User's Manual

Notebook User Guide
66
All E xpressCard modules are 5mm thick but the standard also allows for card
developers to build longer 'extended' modules.
Native Bus Connection
The E xpressCard standard supports both the USB 2.0 and PCI Express
interfaces. Card manufacturers are able to choose whichever bus is appropriate
to their application; the performance of PCI Express, or from the wide range
of solutions supported by USB. All host PC E xpressCard slots will support
cards using either interface. The host platform no longer needs to incorporate
a bridge chip between the chipset and the socket. PCI Express and USB 2.0 are
fully hot-pluggable.
To support the broadest range of applications there are two sizes of module.
Both are smaller that today's CardBus card. The smallest card, the
ExpressCard/34 module, is almost half the size of a CardBus card. This size is
suited to a very broad range of applications covering communications, media,
and general purpose.
PC Card
(CardBus, Type II)
ExpressCard/54 ExpressCard/34
Data Transfer
rate
132 Mbps 500Mbps (or 250Mbps in each direction)
Connector pins 68 26
Port Type Parallel Serial
Dimensions
(HxWxD)
54mmx86mmx5mm 54mmx75mmx5mm 34mmx75mmx5mm