home PC software Connection via pcmcia. What is Pcmcia Card Slot in Lg TV and what is it for. MultiMedia Cards

Connection via pcmcia. What is Pcmcia Card Slot in Lg TV and what is it for. MultiMedia Cards

Technological progress does not stand still, and almost constantly new devices appear, and devices that have already become familiar are equipped with accessories. This applies to almost all types of activities, but the entertainment industry and related devices are always in the forefront of updating. However, sometimes this process happens so quickly that even fairly tech-savvy users experience difficulties. So, for example, among the owners of the latest generations of LG TVs, the question often arises, what is a PCMCIA card slot, which can be seen on the back of the device. The answer will be both complex and simple at the same time, but first things first.

Smart card and PCMCIA card slot

What is a smart card and PCMCIA card slot

The answer to the above question should start from afar, namely, consider such an innovation as a smart card for cable TV. The usual form of television broadcasting is gradually becoming part of history, and cable channels take its place. This process is quite natural and regular.

In this case, it becomes necessary to organize address broadcasting and an appropriate security system that excludes the possibility of unauthorized connection. Laying cable networks to the user and maintaining them in working order requires significant financial investments from supplier companies, which directly affects the cost of tariffs. At the same time, certain safeguards must be in place to ensure that the person who paid for the service will be using the service. This is one of the few cases where both the client and the company are on the same side. The question is only how to organize the possibility of limiting broadcasting. The answer to this was the development and implementation of smart cards and PCMCIA card slot in LG TVs.

Smart card and adapter

smart card represents small device(and in fact, a map) that performs the function of a pass. That is, certain information is entered on the card regarding the owner, the tariff purchased by him, connected additional services etc. This card is connected to a TV using a PCMCIA card slot.

Initially, the technology was developed for use in laptops and its intended purpose was to connect various additional peripherals, such as additional memory drives, network cards, modems for accessing the Internet. However, over time, there was an application in cable television. I think you understand what a PCMCIA card slot is and what it is for.

Using smart cards for access allows you to achieve a number of advantages:

Possibility of direct management of connected tariffs and channel packages.
Increased security of use - no one will be able to access the channels if the card is not physically installed in the slot.
In case of equipment compatibility, it is possible to take your channel package with you, which is very convenient.

Smart card installed in the slot

At the same time, if the LG TV is equipped with a built-in PCMCIA card slot, then all actions for using a smart card come down to its elementary installation in the allotted slot.

Conclusion

What is a PCMCIA card slot and what is it for? So, the PCMCIA card slot in the LG TV is not at all a useless connector, as it might seem at first glance. In view of the not too widespread use of such technology, the need to use smart cards in our country is not often encountered, but it is only a matter of time. It can almost certainly be argued that in a few years, the presence of this extension format will be a necessary standard.

Development speed modern technologies impressive. Every day there are new devices aimed at improving the comfort of people. In this regard, the entertainment industry leads by a wide margin.

It has become commonplace for a modern person to spend free time in front of a TV screen, the functionality of which is expanding every year. LG is considered to be the leader in electronics manufacturing.

Not all owners of equipment of this brand know what a pcmcia card slot is on an LG TV, so we have prepared a detailed answer in this article.

With the development of cable television, the question arose of how to make viewing programs available to a specific subscriber. To protect the user from hacking, it is necessary to use, which are installed on the TV in the Pcmcia Card Slot.

A smart card performs the function of a pass, which contains information about the owner, the selected channel package, tariff and other services. You can purchase such a pass for your home theater from the operator digital television.

It is important to know that the card for the Pcmcia slot is registered for one device, that is, if a person decides to move it to another, he will need to contact the digital television operator to change the broadcast conditions.
Depending on the type of cable, coaxial or fiber optic, the signal will be given at a certain frequency. At intervals of several seconds, the signal coming through the smart card is encrypted with a new key.

This provides high level security and ensures that no one else can use the services of the tariff plan.

How does he work

Pcmcia Card Slot present on most modern TVs. This connector is used to connect TV signal decoding cards.

When purchasing from a cable TV operator a special access card with the appropriate encoding that is installed in the Pcmcia slot, you must pay for the channel package.

