Microdrive - compatibility with netBook?

[netBookBabe]

Having debated the merits of Microdrive v CF in an earlier thread, I'm still seriously considering Microdrive. However, I'm getting conflicting opinions on whether it can be used in the netBook's drive E.

Information gathered from Clove Technology says it can't, because the voltage is wrong at the PC Card slot.

One owner of a 1Gb version says it can't because it is slightly too thick to fit into his adapter for the PC slot. I was under the impression that the Microdrive came with an adapter, so maybe we are talking "wrong kind of adapter" here?

I'm sure at least two of you here have mentioned using a Microdrive in your drive E, so can anyone shed any light please?

TIA
Julie

[bobbyr]

Hi Julie,
I have been using my Micro drive in my D drive and it works great. I keep it there and have either my DACOM modem or my 250 CFD in my E drive. It all works well together. It takes about two seconds to swap my modem and my CFD which I keep in a CFD adapter and it works great. Absolutely no problem at all. I would guess that you would need an adapter to use it in the E drive as no drawer slides out to put it in. Probably something like the CFD adapter, as the Micro drive won't fit in the CFD adapter. It will slide it, but won't mate up to the plug in the adapter like the CFD does because it a little bit thicker. Again, I have no problem using it in the D drive. This gives me a 64mb C drive, micro drive, D drive, and 250mb CFD, which is plenty of memory for me. I don't remember it coming with an adpter, but I will look to see if it did. This configuration works great for me.

Thanks,

Bobbyr

[tomas]

Microdrive works well as both D and E drives. Original IBM PCMCIA-CF/CFII adapter is included so don't worry about fitting CFII Microdrive to PCMCIA slot. The only problem of the microdrive is it's large cappacity - so access times are much slower than with smaller cards. But this problem is the same as with large static CF-1 cards. Maybe this will be corrected in the next OS release ? :-)

[boris12]

Hello Julie
I can aknowledge what Thomas states.
In another thread I wrote that I have a 1 Gb in the E-slot
It works great for storing and consulting data, running programs is another story (it works but slow).
There is some additional currentdrain but it is reasonable in my case - I still get more then 5 hours out of one bat-charge, but as I said: only consultation of data (bases, docs, htmls, jpeg..)
I am quite satisfied with it
kind regards

[Beakynet]

I tried a 1gb Microdrive in the e: drive of my Series 7 and nothing. It worked in the d: drive though. I have heard that later versions of the NetBook have had a motherbord modification and can support the Microdrive in the e:Drive. I would, at this time, say that it will only work in the d: drive and It will draw power all the time it is spinning, where a CF draws power when read or written to.

I have gone with a CF card, partly due to the fact that a Microdrive would not be useable in any of the other gagets I have so If I were to upgrade my current 512 CF card I can go in my camera! It is not just a cost thing!

Also, Toshiba do a 5gig PCMCIA card drive, if this could be used the the e: drive....

[docpark]

my 1gb microdrive used to live in its PCMCIA adaptor in the e: drive. I recently had my netbook worked on, and after a screen change and PCMCIA card slot change, my microdrive no longer works in the PCMCIA slot. It works fine in the d: drive slot. I actually returned the netbook and microdrive to get them to look at why it no longer works and they couldn't give me a good answer.

Memory sticks inside a PCMCIA adaptor work intermittently, my modem works, but the microdrive no longer does -it may be because of a change in the slot, althout Teklogix says my adaptor may have gone bad.

anyone else with this problem?

[netBookBabe]

Originally posted by Beakynet
Also, Toshiba do a 5gig PCMCIA card drive, if this could be used the the e: drive....
I like the sound of that! Think I'm going to hold off on the Microdrive idea for the time being.

It was mainly for the purpose of storing photos transferred from digital camera, but at least my SmartMedia adapter is working in the nB's PCMCIA slot, so I can view and delete to save space on the SM cards for now.

Thanks everyone for the info - it certainly seems that there is no definitive answer to this question. Interesting.

Julie

[tomas]

There was a thread in the old forum concerning 5gig Toshiba. As I remeber, conclusion was NO because of unsufficient power characteristics of the netbook's pcmcia. May be the upcoming new netbook motherboard will have power enough for PCMCIA-ATA drives...

[ghitchen]

Originally posted by netBookBabe

I like the sound of that! Think I'm going to hold off on the Microdrive idea for the time being.

I have a 1Gb Microdrive that works fine in D: or E: but the biggest problem is that EPOC is so sloooooow to read the directory once you start filling it up. A 5Gb version with lots of files would be unuseable. This is one 'bug' that really would be nice to have fixed.

Gary