Flush USB 3.0 Expresscard Adapter

@ Coruja,

Can you please reupload the drivers (links are down).

Thanks

 

Chris listen to me ..
Can i giv eyou procedure how to very easily retreive your driver ?
please write YES or NO
Thnx

 

Yes, please.
Thanks!

PS being trying for the past hour searching/downloading/trying without luck.

 

Download Driver Genius.rar from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

Install soft dont run it yet , copy both files to program files x86 / driver soft / driver genius make shortcut of drivergenius to desktop if you like

 

You have an adapter with the newest NEC/Renesas chip. You should use drivers with version 3.0.x.x. They are compatible with uPD720201/uPD720202, but not compatible with uPD720200/uPD720202A. As well as drivers 2.1.x.x are compatible with uPD720200, but not compatible with uPD720201/uPD720202. You should remember this.

And also please test your adapter. Because I bought two items AKE USB3.0 54mm ( this and that) in January and noticed that they had uPD720202 chip (I tried to install a lot of drivers and noticed that those adapters compatible with 3.0.x.x drivers and 2.0.x.x firmware tools). Then I noticed that those adapters have serious troubles with power in the USB Hub. When I turned of my laptop to Stand-by mode and resumed it again (the USB power cord, which comes with adapter, was not connected), I got an "Power surge in USB Hub" balloon message in Windows. It happened every time. In different notebook at home and at work place. Then I updated drivers and firmware, but nothing changed. I had to sent those adapters back to the seller and got full refund. So I want to say to everyone: be careful when you are buying BC618T adapter. Now they have uPD720202 chip inside and can cause power surge issue.

 

It is definitely NOT NEC - Renesas chip it is something different
I wish I could have that laptop with me ..

 

The reason there is so much confusion on this is probably because a substantial percentage of those cards sold from China and Hong Kong are probably counterfeit.

I bought a few different "AKE" Expresscards last year, and quite honestly many of them don't even have "AKE" printed on them (sometimes just an AKE model number) and I assume that they are just fakes. (AKE is apparently a tiny company with almost no English-speaking staff and the only website I found was rudimentary and out of date - so I think these counterfeiters get away with selling that stuff in the West because AKE either has no idea what they're doing or doesn't have the resources to do anything about it anyway)

Mine works OK in Win7 on one laptop (Lenovo T400), but I have an apparently common problem in Win 8 consumer preview (in a nearly identical T400) where the "Renesys Electronics USB 3.0 Host Controller" is not installed properly with a "Code 24" error. (It's an AKE-labeled BC398 device that identifies as PCI vendor ID 1033 and device ID 0194.)

Tried installing the 2.0.32 driver but it doesn't like that any better, finally found a trustworthy version of the 2.1.28.0 driver (unbelievable how 95% of the Google hits you get for drivers go to punk*ss scammer sites), but I'm still slogging through my research about the firmware issues before taking that plunge.

According to Google Translate's version of the Station-Drivers firmware page for the uPD720200, the recent version of firmware fixes the "yellow exclamation mark" problem. But there's also a known issue with the firmware update process wedging, which I think this thread seems to corroborate. (I don't even know if this card uses the 720200 chip - was hoping to use the Renesys tools to figure that out before I brick it trying to update the firmware. :-0 )

Amazing how much time I am spending trying to get this $10 card working the way I want it to...

 

Indeed, I have spent hours finding the correct driver which I found on another thread.
Try this one that I found works with my various cards: CLICK HERE

 

Interesting twist: the latest firmware listed on the Station-Drivers site shows the following versions and dates:

Firmware Version 3.0.2.8.0.8 & 4.0.1.5.0.2 (Windows 32 & 64bits)
2011-08-20

But when I go into the folder with the firmware file, I find this:

04/21/2011 01:56 AM 32,768 F302808.mem
09/06/2010 12:12 AM 32,768 F401502.MEM


They both seem quite a bit older than the date claimed by Station-Drivers.