After paying for the tariff services, the card will be activated and will allow the user to view all available channels. The TV signal passes through the demodulator and reads information from the card installed in the Pcmcia Card Slot.

A secure connection guarantees the subscriber and the operator that only the person who paid for these services will use the TV broadcasting services.

Why do I need Pcmcia Card Slot in LG TV

The use of technologies that make watching cable channels safe was no exception. Therefore, all new LG TVs have a smart card and a pcmcia card slot.

Most often, this slot is located on the back or side of LG TVs. In the place where you want to place the card there is a corresponding inscription - Pcmcia.

After the equipment detects an activated smart card in the Pcmcia slot, the following functions will be available to the subscriber:

tariff and available channels management;
secure access to television broadcasting;
possibility of use on other devices.

How to install a cam module in a TV

Manufacturers of LCD and plasma screens are equipping all new Pcmcia Card Slot models, which eliminates the need to purchase additional devices.
The digital signal built into the TV receives an encrypted signal, but they use it to decrypt it. Such a device is a pay TV service conditional control module.

It is a small box in which a smart card is installed, with connectors for connecting to a TV. To connect this device, it is enough to install it together with the card in the appropriate one on any TV that is previously turned off.

After switching on, an inscription about the found new equipment will appear on the screen. In some cases, you will need to search for channels.

Benefits of using the CAM module:

cheaper than a set-top box;
simple installation and configuration;
compact dimensions;
remote control.

Pcmcia Card Slot allows you to watch only cable TV, but makes this process as safe and convenient as possible. Perhaps, further development of electronics will allow using the Pcmcia slot for other functions, so all TV manufacturers embed it as a standard on their devices.

On the this moment LG equips all new models with this connector, which is located on the side or back of the device.

PCMCIA (eng. Personal Computer Memory Card International Association - International association of memory cards for personal computers) is a specification for expansion modules for laptops and computers, which are called PC-cards (PC Card).

The PCMCIA specification was developed as a standard for memory expansion cards and the connector for connecting these cards. Its further development and refinement made it possible to connect various peripheral devices (modems, network cards, etc.) to the laptop via the PCMCIA connector in addition to memory cards.

From history, it can be noted that PCMCIA was developed as a US response to the JEIDA expansion card specification developed in Japan. In 1991 both standards merged and the similar specifications JEIDA 4.1 and PCMCIA 2.0 (PC Card) were released.

Most older laptops are equipped with 2 Type 2 PCMCIA slots, allowing you to connect two Type II devices or one Type 3 card. In the process of replacing outdated COM and LPT interfaces from laptops with more high-performance USB, FireWire, Ethernet, the need for PCMCIA began to decrease. Laptops were already equipped with the 1st Type II slot.

Version 1.x of the PCMCIA specification described Type I cards with a 16-bit interface that were used only as memory expansion modules. They were 3.3 mm thick and used a connector with a single row of pins.

Type II cards are equipped with either a 16- or 32-bit interface; The connector already has two rows of contacts. The thickness of the cards is 5 mm. Type II cards support I/O devices, allowing them to be used to connect peripherals.

Type III cards support 16-bit or 32-bit interface using four rows of pins. These cards are 10.5 mm thick, which allows you to install standard external interface connectors on the card and thus get rid of additional cables.

The remaining dimensions for all three card types are 3.3 inches long and 2.13 inches wide.

Further developments in PCMCIA led to the introduction of the CardBus bus (PCMCIA 5.0 or JEIDA 4.2). CardBus are 32-bit PCMCIA cards introduced in February 1995. Since the end of 1997, laptops have been widely equipped with these slots.

The CardBus is electrically and logically a full-fledged 32-bit PCI bus with dimensions and a PCMCIA bus connector. CardBus devices can support DMA, which allows CardBus devices to communicate with other peripherals or RAM without using the CPU.

The notch on the left front edge of the CardBus card slot is smaller than non-CardBus cards, so a 32-bit CardBus card cannot be installed in a 16-bit-only slot. Most modern slots support CardBus cards and older 16-bit cards.

