Closed Portable SCSI PCMCIA Card Reader/Writer

SCSI PC Card drive:
This was done by me recently. Works great. I removed my internal IDE Zip100 drive and replaced with the Card Reader (Intermart Systems PCD-15B) that I won at a popular auction site for $65. The PCD-15B is an internal SCSI PC Card reader. This is the true SCSI type that has a standard 50-pin interface to connect to most any SCSI-2 interface (not the style that require their own ISA interface, since these would not work with the MPC). It has slots for 2 cards so it occupies 2 SCSI ID's which are selectable 1-2, 2-3 or 4-5 and can hold 2 cards simultaneously. If you do buy a used one, make sure it includes the terminators. Older SCSI devices such as this used little devices that you plug into it for termination as opposed to simple switches found on newer SCSI devices. The one I got did not have its terminators, but I did not need them as I also have a hard drive installed on the internal SCSI chain which was the terminated device.
A couple of advantages of this over Zip drives:
1. No moving parts to wear out or fail.
2. Very quiet. Actually no noise at all.
3. Faster transfer of data, depending on the speed of the card.
4. This modal can hold 2 cards at once (like having 2 drives in one).
What do I interface it to to get files onto the Cards? My laptop, of course! Most every laptop has a PC Card interface built into them. I just slide the card into the laptop, transfer files, remove, insert into MPC and load files. Away I go! I really think of it as a transfer medium, not as long term storage medium due to the cost of the Cards.
Here's a pic of the drive in the MPC. The MPC is compatible with the PCD-15, 17, 19, 25 and 47. It does not appear to be compatible with the PCD-50, which used a LUN based SCSI ID method. The PCD's are made by SCM, Intermart and Microtech and are the only models that I have found to be compatible. Avoid the 'secure card' models such as Argus. I have found that these do not work.

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