PCI to PCMCIA Adapter - Use EVDO on your desktop

rockingmtranch · Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 5:14 pm Post subject:

Here's what I have. On the XP, the internet connection sharing is firewalled. The VIA Rhine ethernet lan connection is firewalled. My other pc is running Linux and so far, so good. I went with the evdo card because where we live it's that or dial-up and after 6 years on that anything sounded good. I downloaded Army Ops in only 2 and a half days LOL.

J.C. Roberts · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 14 Nov 2006 Posts: 14

I've read through all the posts in this thread and it seems most people are not real familiar with this kind of hardware.

This is what you need to know...

Radio In A Nutshell

1.) Electronic equipment generates Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) and other forms of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). You may want to note that the term "Raid"o is just a specific frequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum.
2.) Radio Frequency signals are, for the most part, reflected by metal sheets.
3.) Most computer systems are encased in metal, to one degree or another, and the reason is to block the RFI/EMI emissions of the electronic equipment within.
4.) When you put a PCI-to-PCCard adapter and stuff an EVDO card in it, you are placing a device that counts on receiving Radio Frequency signals right next to a source of EMI/RFI noise (of the computer) as well as right next to a metal sheet that is, to some degree, altering/blocking Radio signals.

Hopefully you can see your first problem; having the built-in antenna of the EVDO card near a computer is actually degrading your signal quality. This is why using an external antenna is always a good idea.

Adapters In A Nutshell
1.) EVDO access through a PCCard on a desktop requires a PCCard slot.
2.) All PCI-to-PCCard adapters are not equal: Design Always Matters!
3.) All PCI-to-PCCard adapters us a chipset (ASIC) containing logic.
4.) All ASICs are not equal: Design Always Matters!
5.) All ASICs need software drivers to operate.
6.) All software drivers are not equal: Design Always Matters!

Just like software, hardware also has bugs. In the world of ASIC design, bugs are very expensive to fix. Not only is it a manufacturing change to create new silicon but there is also the "downstream effect" where software drivers may need to be changed accordingly, and the whole "solution" will need to go through yet another round of compliance testing.

The one thing I can tell you is the Ricoh PCI-to-PCCard chipsets really suck. You can either take it on faith that I'm right or you can do your own homework to count all the various revisions the chipset has gone through.

Software development of drivers for the Ricoh chipsets is equally bad, namely because the software vendors are constantly trying to compensate for bugs in the Ricoh ASICs. It was only in the last couple months that Microsoft was able to properly address some of the issues on the Ricoh chipsets so they could finally recognize a PCCard was already plugged in when the system was booted. This particular set of bugs also caused the operating system to get lost and suddenly not realize there was a card inserted, hence the reports about VZAccess suddenly "losing" not only the connection but actually thinking the EVDO pccard had been unplugged.

I believe this has something to do with the conflicting reports people have made about PCI-to-PCCard adapters working or not. A (not so) quick trip to "Windows Update" may actually solve your problems if you are one of the unfortunate many who use microsoft operating systems. I do not know if similar driver bugs exist on the intel based Apple systems and I'm not sure if there are Ricoh adapters for the PowerPC based Apple systems.

Most cheap, no-name PCI-to-PCCard adapters use Ricoh chipsets

Kutech cards use Ricoh chipsets (such as part#PPC110 and others) and are often sold under brand names like "ForBEST" of "Cables Unlimited" by the big retail outfits (Frys, Amazon, newegg, etc.).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=15-104-222&depa=0

Syba cards use Ricoh chipsets (Such as Part#: SD-PCI-PCM and others) and if the card they are shipping is the one that is pictured, then you are looking at a very old design... -It's the same card pictured on the Kutech/ForBest/Cables Unlimited boxes, which is actually different than the card inside the box.
http://www.syba.com/product/43/03/01/index.html

The same Ricoh problem is true for Amtron Technologies (Part# PCD-RP-101CS)
http://www.amtron.com/reader/pcdrp101cs.htm

I'm not sure which chipset is used in the adapters that ship with the Belkin Wireless Pre-N but from the pictures it looks like a Ricoh reference design.
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=519581

In short, the Ricoh cards *can* work if you're using the latest and supposedly greatest from Microsoft but they are not high quality and, as always, there are probably other unsolved issues with them.

