Card reader in X32 Compact Flash slot?

[mojo-chan]

The Compact Flash slot on my X32 seems to be almost useless, since it's connected to the PCI bus and thus cannot accept Compact Flash memory cards. About the only thing I can think of putting in it is a GPS.

I noticed you can get Compact Flash SD card readers. Basically a Compact Flash card with a slot of an SD card. The descriptions of them are not that clear, so I'm not sure if they would work on the X32. Has anyone tried it?

[TheRedFox]

that seems odd. my X31's card reader is apparently an PCI one as well (according to thinkwiki), but it reads my 256mb CF card (from my mom's old camera) just fine. I use it to store documents.
if I were to install a non memory card into there, I think a GPS would be pretty cool. I don't know if a bluetooth card is possible, but that would be cool (my CDC is a dial-up modem). a wireless card would be cool, but the internal one works really well, so it wouldn't help.

[fasterbybike]

The Compact Flash slot on my X32 seems to be almost useless, since it's connected to the PCI bus and thus cannot accept Compact Flash memory cards

I use an 8GB CF card for back up with my X32 and there's no problems. What is the problem that you have (i.e. is you mobo faulty) ?

[sjthinkpader]

I tried a few CF-SD adapters and the one with 90 deg SD card slot is not compatible with many CF card slots. The type with SD/MMC/MS slots in parallel axis as the CF end works, but it sticks out a lot.

[TheRedFox]

I think maybe I'll also save up for a 4gb 133x Cf card or something, eventually.

[sjthinkpader]

... I think a GPS would be pretty cool. I don't know if a bluetooth card is possible, but that would be cool (my CDC is a dial-up modem). a wireless card would be cool, but the internal one works really well, so it wouldn't help.

There are many CF PHS modem cards in Japan. They are being replaced with WCDMA modem cards as DoCoMo and other carriers change over to 3G.

I have a Garmin GPS10 BT GPS puck and nRoute mapping software loaded on my X30. I am using a very small USB BT radio and it works fine with the XT BT stack. I haven't tried an internal BMDC BT card yet. This is the machine I used to test all the CF, HDD speeds.

[sjthinkpader]

I think maybe I'll also save up for a 4gb 133x Cf card or something, eventually.

???

133x 8GB CF cards are now $20. 233x 16GB are around $35.

[TheRedFox]

???

133x 8GB CF cards are now $20. 233x 16GB are around $35.

oh wow. not bad. RAM comes first, though. but maybe before saving for a hdd.

[mojo-chan]

that seems odd. my X31's card reader is apparently an PCI one as well (according to thinkwiki), but it reads my 256mb CF card (from my mom's old camera) just fine. I use it to store documents.

I just tried mine and it can see a 512MB flash card in Windows okay, but cannot boot it as far as I can tell. I have the latest BIOS...

I thought memory cards didn't work, because when I insert an IBM Microdrive it is not recognised.

If I could boot a CF card that would be supremely useful!

[mojo-chan]

I tried a few CF-SD adapters and the one with 90 deg SD card slot is not compatible with many CF card slots. The type with SD/MMC/MS slots in parallel axis as the CF end works, but it sticks out a lot.

Thanks, valuable info there.

[mojo-chan]

There are many CF PHS modem cards in Japan. They are being replaced with WCDMA modem cards as DoCoMo and other carriers change over to 3G.

I'll look into that, it could be very useful. Mine is a Japanese model anyway, but even when I'm in the UK it would be much nicer than the USB dongles you usually get for GPRS modems.

[mojo-chan]

I think maybe I'll also save up for a 4gb 133x Cf card or something, eventually.

Is the slot fast enough to support that? When I installed a flash card it was detected as an IDE/ATA mode CF card so should be reasonably quick, but other people have posted messages about <1MB/sec performance from other Thinkpad's CF slots.

[sjthinkpader]

...

I just tried mine and it can see a 512MB flash card in Windows okay, but cannot boot it as far as I can tell. I have the latest BIOS...

I thought memory cards didn't work, because when I insert an IBM Microdrive it is not recognised.

If I could boot a CF card that would be supremely useful!

CF card slot is basically a PC Card slot. Booting is not supported. You can use a IDE-CF card adapter to boot from CF in the HDD slot.

[mojo-chan]

CF card slot is basically a PC Card slot. Booting is not supported. You can use a IDE-CF card adapter to boot from CF in the HDD slot.

That's a shame. I guess I'll keep working on internal USB.

[TheRedFox]

Is the slot fast enough to support that? When I installed a flash card it was detected as an IDE/ATA mode CF card so should be reasonably quick, but other people have posted messages about <1MB/sec performance from other Thinkpad's CF slots.

you know, I don't really know. I didn't research it very thoroughly. perhaps I shall. my 256mb one is very slow, but it's also really old. doesn't list a speed.

[moronoxyd]

Is the slot fast enough to support that? When I installed a flash card it was detected as an IDE/ATA mode CF card so should be reasonably quick, but other people have posted messages about <1MB/sec performance from other Thinkpad's CF slots.

Actually, no.

The CF card slot is very slow.
When I put a 233x CF card into my X32 it only archived 1.5 MB/s.

[TheRedFox]

that's a shame I was hoping that I could use the CF slot for storage memory expansion.