'secret' (!) 3rd PCMCIA slot on CF-28's

Ok took me a while but I finally found the mythical 3rd PCMCIA slot on my CF-28 (hiding behind the breakout panel for the modem and ethernet ports!).

Now I'm considering ways to make good use of it. I was considering a PCMCIA bluetooth card though the casing of the computer might shield the bluetooth signal too much so it doesn't really do any good. Anyone got experience doing this?

What have other people done with that extra PCMCIA slot to put it to good use?

Thanks, Craig.

 

Most people are using that for a wifi card.

The one that works good is the Cisco 350 card. Then you run a antenna to it and now the CF-28 has good internal wifi.

One like this one. You can find them cheaper if you watch ebay. This ones price is crazy high.

eBay Link

You can try the bluetooth but like you said the magnesium case will block some of the signal. You may get enough reception right around the toughbook but it would not broadcast very far if even making it out.

You can try this card but i am not sure if it would fit.

eBay link

I had this card in one of my CF-29 toughbooks and it worked very well.

eBay Link

And another one.

eBay Link

-James

 

Looks like any card that would be used in the 3rd slot has to be bump-less, or at least have a protrusion that is fairly short and no higher than the card thickness otherwise it'll directly foul the back of connectors and/or the small PCB for the modem/ethernet breakout panel.

I noticed Cisco has a current-model PCMCIA/cardbus wifi card out (AIR-CB21AG-xxx) but all the ones showing on Ebay have a large 'bump' and it might not be possible to remove that, otherwise it would be an ideal modern wifi card. The cisco 350 cards only do 802.11b while the current ones do 802.11/a/b/g and supportWPA, etc. If the current ones can be found bump-less (or modified to be bumpless and use an 'external' to the card antenna), they're perfect for the task.

As for bluetooth PCMCIA cards, that might be the go as there is probably enough radiation area in 3D space clear enough from the magnesium casing to get workable range with a card fitted to the 3rd slot. Anyone able to comment on this?

The other thing I was looking into was a PCMCIA GPS card (again with no oversized bump plus a connection for 'off-the-card' antenna), but that looks to be a very uncommon product configuration.

Craig.

 

Craig,
We've got this one all figured out. A Billionton Bluetooth card will fit in the third PCMCIA slot, look for them on eBay. Either will fit, but the one with the external antenna requires less relieving with the dremel. You dremel the cover, not the card. The signal is not earthshaking but is quite usable.
CAP
EDIT: In fact, if you look at the thread immediately adjacent to this one, TB is walking a Newbie through the antenna pass through.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=340433

 

If you want to go bluetooth... There are only 2-3 type that will work. The best is, as Cap said, the Billionton card. It is the type with the swivel antenna... There are several old threads about it around here somewhere. You just need to Dremel away about 1/8" from the inside post that houses the screw. There is a stand-off that pushes in on the card to hold it in place. (The original Cisco card that is) Since the BT card has an antenna... The stand-off needs to be trimmed back. Then it works like a charm. Mine got a great signal anywhere on the same floor of my house... I could send data from my cell phone to the laptop from one end of the house to the other.

 

For mine, I'll put a combo usb2 + firewire card(2xUSB2, 2XFW)... yup it's type 3 card... won't fit without mod... just crack open that end and route wire to external connector and one usb2 will be reserved for bluetooth adapter... both will cost less than a bluetooth pcmcia card with few I/O as a bonus

BTW, got a EM318-02 gps module on order... can't wait to start my mods

 

Um... I don't think you will be able to put that card into the internal PCMCIA slot unless you take off the side cover entirely. It won't fit.... Unless you bought one that the rest of the word knows about..... Or were you talking about the side slots?

 

that was my intention, remove completly the end of the card and solder wires to connectors put in a better spot... let's just hope there is no important parts in the pcb going out of the card... that this space is just for connectors...

I'll know when I order one and crack it open... I'll let the group know the results

 

This is what happen if you are handy enough to wire up into any direction of the unit. Look at my bluetooth PCMCIA Modification on this thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=197230&page=3 the led was place inside the switch keyhole. This is one idea and maybe you have better idea than us. Good Luck.


ohlip

 

Ah yes... That was pretty slick!

 

One of my favourite old-skool mods on the early 68020/68030-based Sun workstations was adding little multi-led status displays to the front panel. I haven't really looked but there might be enough room in the middle of the power switch assembly to put a bundle of LED's for various things.

Getting well off the topic...

I think that either a bluetooth or wifi is the way to go in the 3rd slot. If it is possible to take one of Cisco's current modem cardbus wifi cards and remove the bump on the end so it's just a bare card (or even buy one like that), there's a good target to aim for as that'll free up up a mini-PCI slot.

However the bluetooth idea has merit too. Currently I have one of those really tiny USB bluetooth dongles which I plug into one of the two USB ports on my PCMCIA USB card however that ties up a port when I want to have an external rodent and my USB camera hooked up. Might see if I can locate one of the Billionton bluetooth cards to have a fiddle with.

Craig.