If you want to avoid the Ricoh nightmares, a local company, well local for me anyway, is SIIG and they generally makes high quality products but they do cost a bit more. Just like every manufacturer, they do find bugs and they fix them, so the revision of the card you get can be very important. With SiiG you can often tell the revsion of the card by the part number, since they issue new part numbers rather than recycling the old ones for the improved products.

For example, this is a very old design (Part#: JJ-PC0011) which someone in this tread bought and posted a link to it.
http://www.siig.com/product.asp?partnum=JJ-PC0011

A somewhat newer design has the part number JJ-PC1012 and can be found around the web for less than 30 bucks.
http://www.siig.com/product.asp?partnum=JJ-PC1012

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=JJ-PC1012&btnG=Search&lmode=online&scoring=p
The absolute newest design is the RoSH compliant version with the JJ-PC1012-S2 part number. It's basically the same card as above but it has been certified for the new "Lead Free" initiatives (RoSH and WEEE) which manufacturers must meet in the .EU and .US.

http://www.siig.com/product.asp?partnum=JJ-PC1012-S2
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=JJ-PC1012-S2&btnG=Search&lmode=online&scoring=p

Though I purchased two of the latter today, I haven't actually tested them with EVDO cards yet but I will, and more importantly, from previous posts, people have had good luck with the SiiG cards, and yes, there is a version of the card for PowerPC based Apple systems.

The super important thing to notice in the last two SiiG adapters (JJ-PC1012 and JJ-PC1012-S2) is the metal cage which surrounds the PCcard when it is inserted into the SiiG adapter. This cage protects your EVDO PCCard from the RFI/EMI noise going on *INSIDE* of your computers metal case. Yes, in every situation where you are inserting a PCCard into it's slot, a significant portion of the PCCard is *ENTERING*an environment (through your computer case metal walls) which is hostile to receiving Radio signals. If you take apart a high quality EVDO PCCard like the Kyocera KPC650, you'll find that the PCCard itself has a metal cage to protect its' components from said hostile environment as well as protect the environment from the PCCard.

I know there are other adapter cards out there based on the TI chipsets, Vadem chipsets and believe it or not, the intel chipsets (compatibility with the intel i82365 register set is basically a requirement these days for all such devices). Though I do have Vadem based cards here, they are for my DEC Alpha boxes and I'm not willing to fight that battle at the moment.

Last but not least, there is the issue of USB. Many of the EVDO PCCards are actually USB devices with one or two USB-to-serial UARTS built into them. Since the EVDO PCCards are CardBus devices, there should be no requirements to have CMOS settings a particular way in your System BIOS (often called "System Setup"). It's the operating system job to probe the PCCards and figure out what they are but unfortunately, life is not that simple. If you have USB disabled in your CMOS settings, or if the your CMOS settings are not set to "Plug-n-Play" for the operating system type, then you *might* have problems with either your PCI-to-PCCard adapter or your EVDO PCCard.

The reason why you *might* have problems are actually fairly simple but, as always, the details are rather complex. If USB is disabled in the CMOS settings, then your operating system may not load USB support when it boots, and hence has no clue what to do with the USB divice that you plugged in (the EVDO card). The other possible problem is if you have your CMOS settings set to "No" on the "Plug-n-Play Operating System" field. When you set it to "No" the BIOS tries to configure the resources all devices you have plugged into the system and then hands this configuration to the operating system that loads. The result is there could be resource conflicts that the BIOS could not resolve and hence, your BIOS decides to ignore anything it can't remap to a different resource and some stuff simply doesn't work. These "resources" I speak of are Interrupt Request Lines (IRQ's kinda like a phone line) and reserved memory blocks (kinda link the phone number, a dedicated place which allows you to talk to that specific piece of hardware).

Previously in this thread, some suggested the "old solution" of taking all your adapter cards out, then plugging each adapter card into your system, one at a time, into your system, booting it, shutting it down and repeating the process until you finally have all your adapter cards plugged back into the box. Though this is a working solution, it is time consuming and more often than not, it is unnecessary when you understand the problem.

