IBM ThinkPad 380 or 380D User's Guide

Using PC Cards

Using PC Cards

To insert a PC Card:
reference #85.

PC Card standard:
reference #124.

Your computer has two slots that allow you to install 68-pin, 85.6mm × 54.0mm (credit-card-size) PC Cards. With a PC Card, you can send and receive faxes, communicate through a network, or store data. The lower PC Card slot also supports a Zoomed Video port card for your video needs.

The PC Card slots of the computer conform to the PC Card Standard (Version: February 1995) which is defined as the hardware layer of the PC Card standard. Your computer also comes with the following basic set of drivers:

• Socket Services.
• Card Services.
• PC Card support software and common enablers.

PC Card support program:
reference #37.

The PC Card slots operate at 5V dc and support the following:

• Type I, Type II, and Type III PC Cards.
• 16-bit PC Card.
• Zoomed Video port card.

The PC Card slots do not support the following PC Cards:

• PC Cards operating at 3.3 V dc.
• 8-bit or 16-bit slave DMA PC Cards.

The ThinkPad 380 or 385 port replicator does not support the following PC Cards:

• Integral **  Peripherals Model 1841PA (40MB).
• IBM 105MB PCMCIA hard disk drive (P/N 74G8694).

For more information about PC Cards, see Appendix B. "Advanced Information for PC Cards for OS/2 Warp".

About the Zoomed Video Port Card

The Zoomed Video port connects a PC Card and a video controller. It allows the PC Card to write video data directly to an input port of a graphics controller such as the VGA:

• Insert the Zoomed Video port card in the lower PC Card slot.

  Note: The computer does not support the Zoomed Video port card in the upper PC Card slot.

• Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 support the Zoomed Video port cards.

• The Zoomed Video port card cannot be used without a PC Card device driver and a display device driver.

• The Zoomed Video port card device driver must correspond to Video Port Manager Version 1.10 or later.

• The SVGA Video mode (800 x 600 and 256 colors).

PC Card Limitations under Power Management

• Although some PC Cards can be inserted or removed without turning off the computer (refer to the instructions that came with the PC Card), you cannot remove or install PC Cards during suspend mode.

• If you are using one of the IBM communication PC Cards listed on reference #64, the computer cannot enter hibernation mode.

Using the PC Card Support Software

Note:
When installing an operating system, install the PC Card support software according to your operating system's instructions for using PC Cards.

To install PC Card support software:
See Installing Software.

Your computer comes with advanced PC Card support software, which makes using PC Cards with your computer easier by:

• Turning on and setting up a PC Card when you insert it in a PC Card slot (common enablers).

• Showing what type of PC Card is in your computer.

• Notifying you with a message, sound, and icons whenever a card is inserted or removed.

• Allowing you to register an application program for a particular PC Card and starting the program automatically when the card is inserted.

A PC Card might come with its own device driver that will set it up just as the support software does. However, if this card is supported by the computer, you do not need its device driver.

If your PC Card is not supported, you must install the device driver that came with your card. The device driver must be compatible with the PC Card Standard (Version: February 1995). Follow the instructions in your PC Card manual to install the driver.