 

I used the Billionton in the hidden slot, and had the wifi and LAN cards in the upper slot. With the Billionton BT card that had the swivel antenna, I was able to use my BT mouse from over 30' away with no problem. And this is with that card secured in the hidden slot, and the antenna closed since there is no way to extend it from the hidden slot. I think that is the best setup for a 28. I did not use the combo LAN/56k modem card as I don't have a need for dial-up, but that takes the same space so you can still go with that. Under the battery, using the RIM card and the mod specs, I had the EM408 and the Sarantel Geohelix antenna lid mounted on the top left. I used/abused this machine, dropping it several times to show friends, and NEVER had any issues. When I finally got my 29, I sold the 28 to a friend of mine who is a Service Tech. He tosses it in his truck, takes it to the dessert for off-road fun, and uses it for work. He has never had a problem either. I can't think of anything else a 28 would need besides that!

 

The Cisco card fits.... But it doesn't compare to the Engenous 600mW card... or ANY Atheros based card for that matter. I think they were all B freqs anyway weren't they? If you are going to have to split the case... You might as well go ahead and mod everything!

 

First post, but been reading up for a few weeks now.

Bought a Billionton bluetooth card with the hump. Works fine in the two other PCMCIA slots. I have a CF-28M running Win2K.

However, when I insert it in the 3rd hidden slot, it will not work.

I have gone into BIOS and enabled Cardbus B. I allowed Windows to find and install all of the drivers for the slot and just used the ones it located.

Now, no matter what card (Wifi or USBcard I have here) I put in the 3rd slot, Windows attempts to install a Video Controller with a conflict (yellow ! in Device Manager), and is unable to find the correct driver if I let it try. Also, the 3rd slot's drivers are different from the other 2 slots. I have been unable to change it to the same driver, and the Windows default driver didn't seem to work when I changed it to that.

Any ideas?

 

Yeah... You screwed something up!

Try a Restore....Failing that... Try a reinstall... If you have been reading... Use only proven items in the 3rd slot....

You might also try a repair with Win XP...

 

Kinda' what I suspected.

Didn't see anything about "proven" items. I'll go back and take a look.

*edit* I did read up from the FAQ (the Cf-28 one, not the one that auto-links here) and don't see anything particular to point me towards my error. I'll keep working on it. Does everyone have a different driver for the 3rd slot?

 

make sure you plug it in on a right way or look inside the PCMCIA connector maybe there are some pin or pins bended.


ohlip

 

I double checked. The card only goes in one way (what appears to be "right-side up"). None of the pins appear to be bent when I look in there.

 

I want to use this bumpy bluetooth option. Did this work out oK at the end?

Incidentally, here's a cheaper deal than most Ebays on the item. http://cadmus-micro-inc.amazonwebst...s-1-PCMCIA-Bluetooth-Adapter/M/B000FBOVOK.htm

Dunno about shipping.

 

After trying a 3-com BT card, which fitted, but wouldn't connect to my GPS dongle, I did this:

A cheap USB 2.0 PC card, desolder one socket, solder a decent usb micro dongle. Wrapped in Jesus tape and off you go!

This leaves a spare internal usb socket, which with a bit more modding for power, can run an internal 3G dongle in the rim card space.

Hopefully pics have uploaded as its my first attempt...

 

SiCo,
Very nice! Does the BT get a decent signal? I assume that's an AKE card, they make a combo USB-BT card which might make this hack easier. Shades of Ohlip and onirakkiss here.
CAP

 

Hi Capt!

As well as the 3 COm card, I tried one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Short-Bluetoo...photoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

I couldn't get the ****** thing to connect to my GPS. I have all the patience in the world with a soldering iron in my hand, but software drives me mad. I already had a micro dongle, which came bundled with bluesoleil. This software sits in the background, seamlessly lets me print to my BT printer and links virtual rs232 to some of my test kit. So don't get mad, get soldering...

The above card is really a 2 port usb card, with the bt dongle sealed in with rubber glue. The modded card sits in my CF-28 800MHZ.

The modded one I took pictures of was for my 'new' 28 1GHz. The usb is
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Short-PCMCIA-...ds?hash=item110352854493&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14

Glad you liked it! Regards Simon

 

So the bump bluetooth only card is a wash?

 

Rickdog,
You can get it in with some removal of the bump, be careful to only cut the plastic, there's stuff in there. I have done it and it works fine.

SiCo,
Is that a AKE USB card? Modly took one of those apart and IIRC he found it full of black mastic which pretty much made it useless for what you have done here.

CAP

 

Capt, when you say card, do you mean the BT dongle or PCMCIA card?

I suppose I've been lucky regarding the black gloop, or the makers realised they can save 2p per card if they leave it out!

As I'm in the UK, so we have different suppliers, but they probably all drop out of the same factory. (The USB cards are from Hong Kong on ebay)

I've attached pics of both bits pre disassembley.

 

SiCo,
I was asking about the pcmcia card. There's no way to tell if its the same card, you can't tell if they changed the label. Maybe I'll take a peek in one of mine. Keep us posted on the WWAN hack, that would be neat.
CAP