The problem is the CMOS settings which you set, such as the current date/time, are not the only thing that is remembered between power cycles. Your box also remembers the mapping/remapping of resources to most of the installed hardware and adapters. In some CMOS user interfaces, it's called "Plug-n-Play Settings" but it's also called "ESCD Settings" and "NVRAM Settings" and probably others but even worse, there are some systems from Dell, IBM and similar which do not give you a simple way in the user interface to reset/clear the ECSD (Extended System Configuration Data). This is stupidity at it's finest, and resulted in the "Old Solution" outlined above. On most Dell boxes and probably others, you can actually reset/clear the ECSD settings but you have to know the super secret dance steps required.

1.) Enter the system CMOS settings ("System Setup") by hitting the F2 key when booting up (i.e. at the Dell logo screen).
2.) Hit the Num Lock key until the keyboard numlock light comes on
3.) Hit the Scroll lock key until the keyboard scroll lock light comes on.
4.) Hit the Caps Lock key until the keyboard caps lock light comes on
5.) Press Alt+E and many of the boxes made in the last 5 years will beep to let you know the ECSD data has been cleared.

There are probably similar dance steps for other systems from other vendors that lack a straight forward way to clear the ECSD settings, so you'll have to go digging through their sites/docs to figure it out.

On the first boot up after clearing the ESCD, the BIOS will rebuild the info by probing all the installed hardware. This should solve the ignored/missing hardware problem that some people face but if clearing the ESCD settings fails (or you can't find out how to do it), then try the "old solution" of removing all your adapter cards, booting the system, shut down the system, install one card, boot the system, shut down the system, install the next card ...

The last thing to watch out for is "shared slots" though you probably won't see any on a system built within the last five years. The "shared slots" are the places where you can install either a PCI or an ISA card (i.e. two connectors on the main board, one is PCI and the other ISA but there's only one hole/cover in the case to screw it down). Properly figuring out IRQ's and Memory blocks for such shared slots can be tricky and often the system BIOS and/or operating system get it wrong. If at all possible, avoid using the shared slots.

If the above is too laden with techno-latin to be comprehensible, you have my apologies. It's always tough to judge experience levels of a reader and I did my best to put it all down in a way that would make sense to as many people as possible.

If the above seems too over-simplified, again, you have my apologies. If you want to debate the technical deficiencies of my statements, let's do it in a separate technical thread so we don't bore everyone else with acronyms and theory, but be warned, I'll probably agree with you. ;-)

rockingmtranch · Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 9:59 am Post subject: Evdo

Excellent Mr. Roberts. Thank you very much!

Michael · Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:52 pm Post subject:

Hello J.C.,

I have to agree, this is a great post. Looking forward to more of your contributions!
_________________
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Rangerw · Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:56 pm Post subject:

I purchased two of the SIIG PC-1012-S2s from Newegg ($39.99) when I first started learning this EVDO thing for the boss a month or so ago. I had the PC5740 card then and my desktop is loaded with numerous devices. Looks like a nightmare in the rear. In fact I had to move PCI cards around to get the SIIG to fit in with all the other cards. I have an Antec full tower with 3 optical drives, 3 HDs with 2 in a RAID-0, and numurous USB devices connected to it.

The SIIG and the PC5740 had terrible RSSI and wasn't really a viable option in my desktop but worked pretty good in my laptop. So I put the second SIIG in a Server 2003 box I had with minimum devices and it worked pretty good. I had it connected to my desktop via a switch and was using the server as a ICS device. Now the KPC-650 with an amp and booster antenna (from booster-antenna.com) greatly helped the RSSI of the card in the server box. So I tried it in my desktop again with the 650-amp-booster antenna and to my surprise the RSSI was great! Around -68 to -71. Seems getting the antenna away from the desktop box is a thing to watch.

I never tried the KPC-650 by itself in the SIIG, I may do some bench marking later with a few different configs.
_________________
A simple man.

Scott · Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 1:27 am Post subject:

J.C. Roberts · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 14 Nov 2006 Posts: 14

Well, the two SIiG adapters (Part# JJ-PC1012-S2) just showed up at my place and hopefully I'll get around to further testing with them sometime this evening.

You may want to note the SiiG cards actually DO USE a Ricoh chipset (R5C485), so making sure you run "Windows Update" to have your ms-windows operating system up to date will still be important.

