Chapter 8. Expansion Card Buses

In an effort to give notebook computers the kind of expandability users have grown used to in desktop systems, the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) established several standards for credit card–size (and smaller) expansion boards that fit into small slots found in laptop and other portable computers such as Tablet PCs. These slots are designed to be externally accessible so that the cards can be quickly inserted and removed without opening up the system. They are also designed to be hot-puggable, meaning they can be inserted or removed with the system running.

PCMCIA was founded in 1989 as a non-profit trade association to establish technical standards for PC Card technology. Originally, the PCMCIA also worked with Japan Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA) on some of the earlier standards, and currently PCMCIA has more than 200 member companies worldwide. The development and evolution of the PCMCIA’s PC Card and new ExpressCard standards have proven to be successful in a market notorious for proprietary designs.