Appendix A Page A-1
1994-2000 Sycard Technology M200055-00
Appendix A - Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What kind of CompactFlash (CF) to PC Card adapters does Sycard manufacture?
A1: Sycard produces three types of CF-to-PC Card adapters:
•CF extend 165 - CompactFlash-to-PC Card adapter development board.
•CF extend 166 - CompactFlash-to-3.3V PC Card flexible adapter
•CF extend 167 - CompactFlash-to-5.0V PC Card flexible adapter
Q2: What are the differences between the CF extend 165 and the CF extend 166/167?
A2: The CF extend 165 is a development board used to determine if a 68-pin PC Card will operate in a
CompactFlash™ socket. The CF extend 165 has test points, current measurement jumpers and LEDs to help
determine if a PC Card is compatible with the CompactFlash™ interface. A person with sufficient hardware
and software knowledge of the PC Card/CompactFlash™ interface should make these decisions. Once the
determination that the PC Card/CompactFlash™ host combination is compatible, the end user may use the
CF extend 166 or 167 adapters. The CF extend 166/167 models do not have exposed test points or any other
features for debug or test.
Q3: What is the difference between the CF extend 166 and 167?
A3: The CF extend 167 is designed for 5V keyed PC Cards and the CF extend 166 is designed for 3.3V
keyed PC Cards.
Q4:
If
I
plug
a
<any
PC
Card>
into
the
CF
extend
165/166/167
will
it
work
in
my
CompactFlash™
slot
on
my
<any CompactFlash™ host computer/device>?
A4: This is the most common question we receive about the CF extend CF-to-PC Card adapters. Although the
adapters will allow any 16-bit PC Card to be adapted to a CompactFlash™ slot, many situations may prevent the
card from working including:
•Power consumption of the PC Card is too high for the CompactFlash slot
•CompactFlash™ host does not have software support for the PC Card
•PC Card may need Vpp voltage that the CompactFlash™ interface does not support
•PC Card may require more address lines than the CompactFlash™ interface supports
•CompactFlash™ host may not support PC Card I/O devices
•PC Card may operate at TTL logic levels that the CompactFlash™host may not accept
•CompactFlash™ host may only support Vcc at 3.3V
The CF extend 165 is intended as a development tool for technically competent personnel. Users should have a
good technical understanding of the CompactFlash™ and PC Card interfaces. If you don't know the difference
between CMOS and TTL logic levels or what a tuple is then you should seek out a person that does. Once it has
been determined if a particular PC Card is compatible and has tested it with the CFextend 165, the CFextend 166
or 167 can be specified for use by end users.
Q5: What kind of problems can I expect when I use the CF extend 165/166/167 CF-to-PC Card adapters?
A5: The most common problem would be software support. Most PC cards were designed to operate in x86
Wintel based computers (Intel/Microsoft). In most cases, drivers are only supplied for this class of machine.
Other common problems are listed in the previous answer.
Q6: I need more storage capacity on my digital camera. Can I use the CF extend 166/167 to adapt a PC Card
flash disk to work in my CompactFlash™ based camera?
A6: See the answer to question 4.
