fbus/2 card locks up on XP pro boot

[rcfreud]

I can't get my brand new Dell Latitude D500 running win xp pro to boot with the fbus/2 card installed in the pc slot. As soon as I pull the card out xp boot resumes. Moreover when I install the card at any point with xp running the system locks up...untill I pop the card then xp resumes normal operation. HELP I'm on a deadline.

[Fbus]

The NI PCMCIA-FBUS card can't work with some laptops like Acer, Fuji-Siemens etc., the reason is that the Cardbus (PCMCIA) controller of such notebooks didn't support old 5V PCMCIA card well. However, most of Dell laptop work well with it.

If you found your laptop got hang once you plug the card, you have to change to some other laptop like IBM, Toshiba, NEC, which have better compatibility.

[;m]

There is a PCMCIA switch which powers the PCMCIA card. Windows detects the voltage of the card and switches either to 3.3V or 5V. This is taken care automatically. The PCMCIA switch is controlled by PCMCIA card bus controllers. It looks like there is a hardware incompatibilty between PCMCIA-FBUS card and PCMCIA adapter. If your PCMCIA adapter is by O2-Micro then that is causing the conflict. I am having the same problem. But I have Dell Latitude D600. I have been going in circles between O2Micro, Dell and National Instruments. No one has answer. It looks like the poblem is with National Instruments PCMCIA-FBUS cards. If it complies to PCMCIA standard then why this PCMCIA card does not work with only some controllers? Who is violating the standards NI or O2 Micro or Dell?

[fieldbus]

It is hard to judge who is violating the standard. But PCMCIA-FBUS cards can work well with PCMCIA controller of TI, Toshiba, Ricoh, NEC, CL and others; as I know, such incompatibility problem is only related to O2Micro PCMCIA controller.

Anyway, it is still very bad if your laptop gets stuck with PCMCIA-FBUS card.

Good news is that NI will have a new PCMCIA-FBUS Series 2 card soon, which is designed to solve the problem.

As I know, the new card does work well with O2Micro PCMCIA controller; and the new PCMCIA-FBUS Series 2 card will be released March/April of 2004.

[joshe]

I just ran into this problem using PCMCIA-FBUS card with Windows 2000 on a Dell Latitude D600. Is there any solution besides spending the money to get the new Series 2 card?? I tried using the generic controller instead of 02Mirco, but that still didn't work.

[frankwu]

Some Dell laptops use O2Micro PCMCIA controller, too:(

What is the PCMCIA controller vendor?
You can get the PCMCIA controller information by right-clicking "My Computer" -> Manage -> Device Management.

[Alfredo_Matus]

Dear NI users,

We are in a big trouble since we have two notebooks with O2Micro PCMCIA controller in our service department. We have an old PCMCIA-FBUS with the following model/Serial Number: 183628E-01/B934AD which have the problem. We would like to buy a new one, but we want to be sure that new cards, already in the market, from NI will support the O2Micro PCMCIA Controller. Please advise ASAP.

Thanks in Advance

Alfredo Matus

Service Manager

Endress+Hauser Chile

[fieldbus]

Hi Alfredo,

Just an update about PCMCIA-FBUS Series 2 card:

The PCMCIA-FBUS Series 2 card was released on May of 2004, and the new Series 2 cards have already replaced the old Series 1 cards in all the related shipping kits. So you should get the Series 2 card if you buy PCMCIA-FBUS products after May, 2004.

The Series 2 cards have been tested with many laptops as well as different Cardbus Controllers including O2Micro controllers, and now the PCMCIA-FBUS Series 2 card can work properly with the laptops having O2Micro Cardbus Controller. So don't worry about it.

In addition, NI also offers a trade-in option to allow you to upgrade your old Series 1 cards to Series 2 cards in a good discount. For more information, please refer to the link below:

https://www.ni.com/en-us/support/model.pcmcia-fbus.html

Hope it helps.

[Alfredo_Matus]

Hello,

Certainly your answer helps a lot ! Thank you. Now another question, What if I am not an US Customer nor Canadian ? We are in Chile. Can I get any kind of deal in order to exchange our PCMCIA_FBUS ?.

Thanks in Advance,

Alfredo

[fieldbus]

Hi Alfredo,

I suggest you contact NI local sales directly about this trade-in option. As I know, some customers of Asia got the option successfully to upgrade their old cards.

If you have problems on communicating with NI local sales, please send e-mail to fieldbus.support@ni.com, and we will try to help you out.

Regards,

Sean Gao

National Instruments