CF-28 - Extracting a damaged pc card

My wide loves her CF-28. Shop owner couldn't believe she's want such an "unladylike" device, but when you're dyspraxic and have a tendency to throw things, a Toughbook wins.

He's called Gimli, being as he's small but hardy. Trouble with dwarves, when you toss^Wdrop them on something, that something tends to break.

I've not done any internal-wireless mod (yet), so it has a Belkin airgo MIMO in the lower external slot (blanker in upper). As of a couple of hours ago, it doesn't work, and won't eject. Looks like the plastic outermost end is slightly bent wrt the metal body, but I wouldn't have known from a look and a wiggle that it was damaged. The eject button is as pressed in as I think it can be, but something is clearly snagging the card. The slot metalwork looks very slightly warped, but that could be by design or normal wear. It also fouls removal of the blanker so I can't do that to get a better view.

Is there another way to take out the card? I can't see any pinholes or other hacks down there. Is it a case-off job?

Could the drop have damaged the slot internals by shock via the card? Would the upper slot likely remain usable if so?

Please help a dwarf in distress. And don't tell the elf.

cheers,
James

Edit: Model is CF-28PCJAZFE

 

I'm looking at a PC Card cage from a scrap motherboard. Looks like it's very fragile, made of plastic, very thin metal, and 4 zinc posts at the corners. I would not think it could take much stress without breaking.

There is a scissors mechanism at the back of each card slot to translate the ejection button force onto both sides of the rear of a card. Did the card move out about 2 mm when you pushed the eject button? If so it may have cleared the pins and you might try pliers to pull it out.

Sounds to me like you'll need to open the case and take a look. Removing the case bottom is not too hard -- be sure to unplug the 2 tiny plugs at front-right to the speaker and power switch before removing the chassis. It is possible to replace a PC card cage if the motherboard connector is intact, but that's a *major* job.

 

Welcome to the forum! Yes... A drop may have damaged something inside but I would think that you should be able to just pull it out... Then examine the inside with a flashlight to see if there are any bent pins.... And also examine the extractor as compared to the working one.

These can be rebuilt to a certain degree but it involves taking the laptop completely apart and the motherboard out.

Keep us posted!

 

The eject button was already well pressed-in by the time I got to it. There's about 5mm play in the card now, and I'm not 100% sure it's engaged with the pins. Pushing the card in doesn't make the button move out any, nor vice versa. The card feels like it's caught on the edge nearer the back hinge.

 

Well, I've closed my eyes, Used the Force, and ok, out comes the card, with a little complaining. The inner end (~10mm) is quite well bent upward, and it looks like the connectors inside the CF-28 are rather mashed, and offset from the line of the cage (or the cage is offset, seems more likely). Hard to see for sure with the reflections off the cage. Are those pins a direct header onto the mb, or some kind of subcarrier?

Pics (pretty awful, from phone, sorry): card damage, slot damage (1) (2) (jpeg, 60-80k)

 

The pins are on a subcarrier. If you can get a motherboard or dead unit locally, you can take it apart and see how the pc card cage goes on the mobo. Or you can decide now is the time to do the internal wireless card trick (and give up on the pc card slots).

 

Any idea on the compatibility of this part across models? I've been digging around for a compatibility matrix, and it seems the idea's been had before but the info tends to remain spread across threads.

I'd guess CF-27/29 would be the closest candidates, there's a CF-27 for spares now on eBay UK which I might nab - that stubby antenna might go on Gimli too.

 

too bad about your wifes 28, its NICE to know im not the only guy who has a wife that packs a toughbook.

hope you get it up and running again, these guys are the best.

 

(Is it zombie raising when the thread's not quite a year old? )

I got myself a CF-27 mobo spare shortly after that last post, and it's been sat around waiting until I can get some torque screwdrivers to be sure of putting it all back together. Last night I decided it had been long enough and that I simply wasn't going to do that, and took it apart anyway.

It seems that the slot cages are not compatible. The mounting holes are a few mm different (too far to persuade) and the connector has a minutely different pitch. (the mobo has the tiniest bit of a warp around the back mounting holes where the whole thing was forced upwards, but it doesn't seem to have caused any problems away from the card slot so far).

So now I'm back to finding another cast-off mobo, or checking component suppliers for a slot cage that will match the centres (and de/re-soldering the connector board, which would be fun) or, as Springfield said, do the wifi conversion now.

 

I might have one, I'll look tonight. Someone here will be sure to have one, the card carrier I mean.
CAP

 

Send me your address, I'll send you one no charge.

Once I shipped a cf-28 with pcmcia wireless card in it (should have removed card before shipping, even though it was well packed) UPS probably used it in rugby package tournament it seems, since client got the unit with antennae part of card bent 45 degress which also messed up pcmcia slot / pins due to the impact pressure that occured.

let me know

 

If you need one, I've got one, but its in a Mark1. Not sure if that matters, it might.
CAP

 

I've little idea of the fine differences between revisions - I presume even from pages like Panasonic's CF-28 FAQ that there are mobo changes to account for different CPU/video/etc. It would be interesting to see details/pictures of the differences.

Thanks for the offer - I've PM'd techtuff for now - sounds like he has the right part without resorting to cannibalism just yet. I'll update with how that one goes.

(... and I must get myself a TB as well at some point. Did I mention how I'd wanted one for years before we found Gimli for the wife, and have had a jealous eye on it ever since?)

 

The part arrived yesterday - many thanks techstuff. Will be trying that tonight.

 

I didn't post an update to this. the frame went in just fine and everything seems to be working normally - many thanks! Wireless working again with another card plugged in, though it's not been staying in for long at a time due to my paranoia over it getting broken again. Internal wireless mod now ready to go...