Found an interesting webpage that covers updating firmware on these, he recommends using the command-line tool:

Pete's Blog: Flashing a NEC/RENESAS USB 3.0 uPD720200/uPD720200A firmware

I just can't see how to ascertain the current firmware level using that tool. Hmm.

 

you havent tried that my link that software ???
Ohh chris u such pus** .. this is that driver and company what u lokin for ..!!

 

Well the AKE BC398 I have doesn't use ASMedia drivers, it has a NEC/Renesys uPD720200a chip in it.

But I got it working anyway in W8CP with the latest driver from Station-Drivers, 2.1.28.1.

I also have an AKE combo USB 3 / eSATA Expresscard that does use the ASMedia chip.

 

Thank you again for your support but your last comment is not really welcome.

 

no it DOES i have that bc398 and installet that ASMedia driver and working well
those pics are from sister's laptop cos i was buying that 54mm card bc398 and installing drivers for it ..
I had that 8cm disc with it but it didnt installed drivers from it .

 

Like I wrote previously, there are different versions of "BC398" card, partly because I think a lot of them are counterfeit. Or the manufacturer just changed the hardware during the production run without changing the model name.

My BC398 card does NOT use the ASMedia chip.

(And BTW, if you go do an ebay search for "BC398" right now, you will find that almost all of the current auctions include photos that show cards that do not say "AKE" on them. Either they photoshopped it out, or they are knock-offs.)

I myself bought 4 "AKE" cards over the last year or so on eBay:

• BC398 described above. (Card has "AKE" brand on it, uses Renesys uPD720200a chip. Purch 2011-05.)
  
• USB 3/eSATA combo ExpressCard54 ("AKE" branded, uses ASMedia chip, possibly VIA for SATA, no printed model number. Purch 2012-02.)
  
• SATA/eSATA Cardbus card (NO AKE branding, though has "BC188" model number printed on it, which is an AKE model number. Uses VIA chip for SATA. Purch 2012-01.)
  
• eSATA "RAID" Cardbus card (NO AKE branding on card, but was sold as "AKE" card, has "BC178" printed on it. Uses VIA chip for SATA. Purch 2012-01)
  

 

Hi all.

what speed i get if i use expresscard usb 3.0 adapter?

what a differences if i use expresscard usb hub 3.0 ?

 

if i connect to an expresscard usb 3.0 an external hdd 10000rpm or 15000rpm , will I get a 2.5 Gbps transfer rate speed or higher ( 5Gbps)?
Latitude e6520

 

There is always overhead so no you will not even get close..............

 

thanks.

Does an expresscard 54 usb 3.0 support a real usb 3.0 speed. If not , so what is the transfer rate?
Which from 2 cards is better:
ORICO PNU3-EC54 2 Ports Laptop USB3.0 Express Card (54mm) Adaptor
2 Port Hidden Inside USB 3.0 HUB to Express Card ExpressCard 54 54mm Adapter 5G | eBay

 

I bought my USB 3.0/eSATA combo card from that ebay seller earlier this year.

The limitation on transfer rate is the drive itself: there are no hard disks on the market today that can transfer data off of the platters faster than about 160-180MB/s.

Technically they can go faster from the RAM buffer to the interface, but if you can't get the data off the platters that fast that is only going to be of extremely limited benefit.

SSD's on the other hand can go higher - some of them up to around 500MB/s now. That is starting to push against the maximum SuperSpeed USB (ie USB 3.0) transfer rate. The ExpressCard v1.0 standard is only a PCIe x1 interface so that probably limits max theoretical throughput to about 250MB/s. ExpressCard v2.0 uses an x2 PCIe link so that should double theoretical max throughput to 500MB/s but I have no idea how common those card slots are in the the laptop world. The 2.0 version was finalized in 2009. link

If I had a choice between those 2 cards I would get the Orico one because it uses an NEC (now called Renesys) chip. I think in general you will have fewer issues with that chip. And I don't know where you're located but you can get cards using that chipset for much less than ~$40. (ie on eBay)

 

Could any one please help me out in buying a USB 3.0 54mm Express card?

