CompactFlash in ExpressCard Slot

I have a dv5000t HP notebook that has a Type I/II ExpressCard reader. if I purchase a CompactFlash drive (Type II), can I insert it directly into the slot? Would it be recognised or would i need some sort of adapter?

 

You will need a CF to EC adapter. There is a very good ExpressCard article on the site. The article even has a CF to EC link.

Hermit

 

Short answer: You need an adapter.

Long answer: If I'm not mistaken, there are three distinct technologies here:

CompactFlash Type I/II is a kind of memory card. Though electrically identical to PCMCIA cards, they are a different size and you need a (cheap) adapter to use one in a PC Card slot.

CardBus/PC Card/PCMCIA Type I/II/III are is a slot that's mainly used in notebooks. You can find CF -> PC Card adapters easily.

ExpressCard 34/54 (not Type I/II) is the next generation of PC Cards, developed by the same organization that made the original three. It's a relatively new technology, but there are CF adapters for it as well.

So basically, with an adapter, you can use a CF card in either the PC Card slot or the ExpressCard/54 slot. According to the official specs, the dv5000t has one of each. Just don't get them confused when buying an adapter.

 

can anyone recommend where to buy one in the US?

 

ExpressCard adapters in both 34 and 54 form factors from Delkin Devices, Synchrotech, and Hagiwara Systems are excellent. However, all of them are based on the USB 2.0 portion of the ExpressCard standard. Hence all of them are limited by the decent, but limited speeds of USB 2.0. The latest UDMA 5 and UDMA 6 capable CompactFlash cards boast read speeds that outstrip the real world throughput of USB 2.0. Fortunately, Synchrotech has added an all new PCIe based ExpressCard to its product lineup. The CFExpressPro+ PCIe ExpressCard to CompactFlash Memory Card Adapter 2.5Gbps isn't just UDMA 6 capable, it harnesses PCIe to read the latest high end CompactFlash cards with real world read speeds of 45MB/s with headroom for future cards. If you are a DSLR user deploying high end CompactFlash cards like Sandisk Extreme Ducati Edition, ATP ProMax II CF 300X UDMA, or Lexar UDMA 300X, the CFExpressPro+ PCIe will save you substantial time versus the older USB 2.0 mode ExpressCard to CompactFlash adapters.