2 Port TI 1394A Express Card Adapter for Laptop Notebook

ExpressCard is a hardware standard replacing PC cards (also known as PCMCIA cards), both developed by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA). The host device supports both PCI Express and USB 2.0 connectivity through the ExpressCard slot, and each card uses whichever the designer feels most appropriate to the task. The cards are hot-pluggable. This is an open standard by ITU-T definition which can be obtained from the ExpressCard website. However, a US$2,500 fee[1] is required to access the documentation for non-PCMCIA members.

The major benefit of ExpressCard technology over the previous PCMCIA CardBus PC card is a dramatic increase in bandwidth, afforded by the fact that the ExpressCard has a direct connection to the system bus over a PCI Express x1 lane and USB 2.0, whereas CardBus utilizes an interface controller that only interfaces with PCI. The ExpressCard has a maximum throughput of 2.5 Gbit/s through PCI Express and 480 Mbit/s through USB 2.0 dedicated for each slot, versus CardBus's shared 1.06 Gbit/s bandwidth. In addition, the ExpressCard standard uses lower voltages than the previous CardBus slots (1.5V and 3.3V versus 3.3V and 5.0V).

ExpressCard technology is the name of a new standard introduced by PCMCIA in spring 2003. The ExpressCard standard delivers thinner, faster and lighter modular expansion to desktop and notebook computer users. Consumers can add hardware capabilities such as memory, wired and wireless communications cards and security devices by simply inserting these modules into their systems. All ExpressCard slots accommodate modules designed to use either Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0, or the PCI Express standards. However, users of ExpressCard modules do not have to be familiar, or even aware of, the underlying technology being used by the module. The user experience is identical, whether the module uses PCI Express or USB 2.0.