I am considering a cost effective one... I heard here at notebookreview.com that AKE's Express card are the best cheapest one.. so far If I consider buying AKE then I have two cards BC398 and BC618T, I want to know which one I should opt for.
If there is another card other please mention me.

I am buying USB 3.0 Express card to access my WD 1TB Passport Harddisk in my HP windows 7 x64 Pro Notebook..

 

I bought this item recently and think this is the optimal solution. It has Renesas/NEC uPD720200 chip inside and the latest(!) firmware. I was surprised. I connected my external WD MyPassport Essential 750 GB and a USB flash drive without external power and this devices work great (I don't have any device reloads or something else). So if you wanna stable AKE adapter, I suggest to buy this.

 

Not to be persnickety or anything, but according to the picture they publish on that auction description, that looks to me like an "AKE knockoff" card - ie doesn't actually have "AKE" written on it.

Doesn't necessarily mean it won't work fine, but just to be clear.

I have several of these "flush" cards, and while they are undoubtedly handy for leaving inside the laptop, also consider the following:

1) It doesn't generally gain you the ability to have 2 cards installed in laptops that support that, and actually use both of them at the same time. Because oftentimes the cables are too close to each other to be plugged-into both cards simultaneously.

2) The USB jacks seem a little less robust than a lot of the better cards with the full size 'dongle' hanging out

3) They are harder to remove. In one case, I pressed the "eject" button so hard trying to get the card out that it broke. (I think with a 'normal' card most people tend to "help" the process by simultaneously pulling the card while pressing the eject button. You can't do that with a flush card, so there's more stress placed on the eject button.)

I've had to resort to pliers at times to get them out, particularly when another card is installed next to it and you can't use the empty space to grab the flush card easier.

 

That picture is an example because the device I received has the AKE logo.

 

I am going to buy the same. how to find the chipset inside the card once I bought it? whether by opening the hardware or by the use of hardware monitor software?

 

You can use the firmware update tool which mentioned by Pete in his blog. This tool you can found here.

 

Hehe well that gigantic picture definitely makes it easy to see.

Interesting that the vendor's auction has no AKE branding anywhere either in their text description or in the photo. Did you ask about that before you bought it?

I like that they're in California. Takes a long time for merchandise from Hong Kong or China to arrive here in California. The reason I bought the 'combo' card from 'ynlcabin' was because they were literally the only seller I had found anywhere that had that kind of card at the time. (Last February)

 

Anyone know about this Item from AKE. Does AKE also had one with three ports?

 

I just ordered it and that's all. I knew that the ordered item would be an item with the Renesas chip inside because I had ordered (it cost $19.5) the same item about a year ago (it was stolen with my laptop later). Previous item looked exactly like on the picture of this auction, but had the same chip inside. That auction looked exactly like this and think that this seller has few accounts on eBay and I bought the previous item via another one.

 

Thanks for advice...I'll look for something else with NEC chipset.

 

Here is what you need AKE's 54MM Express 2 Ports USB 3.0 PCMCIA Card NEC Chipset @ebay . The seller have explicitly mentioned it as NEC chipset.

 

I received an AKE BC618T 54MM ExpressCard 2 Ports USB 3.0 from ebay that uses the Nec/remesas chipset. It has 2 USB3 ports and a power adaptor port in the middle.
Testing it with an 2,5' usb powered enclosure it appears that if the hdd is plugged on the left port the express card needs the USB power adaptor but if it is plugged on the right port (see photo) the express card doesn't need the USB power adaptor.
Transfert rate are the same with or without the USB power adaptor, around 50 mo/s

 

see the post by MindField21, he have done the speed test with and without power cable.. there is no much difference with and without powercable..

 

I received the card based on your link, though the one I received is with the uPD720202 rev2 (FW2.0.0.6). Stupid me without testing decided to flash the latest FW2.0.0.11. Took about two to three flashes for it started to work, though weirdly it was operating at USB2.0 speeds. Few more flashes later, I was able to flash back toFW2.0.0.6, and got the full USB3.0 speed.

