Glossary of Terms and Acronym Expansion
Contents
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1394
2K Attribute
For devices that don't support the full Card Services standard, this CIS-like 2K or 8K storage tuple essentially informs the device what type of card has been inserted and in cases of storage cards, the capacity of the card. SRAM and Linear Flash are examples of cards that are available with or without a 2K or 8K Attribute. Types of devices that require attribute are usually lab equipment, embedded systems, PDAs and the like. For the most part, notebook computers support Card Services, and hence don't require attribute. When in question, check your device's documentation or contact you device manufacturer.
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ATA
"Advanced Technology Attachment" an extension of the IDE disk drive bus that specifies how a device interacts with ATA drive. For PCMCIA cards, any ATA compliant device should behave as a standard disk. For more information see the FAQ entry: What is ATA and how can I learn more about the ATA standard?
ATA Flash
Flash memory adhering to the ATA standard. Typically used for PCMCIA ATA Flash PC Cards, which are standard PC Cards with flash memory and a built in IDE (ATA) controller to communicate with the host system.
Attribute
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Card and Socket Services
Card and Socket Services are the software determining how cards operate. Socket Services is Firmware or BIOS-level driver set handling the physical operation of the sockets. Socket Services is platform specific, determining the number of sockets available, notifies the hardware drivers when cards are inserted or removed, makes cards accessible to system software drivers, and handles other functions. Card Services coordinates system interrupts and memory access and also handles host specified power management tasks. When correctly implemented, Card Services prevents direct interaction between a card's drivers and the system or system services. Since Card Services software is operating system specific, it deals with a specific bus structure and the peripherals on that bus.
CIF
Common Intermediate Format: (sometimes FCIF or Full CIF) 352x288 pixel video format defined in the ITU H.323 standards. Although the CODECs are specific to video conferencing, the dimensions are often cited as a resolution by vendors for products such as USB video capture devices.
CIS
"Card Information Structure" a series of data structures stored on the card that inform the host system of a card's power needs and capabilities. See also 2K Attribute.
CardBus
CardBus is essentially a 32 bit version of the PCMCIA standard allowing for 32 bit address and data space, up to 33 MHz bus speed, increased interchangeability and Busmaster operation. CardBus systems are closer in functionality to desktop systems with PCI. Systems employing CardBus can utilize 16 bit bus cards. For more information please see the CardBus - The 32-bit PC Card Option white paper.
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DV25
Currently the most common form of digital video compression that utilizes a fixed rate of 25 megabits per second. The DV25 CODEC is a 5:1 compression format and a 4:1:1 (NTSC) or 4:2:0 (PAL) color sampling rate. Higher end variants of DV are emerging known as DV50 and DV100.
DVCAM
Digital Video Camera, sometimes also used to describe one variant of the DV25 digital video file format.
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Extended Card
PC Cards that extend beyond the slot (past 85.6mm standard length). Extended Cards often feature components requiring external proximity to the host, such as antennae for wireless applications. They are also becoming popular on host adapter cards providing ports without dongles.
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FireWire®
Apple Computer's trademark for IEEE 1394 See IEEE 1394
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IEEE 1394
IEEE 1394 (aka. FireWire® and iLINK™) is a high-bandwidth isochronous (real-time) interface for computers, peripherals, and consumer electronics products such as camcorders, VCRs, printers, PCs, TVs, and digital cameras. With IEEE 1394-compatible products and systems, users can transfer video or still images from a camera or camcorder to a printer, PC, or television, with no image degradation. For more information please see Synchrotech's FireWire® Information Page.
iLINK™
Sony's trademark for IEEE 1394 See IEEE 1394
ITU
International Telecommunications Union
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PCMCIA
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association: an international trade association and standards body cognizant of several device standards including PC Cards, Miniature Card, and others. PCMCIA is also used to describe PC Cards themselves, often referred to as PCMCIA Cards.
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QCIF
Quarter Common Intermediate Format: 176x144 pixel video format defined in the ITU H.323 standards. Although the CODECs are specific to video Conferencing, the dimensions are often cited as a resolution by vendors for products such as USB video capture devices.
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SDHC
Secure Digital Memory Cards formated as FAT-32 (>2GB) and capable of mininum sustained read/writes of 2.2MB/s.
SDMC
Secure Digital Memory Card: a version MultiMediaCard™ utilizing cryptographic security. SD Card Secure Digital memory cards are derrived from MultiMediaCard. They differ in that SD Card Secure Digital cards include a high performance nine pin serial interface. SD Cards also feature a write protect switch. SD Card Secure Digital memory cards made improvements in electrostatic discharge tolerances add increased data protection over early generation MMC. SD Cards are ideal in small form factor, low power applications. SD Card Secure Digital include a proprietary cryptographic security scheme for copyright enforcement, which entities with DRM interests consider a 'feature.'
SQCIF
Sub-Quarter Common Intermediate Format: 128x96 pixel video format defined in the ITU H.323 standards. Although the CODECs are specific to video Conferencing, the dimensions are often cited as a resolution by vendors for products such as USB video capture devices.
SSFDC
Solid State Floppy Disk Card: an old designation for SmartMedia™ cards.
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Type I PC Card
Type I PC Cards have a 3.3mm depth with a standard 54mm width and 85.6mm height and 68 pin connection. They are most often used for memory devices like Flash and SRAM.
Type II PC Card
Type II PC Cards have a 5.0mm depth with a standard 54mm width and 85.6mm height and 68 pin connection. They are often used for I/O devices like LAN cards and data/fax modems.
Type III PC Card
Type III PC Cards have a 10.5mm depth with a standard 54mm width and 85.6mm height and 68 pin connection. They are often used for devices with thick components such as rotating storage (ie. hard drives).
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Universal Serial Bus (USB)
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a serial bus standard offering the advantages of a multi-platform support combined with decreased cost, increased compatibility, and a greater number of available peripherals. USB supports up to 127 devices and is "hot pluggable." For more information please see Synchrotech's USB Information Page.
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XIP
eXecute In Place: Linear Flash's XIP (eXecute In Place) capability allows it to execute code directly in the flash card's memory bypassing the need to use system RAM on the host.
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Zoomed Video
A connection between PC Cards and host system allowing cards to write video data to the VGA controller directly. Since the data is transferred over the Zoomed Video bus instead of the system bus it requires no buffering. Most newer notebook units feature Zoomed Video, and Synchrotech offers several products that take advantage of this PCMCIA standard. For more information please see the The Zoomed Video Port for PC Cards white paper.
