Computer Monitor
PC cards back up laptop and transfer files
At a meeting in Hong Kong, I needed to transfer a Powerpoint presentation from my laptop to a different laptop being used for projection of the talks. I felt a moment of panic but was saved when one of the organizers pulled out a credit card sized device and plugged it into the PCMCIA slot on the side of my laptop. This appeared on my desktop in seconds as a 128 BM drive, and I was able to quickly and easily copy my presentation onto the card. He pulled the card out of my laptop, plugged it into the presentation laptop, and in less than a minute, my presentation was ready to go.
I was fascinated, and learned that the PC card (previously known as a PCMCIA card) is a credit card-size memory or input-output device that fits into a personal computer, usually a notebook or laptop computer. The PC card is based on standards published by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), an industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for both memory and input-output cards. The PCMCIA 2.1 standard was published in 1993. As a result, PC and MAC users can be assured of standard attachments for any peripheral device that follows the standard.
A PC card has a 68-PIN connector that connects into a slot in the PC. There are three sizes (or "types") of PC cards:
The Type I and II cards work in a Type III slot and a Type I card will work in a Type II slot.
The PCMCIA standard is most commonly applied to portable PC's, but it can also be used on desktop computers. I realized that a PC card would also be useful as a way of backing up data from my laptop, in particular, when I am far from home and do not have access to a CD burner. Physicians who work in several offices and carry data on their laptops might be well advised to copy this valuable material onto a PC card, in case the laptop is damaged or stolen.
I shopped the electronic stores of Hong Kong, and quickly realized that PCMCIA slots are found on almost all laptop computers these days. There are a variety of PC cards, which provide removable solid state or miniaturized hard disc storage solutions. There are also PC cards that perform a number of other input-output functions, including modem and ethernet cards.
Some cards for the PCMCIA slot on your laptop have built-in memory, typically 128 MB for about $65. Some cards have capacities of more than 1 GB (1,000 MB). Other PC cards act as connectors, allowing you to plug memory cards from digital cameras and other devices into your laptop. Because I use a Sony digital camera and already had several 128 MB memory sticks, I chose a $20 PC card, which allowed me to use my memory sticks. This reduced my cost, and as an added benefit, the card allowed me to quickly download a memory stick full of photos to my laptop, in addition to using a memory stick as a backup and file transfer device for the laptop.
My new PC card came in handy at a meeting in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago, when I was able to have an engineer at the meeting create some graphs for me. Then I used my PC card to take the images off his laptop and put them into my laptop, where I incorporated the fresh images into my Powerpoint presentation. I then transferred the finished product to a third laptop for delivery to the audience. This sort of fluid and effortless data exchange would have been unthinkable without the PC card and the ubiquitous PCMCIA slots.
The PC card now has a place of honor in my travel gear, backing up my work and making it easy for me to swap files with people I meet along the way. It's a small price to pay for a great deal of convenience and peace of mind.
[Sidebar]
DOCS VS. THE WEB
In response to the assertion that "It is easier to retrieve health information from the Internet than from my doctor," 64.5 million respondents said they:
[Author Affiliation]
KEVIN C. SMITH, M.D.
[Author Affiliation]
Kevin C. Smith, M.D., is a dermatologist in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He may be reached at ksmithderm@aol.com.
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