PCMCIA and JEIDA Agree on PC Card Standard

Two important industry-standard setting associations, the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) and the Japan Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA), recently found common ground and introduced a unified, worldwide standard for PC Cards.

Motivated by worldwide growth in computer usage, together with the explosive potential for PC Card technology, the PCMCIA and JEIDA have created a single integrated PC Card Standard. The previous PCMCIA Release 2.1 (JEIDA 4.2) was introduced in July, 1993. The new standard expands upon this and includes several technical enhancements that should make the PC Card market even more dynamic.

For example, the new PC Card standard includes support for DMA, multiple function I/O, along with cards and computers using 3.3 V. The standard also provides an interface to industry standard power management services, a 32-bit CardBus interface, and new features to enhance the compatibility of PC Cards between computers.

The 32-bit CardBus enables PC Cards and hosts to operate at rates up to 132 Mbytes/s (at 33 MHz) using a 32-bit bus mastering interface. This enhancement will enable the new standard to support data-intensive applications such as full motion video and 100 Mbps LANs.

The PCMCIA also announced the appointment of Bill Lempesis as Executive Director. Lempesis replaces Brendan McGuire, outgoing Executive Director, and assumes responsibility for operations, membership development, evangelizing, and strategic relationships.

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