sycard logo banner
NavBar
FAQS GIF

Product Groups 		 

CF extend 162/162E
CompactFlash™-to-CompactFlash™ Socket Saver/Adapter
Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What kind of CompactFlash™ (CF) to CF Card adapters does Sycard Technology manufacture?
  2. What the differences between the CF Extend 160B and the CFextend 162/162E?
  3. What is the difference between the CF extend 162 and 162E?
  4. What is the difference between the CompactFlash™ (CF) Specification and the CF+ Specification?
  5. What is the difference between the Type I and Type II CF Cards?
  6. Will the CF extend 162 allow me to use an IBM Microdrive with my digital camera or PDA?
  7. How much more power does the IBM Microdrive consume than a flash memory based CompactFlash™ card?
  8. If I use the CF extend 162/162E CF-to-CF extender,is there a possibility of damaging my PDA or digital camera?
  9. My digital camera (or PDA) has a Type I CompactFlash™ slot. I would like to get more storage by using an IBM Microdrive, however, I can't get enough information from the vendor to determine if a Microdrive and your CF extend 162/162E will work. Is there any harm in just plugging it in to see if it works?
  10. Can I connect an external power supply to the CF extend 162/162E to power a Microdrive or other high-power CF Card?
  11. Are there any active components on the CF extend 162/162E?
  12. Will Sycard Technology guarantee that the CF extend 162/162E CF-to-CF Card adapters will operate with my particular CF Card/ CF Host?
  13. What kind of help can Sycard Technology give me to get my IBM Microdrive working with my digital camera or PDA?
  14. Where can I obtain the CompactFlash™ Specification?
  15. Where can I get specs on the IBM Microdrive?
  1. What kind of CompactFlash™ (CF) to CF Card adapters does Sycard manufacture?

    2. Sycard produces three types of CF-to-CF Card adapters:

    1. CF extend 160A - CompactFlash™-to-CompactFlash™ Card extender/development board.
    2. CF extend 162 - CompactFlash™-to-CompactFlash™ Socket Saver/Type II Adapter.
    3. CF extend 162E - CompactFlash™-to-CompactFlash™ Socket Saver/Type II Adapter with ejector.

     Back to top

  2. What are the differences between the CF extend 160A and the 162/162E?

    3. The CF extend 160A has test points, current measurement jumpers and power indicators to debug a CompactFlash™ card or host. The CF extend 162/162E only extends the card.

     Back to top

  3. What is the difference between the CF extend 162 and 162E?

    4. The CFextend 162E has an ejector mechanism to facilitate the ejection of a CompactFlash™ card. The CF extend 162 does not have an ejector. If your application requires frequent insertion/removal of a CF card, we recommend the CFextend 162E.

     Back to top

  4. What is the difference between the CompactFlash™ (CF) Specification and the CF+ Specification?

    5. The original CompactFlash™ Specification was designed to support only Type I (3.3mm thick) mass storage cards. The CF+ Specification expands the original CF Specification by adding a Type II (5.0mm) thick card and adding I/O support.

     Back to top

  5. What is the difference between the Type I and a Type II CF cards?

    6. Type I CF card is 3.3mm thick. A Type II card is 5.0mm thick. Most flash card (Sandisk, Lexar, Delkin etc.) are Type I. The IBM Microdrive is Type II.

     Back to top

  6. Will the CFextend 162 allow me to use an IBM Microdrive with my digital camera or PDA?

    7. This is the most common question we receive about the CF extend 162/162E. Although the adapter will allow the IBM Microdrive to be plugged into a Type I (3.3mm thick) CompactFlash™ socket, there are many situations that may prevent the IBM Microdrive from working including:

    • Power consumption of the IBM Microdrive is too high for the CompactFlash™ slot.
    • CompactFlash™ host does not have software support for the IBM Microdrive.
    • Mechanical interference with various PDA/digital camera controls, etc.

    Sycard Technology cannot provide these answers. Contact the PDA or digital camera manufacturer for more information.

     Back to top

  7. How much more power does the IBM Microdrive consume than a flash memory based CompactFlash™ card?


    8. The following table shows the typical current consumption of the IBM Microdrive to the flash memory based CF cards:
    Device Standby/Sleep Idle Read Write Peak
    IBM 340MB Microdrive 65mA 200mA 300mA 300mA 320mA
    IBM 1G Microdrive 20mA 150mA 200mA 250mA 400mA
    SanDisk Flash Memory Card 200uA 200uA 32-45mA 32-60mA 150mA

    As you can see from this table, the IBM Microdrive draws considerably more power than the SanDisk Flash Memory Card. In Idle mode (drive spinning), the 1G Microdrive draws 750 times the power as the flash card. In active mode (Reading), the 1G Microdrive draws over 3 times the power.

     Back to top

  8. If I use the CF extend 162/162E CF-to-CF extender, is there a possibility of damaging my PDA or digital camera?

    9. Yes! A Type I CompactFlash™ card can only draw 70mA @ 3.3V. A CF+ Type II card can draw up to 500mA. If your CompactFlash™ host socket does not have overcurrent protection, plugging in a high power CF+ card may cause damage.

     Back to top

  9. My digital camera (or PDA) has a Type I CompactFlash™ slot. I would like to get more storage by using an IBM Microdrive, however, I can't get enough information from the vendor to determine if a Microdrive and your CFextend 162/162E will work. Is there any harm in just plugging it in to see if it works?

    10. Yes, if your device has a Type I slot, then it only expects a card that draws up to 70mA. An IBM Microdrive can draw up to 400mA. You can damage your Microdrive and camera (or PDA) if your CompactFlash™ host socket does not have overcurrent protection.

     Back to top

  10. Can I connect an external power supply to the CF extend 162/162E to power a Microdrive or other high power CF card?

    11. No, the CFextend 162/162E has no capability to connect an external power supply. Doing so may damage your CompactFlash™ host and/or card.

     Back to top

  11. Are there any active components on the CFextend 162/162E.

    12. No, the CFextend 162/162E are passive extenders.

     Back to top

  12. Will Sycard Technology guarantee that the CF extend 162/162E CF-to-CF Card adapters will operate with my particular CF Card/ CF Host?

    13. No. The CF extend CF-to-CF Card adapters are sold as development tools for manufacturers developing or manufacturing CompactFlash™ cards, hosts and software. Purchasers should understand that this is a manufacturing test tool and is not designed for consumer use. Sycard Technology only guarantees that the CF extend CF-to CF extenders are free from manufacturing defects and meets its published specifications.

     Back to top

  13. What kind of help can Sycard Technology give me to get my IBM Microdrive working with my digital camera or PDA?

    14. Sycard Technology can provide a schematic for CF extend CF-to-CF extenders. Technical documentation on the CompactFlash™ Standard and IBM Microdrive can be obtained from the links below. Sycard Technology does not provide design or consulting services.

     Back to top

  14. Where can I obtain the CompactFlash™ Specification?

    15. http://www.compactflash.org

     Back to top

  15. Where can I get specs on the IBM Microdrive?

    16. http://www.storage.ibm.com/hdd/micro/design.htm

 Back to top

Home | Products | More Information | Contact Us | Support | Order | Links |


Updated June 25, 2002

Copyright© 1995-2008 Sycard Technology
In an effort to spamproof our website, we ask that you key in this email address into your email program. Thanks.