ExpressCard size

Has anyone any experience with these ExpressCards that modern laptops seem blighted with?

For my Aspire 2920, I've purchased a 34mm adapter to provide firewire sockets. It fits the 34/54 socket and sort of works, although I need to look at some software problems.

This is where the trouble starts. The card plugs into the wider slot, but then I attach a full-size firewire connector and its heavyish cable to the card. The card can rock sideways because, being a 34 mm card in a 54mm wide opening, there can be 20 mm of sideways movement at the front while the back is held by the internal connector. Plugging and unplugging the firewire connector wobbles the card in the slot and it is obviously connecting and disconnecting rapidly without going through the software remove process.

The whole mechanical arrangement seems hopeless. The card isn't secure and there is no button to unlock and remove the card like on the old pcmcia slots. I suppose I could carve a 20mm piece of something to wedge the card into place, but maybe someone here knows how it should be done.

Surely the ExpressCard system can't be designed to be as bad as this?

 

You want either a wider FW-Expresscard adaptor, or, much cheaper, this:

http://www.exsys.ch/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68&products_id=554

 

Have you looked into searching Google for the term "expresscard wing"?

Here is a picture of what I'm talking about:



It's very simple; it just clips onto your 34mm card and takes up the extra space so it sits snugly in the 54mm slot.

Not sure where you are based, so don't know where you'd find one - but if you're in the UK, I know there is a seller on eBay.

Hope that helps

 

Also do a search for "expresscard spacer"

 

Thanks for the help. Yes, I'm in the UK and I've found the ebay advertiser of the 'wing'.
The German device looks better, but more expensive. I had done a search before I asked, but had added all the wrong words to Express Card in Google and ebay.
I still think the basic design leaves a lot to be desired, but I'll give the wing a go.

 

It works for my expresscard devices. Sometimes simple does the job

 

Of course, Fragile, if you have any experience of audio via firewire on laptops, that is what I'm trying to investigate. At the moment this machine with the card running OK doesn't actually play at all, just gives an occasional click.

This compares with my old Acer 5102 which did sort of play and all the much older machines eg IBM R40, which just played fine.

But I can't do much until I can get the card to go in and out sensibly. Push a bit too hard. there's a click and a spring pushes the card out. What a brilliant design. Once the card fits reliably, I can start debugging.

I'll order the wing asap.