Further development of PCMCIA

The PCMCIA interface was the progenitor of a whole generation of flash-based storage cards that emerged from attempts to improve the performance of the Type I PCMCIA cards: CompactFlash, Miniature Card, and SmartMedia. If you match the connector, then the CompactFlash can be successfully connected to PCMCIA.

To replace PCMCIA in laptops came new standard- ExpressCard, introduced in 2004. Expansion cards of the ExpressCard standard are smaller than PC cards and are used to connect peripheral devices. PCI bus Express and USB 2.0.

The search module is not installed.

PCMCIA technology (PC Card) - extension functionality laptop

Andrey Irkhin

Any modern laptop has one or two slots for connecting PCMCIA standard expansion cards, also called PC Cards. This technology expands the capabilities of laptops and connects to them external devices is the most advantageous, because, with a very small size and weight of the PC Card itself, the laptop is not overloaded with additional built-in controllers, and the replacement of cards makes it easy and simple to configure the computer for specific user tasks.

The abbreviation PCMCIA stands for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (its official website is http://www.pcmcia.org). The specification adopted by this association was immediately supported by such giants of the computer industry as AT&T, IBM, Intel, NCR and Toshiba.

The work of the PCMCIA association on the specification was carried out in cooperation with the JEIDA (Japan Electronic Industry Development Association, Japan Electronics Industry Development Association). By the way, in 2000, JEIDA merged with EIAJ (Electronic Industries Association of Japan) and became JEITA (Japan Electronic and Information Technology Industries Association). Her official website is located at http://www.jeita.or.jp.

PC Card Type I are 54mm wide x 85.6mm long. The modules must be 3.3 mm thick. All PC Cards are equipped with a 68-pin connector (developed by Fujitsu) with a double-row arrangement of contacts (the distance between contacts in a row and between rows is 1.27 mm). As a rule, in the PC Card Type I standard, non-volatile flash memory cards are made with a typical capacity today from 128 MB to 2 GB or more. They are the electronic analogue of diskettes and hard drives, they can be partitioned and formatted. By storing the most important and confidential information on a flash card, you can always carry it with you. In the same PC Card Type I standard, some advanced sound cards like creative sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook, which allow you to partially eliminate the lack of wide multimedia capabilities of some laptops.

PC Card Type II have the same dimensions as Type I: 54 mm wide and 85.6 mm long. But modules corresponding to Type II dimensions must have a different thickness - 5 mm in the middle and 3.3 mm at the edges. Starting from the second version of the PCMCIA specification, there is also a thickening in the middle part of the board - the so-called "substrate area". The width of this section is 48 mm and the length is 75 mm. In the PC Card Type II standard, fax modem cards, adapters local networks, SCSI adapters for connecting external peripherals, FireWire (IEEE-1394a), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS navigation receivers and many others.

Also, in accordance with the PCMCIA 2.0 standard, Type I and II boards can be produced with an increased length of 50 mm (that is, the length of the board is 135 mm). Accordingly, this allows you to place more components, but the board will protrude from the slot by 51 mm.

Type III PC Cards are 10.5 mm thick and cannot be used in Type I and II module slots. This type of module requires so-called "double-height slots". By the way, the thickness of the Type III module along the edges is also 3.3 mm. According to the PC Card Type III standard, mainly issued hard drives 1.3-inch form factor, which are used when the capacity of removable flash cards becomes insufficient. Such HDD has a number of advantages: firstly, a simple setup procedure after installing it in the PCMCIA slot, and secondly, if a laptop needs to store large volumes of important and confidential information, then a hard drive made in the PC Card standard will be the best solution.

But do not confuse these hard drives with Hitachi Microdrive (developed by IBM) and the like, which are produced in the Compact Flash Type 2 standard and are connected to a laptop via a PC Card Type II adapter. The PCMCIA adapter for connecting the Hitachi Microdrive to a laptop is much more complex than the one used to connect Compact Flash Type 1 cards.