 

I finally got my AKE BC618 USB 3.0 ExpressCard yesterday (Fresco Logic FL1000). It works, but I've yet to test speeds. I have drivers that came on the mini-cd and from station drivers and will test to see which yields the best results.

Pros: Flush fit, supplies enough power for my devices

Cons: I have to plug in my USB device into the card first, then plug both together into the slot in order to read my USB device. Unplugging the USB cable is tricky at first and it can get stuck

 

Hi all .
I found Ake ExpressCard 54 Usb 3.0 with Fresco Logic FL1100 chipset. If it is better or worse than Nec/Resas chipset Card ?

Thanks

 

Great idea! The two port USB 3.0 card is an appealing choice.
Time to start looking for USB 3.0 external drives

 

Ake's drivers (NEC, FL, ASM): http://www.ake-nb.com/down/class/0.html

 

I'm trying out the FL drivers from here. For some reason, my INEO USB 3.0 enclosure causes my computer to BSOD when connected but it works fine with USB 2.0 devices.

What gives?!

 

I am using AKE BC618T Express card. Everything is fine except when the system wakes from sleep it is showing an error "Power surge on Hub Port"

I have updated the driver but the problem still persists.

Could some one help me?

 

You bought an Express Card which has NEC/Renesas PD720202 inside. It's really sad because as I know there is no solution for this issue. I received two cards some time ago and had to send it back to the the seller. I wrote about this issue here .

 

I have received this item today. I think, it is the best choice for notebooks which have a few USB ports by default (like my 12" HP EliteBook). It works well without any issues. I tested it on my external WD My Passport (WD7500KMVW inside), which heavily used by me every day.

AKE ExpressCard based on Fresco Logic xHCI chipset (3x USB 3.0 ports)
(Tested on HP 6560b using Windows 7 Enterprise SP1 x64)

 

I decided to test my external HDD at home, using AKE BC618T (uPD720200 inside) on my HP 2530p. Result is below.

AKE ExpressCard BC618T based on NEC/Renesas chipset (2x USB 3.0 ports)
(Tested on HP 2530b using Windows XP Professional SP3 x32)

 

And I will test my external HDD using the new Fresco adapter at home soon. Test result will be here.

AKE ExpressCard based on Fresco Logic xHCI chipset (3x USB 3.0 ports)
(Tested on HP 2530b using Windows XP Professional SP3 x86)

 

Can anyone give me the drivers for the AKE BC618T 54mm card? and also how to correctly install it

ive tried a million drivers and there not working

 

To install a driver successfully you should know the model of chipset installed inside your adapter. Try to install this one .

 

I bought the AKE eSATA/USB 3.0 Expresscard/54 and connected it with a Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green drive in a Vantec NST-330SU3-BK NexStar exclosure and I get 58MB/s write speeds. I think the write speed is 100MB/s when connected to the computer through sata.



EDIT: For some reason I get completely different results using the Crystal Disk Mark tool vs. Explorer. Must be burst speed...

eSATA


USB 3.0

 

I got an almost identical 55-60mb/s value on both usb3.0 and esata connection and did notice the burst speed had some influence for the first few seconds. The speed is about double that of USB2.0, but only about half the speed you get from a native esata connector on a modern laptop motherboard. I'm really pleased with this card, especially for extending the life of older laptops (with no esata) that need backed up occasionally.

 

The only problem I see is OS backup. If say with a Windows 7 backup and restore will it see the backup image? For data backup I'm sure it is fine..........

 

I went based on your recommendation and purchased this exact product. Just an update, but this seller has moved to the uPD720202 Revision 2 chipset. So, just an fyi for anyone out there looking to buy, make sure the listing specifically states what chipset you want. As everyone knows, the power surge problem still exists but what if you do not put your laptop to sleep or standby, does it still pose a risk/issue?

 

I think, yes it does. I noticed worse compatibility with several notebooks than the previous NEC chip. For example, on my work HP 6560b it worked with interruptions and shut down my external HDD every 10 minutes. But at home on HP 2530p I didn't noticed this issue.