 ports. Like the Type I mini-PCI form factor, Type II connects to the system board with a 100-pin stacking connector.

• Type III. These have the flexibility of connection to external I/O (RJ11 and RJ45) ports via the same cable connection type as is used with a Type I card. Type III differs from Type I and Type II mini-PCI cards in the way they connect to the system board. Type III uses a 124-pin card-edge connector that is similar to the connector used by Small-Outline, Dual In-Line Memory Modules (SODIMMs) to connect to the system board. Type III mini-PCI cards have a lower profile, which allows manufactures to create smaller laptops.