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Does the PCI-Docking
Station need special drivers? It is necessary to use the special drivers, these drivers are delivered with the PCI-Docking Station. No changes need to be made to your PCI card drivers. |
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Which operating systems are supported?
a) Windows 2000, Server 2003 and XP b) Mac OS X (use version 10.2.2+ for the cardbus (pcmcia) interface) c) Red Hat Linux 9 (not ExpressCard interface at this time) d) OS/2 is not supported. |
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Which type of Notebooks run with
the PCI-Docking Station? Most Notebooks manufactured after middle of 1999, though for the ExpressCard interface something much more recent, but it also depends on what processing power you need for your PCI-Card driver and operating/analysis software. | |
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Which type of PCI cards work in the Docking Stations?
It is impossible to test every PCI board, however if it works in a standard PC it should operate fine in a Docking Station this being just an extension of the same interface. The exception are frame grabber (imaging) cards, where memory allocation can conflict with the Notebook PC card-bus (pcmcia) interface option. However check if the PCI card is designed for 5 volt or 3.3V I/O communication. If it can handle both then its no problem. Alternatively just let us know which voltage you need and we will configure the Docking Station power to suit. | |
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How long is the interface cable between
PCI-Docking Station and Notebook? 1,0 metre as standard. A cable of 1,5 m is available on request and can be substituted for the standard one at time of order (at reduced cost) or ordered separately later. A greater length than 1,5m is not possible. |
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What about data transfer rate.
How fast is it? Data transfers depend on the bandwidth of the Notebooks interface. Typically 20 to 40 MBytes per second, fast enough for most PCI cards. Where data transfer is direct to the PCI card memory, as exemplified by the Spectrum high speed capture and signal generation cards this bandwidth limit is not an issue. |
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It it possible to charge the notebook's
battery from the PCI-Docking Station? No. |
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Can I take the notebooks battery
and power the PCI-Docking Station with it? Sorry No. |
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Can the PCI-Docking Station be driven from
the power supply of a car? The PCI-Docking Station DOCK1PC-1H, 1F and DOCK2PCI-DCF can be powered from vehicle +12V power lines. Use cable option DOCK1PCI-CAR |
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In which way is the driver installed?
The drivers are installed using installation programs which are delivered with the driver CD for the Docking stations with Card-bus (pcmcia)connection. For the ExpressCard connection installation the drivers from the CD are not normally required. |
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Are there restrictions concerning the
PCI bus to take care about? The PCI-Docking Station is designed according to "PCI-to-PCI Bridge Architecture Specification Revision 1.1" of "PCI Special Interest Group". The built-in PCI boards must share one IRQ and be plug and play for Windows 2000/XP. This should be no problem, because it is part of the PCI-specifications. |
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Are are restrictions concerning
notebooks to take care about? a) Only the new generation notebooks have the ExpressCard interface slot. We can cater 34 or 54mm widths. b) When using the pcmcia interface many notebooks are only able to use slot 0 with the PCI-Docking Station. If you have trouble try both slots. Not every notebooks has its slot 0 on the bottom of the case. c) Many notebooks only work correctly if the PC-Card of the PCI-Docking Station is inserted before the notebook is powered up. d) Many 'old' notebooks do not have an ACPI BIOS. This notebooks will not work with the PCI-Docking Station. Try to get a BIOS update from the notebook manufacturer. |
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How long can PCI boards (to built into
the PCI-Docking Station) be? The PCI-Docking Station series supports boards to up to full length (314mm). Some full-length boards come with a plastic support bracket which adds to their length and normally held with two screws, this will require removing. The Docking Station has its own support system. |
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I would like to
be sure it will work with my board, can I try out a unit?
Yes, you can return the unit within 14 days for any reason it proves unsuitable for a refund or exchange. Beyond this the standard warranty applies. We just ask that the unit is returned with original packing and is not damaged in any way. |
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