As a rule, conventional laptop models have two Type II slots or one Type III slot. Ultraportable and slim models usually have one Type II slot. If the laptop is equipped with a Type III PCMCIA slot, then Type I and Type II modules can also be used with it. But there are also models like RoverBook Partner E415, E417 (actually produced by ECS) and E510, which are completely deprived of PC Card slots. :)

PC Cards have a so-called "symmetrical geometry". That is, the user, which happens all the time, can accidentally insert the board into the slot "upside down". But that's not a big deal, as any incorrectly inserted card simply won't work. As a result, neither the computer nor the board itself will suffer or fail...

PC Cards require an appropriate controller, which is usually not built into desktop PCs due to the price and because desktop systems can connect any necessary peripherals via USB or PCI. A computer that supports the PCMCIA standard can theoretically have from one to 255 PCMCIA adapters, and each adapter can serve up to 16 ports. Thus, even the second version of the standard allowed the use of up to 4080 PC Cards!

Currently, in any of the firms specializing in the sale laptop computers, the range includes PCMCIA standard cards that allow you to get fax-modem communication and access to local area networks (LAN) such as Ethernet.

Almost all offered fax modems made in the PC Card standard (except for some not very new and used models sold on the secondary market) have similar characteristics and support the most modern transmission, compression and data correction protocols. Some models allow you to connect telephone cable without a special line adapter to the RJ45 connector, which is located directly on the card body, which eliminates the need for additional cables. There are also special cables that allow you to connect a PC Card modem to a cell phone.

There are also variants of combined PC Cards, which combine a fax modem and a LAN adapter. This is very convenient, as it only occupies one PC Card Type II slot. As for the actual network cards, today they are issued network adapters, allowing you to connect computers to most local networks. But mostly offered ethernet adapters with the ability to connect to a network made on a twisted pair or thin coaxial cable.

There is also one very important note regarding compatibility... Notebook manufacturers provide two levels of control over PC Card devices. At the lower level, it is carried out using the maintenance programs of the PCMCIA slot controller. To access the card and allocate laptop resources, there are special drivers that are focused on a specific type of PC Card device (flash memory, hard drive, fax modem, Network Card etc.). As a rule, laptop manufacturers try to create a universal software for PC Card class devices that could support card management different manufacturers while focusing on existing PCMCIA standards.

Currently, there are many manufacturers producing various expansion cards of the PCMCIA standard. But not all of them are compatible with specific model laptop... Software interfaces may be incompatible - then the problem can be solved using the drivers supplied with this card. But if there is incompatibility at the hardware level, the card will never be able to work with a specific laptop model. Therefore, before purchasing a PC Card device, you should carefully read the recommendations for using cards for a particular laptop. These useful compatibility information can be found in the user manual, or on the Internet - on the laptop or expansion card manufacturer's website.

By the way, the release of ExpressCard Version 1.0 specifications for laptops and desktop PCs was announced relatively recently (see information on the official website - http://www.expresscard.org). Previously, the ExpressCard form factor was known to the public under the working name NewCard. The ExpressCard standard was developed by a community of OEMs, card and component developers, including Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, Lexar Media, Microsoft, SCM Microsystems, and Texas Instruments. The development was based on close cooperation between the working groups of the following organizations: PCMCIA, USB Implementers Forum (USB IF) and Peripheral Component Interconnect-Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG). Thus, ExpressCard technology also supports serial data transfer specifications: USB 2.0 and PCI Express(PCI-E).

The ExpressCard Version 1.0 standard provides two form factors that differ in width: ExpressCard/34 (34 mm) and ExpressCard/54 (54 mm). In both cases, the module is 75 mm long and 5 mm thick. Each module has 26 pins (remember that PCMCIA had 68). Approximate heat dissipation is 1.3W. Host systems will ship with slots for both card versions. The release of the wide version of ExpressCard/54 is due to the fact that there are wide CardBus devices on the market, such as Compact Flash cards and 1.8-inch hard drives.

Anyone who wants to learn more about the new standard can read the following official documents: http://www.expresscard.org/files/ExpressCardBrochure.pdf (1.87 MB) and http://www.expresscard.org/files /ExpressCardWP.pdf (255 KB).

The article used a number of information materials from the official websites of PCMCIA and ExpressCard, as well as Compulent and Community.