Rangerw · Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 5:07 pm Post subject:

scott_tampa_bay · EVDO Newbie Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 6

I have a Verizon PC5740 card that I use just fine on my new Gateway laptop. I want to be able drop my DSL and just use the wireless. I bought a Startech PCI to PCMIA adapter card and installed it and the recent VZAccess Manager (5.8.2) on a HP Media Center desktop PC m480n running Windows XP. At first, I could log in but not get to a website or chat, etc. I was getting a Venturi error message. So I deleted Venturi. Now I can log in, but I get disconnected and the Verizon card acts like it is turning on and off.

Somebody else, on EVDO Forums, was having a similar problem of disconnecting on a Verizon PC5740 card. On a hunch, I also went into MSCONFIG and turned off the HP Update in startup.

Now I can get online for a few minutes, but then I get disconnected. Then it starts acting like the card is powering on and off. I notice the PC5740 gets really warm. In another thread, somebody voiced a concern about overheating. The customer service for Office Depot online and Startech leaves a lot to be desired.

jparrie · Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 4:08 am Post subject: Front Mount card socket 32 Bit

Ricks · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 24 Location: PA

I started with a desktop not a laptop. I used a SYBA pci/pcmcia contoller card and it works fine. Been using this set-up since 8/06. I just popped in the KPC650 air card went through the set-up and it works.
No reason why a desktop shouldn't work. I use a small external antenna which give me a slightly better signal.
I've also networked to my wife's desktop (hardwired) and use a wireless router/access point. We get EVDO throuout the house by wireless to my daughter's laptop.
I've had up to 4 user's at once, two desktops and two wireless laptops and EVDO works..
Ricks :o

JGriggs · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:46 pm Post subject: Quatech Cards?

I searched the forums on Quatech and only received a hit in this thread.

While browsing a Provantage catalog today, I came across two products from Quatech. One is a PCI to PCMCIA adapter and the other is a USB to PCMCIA adapter. The item that caught my eye was the advertisement for working with 3G cards and other wireless internet standards.

Popping over to their page at http://www.quatech.com/catalog/drives_pcmcia.php
Shows only a little more data.

Has anyone used these?
I know there is a similar product, but if memory serves me it had dismal performance. (USB to PCMCIA)
If either of these have been used, have they been used with Windows 2000?
Have you tried any other adapter that haven't worked previously?

I'm sure PCMCIA will soon be a dead standard someday soon, but I would guess there are a fair share of PCMCIA cards still out here. (I still have a KPC650, although it is not my main card at the moment.)

Thanks,
Jon

starta · EVDO Newbie Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

Hey everybody,

I have the same problem as Steve Brown....

I recently bought from newegg.com the Syba PCI to PCMCIA Controller Card Ricoh RL5C475(II) to get my aircards working on the desktop PC.

And I tried 2 different Aircards: Sierra Wireless S580 and the Merlin S720, on 2 different desktops, both using XP Home edition.

I installed the PCI to PCMCIA card in my desktop, I installed the evdo aircards: Sierra Wirellless 580 and Novatel S720 with the Connection Manager Application provided by sprint.com/downloads

In my Device Manager everything looks good, windows sees both EVDO modem cards - I can even do the dianostics test on the modems (kinnda latent though), but the Sprint Connection Manager doesn't see any of the EVDO cards.

I tried it on 2 desktops with the 2 different aircards - one at a time installed so there wouldn't be any conflicts ... but still not able to use it .... the Sprint Connection Manager doesn't see the EVDO cards ... once it was able to detect one of them but crashed the OS.

I read the reviews online on this forum and on newegg.com and users confirm they were able to use Sprint Wireless Data Air Cards with this product.

Any suggestions please? ... I'm running out of options.
Steve, did u get it up and running?

Thanks,

Sergiu

Quote:

SteveBrown wrote:

To the above success stories I add my frustrating failure story.

I purchased a RICOH RL5C475A PCMCIA to PCI Converter Card from BuyExtras.com. I intalled it into an empty PCI slot in my new Dell B110 desktop computer running Windows XP Home Edition, and I installed the drivers for the card from the included mini-CD. The Card showed up in Device Manager as a PCMCIA adapter and Windows reports it working properly.

Next I installed the Sprint PCS Connection Manager software, and when prompted to do so, inserted my Novatel Merlin S620 connection card, which works fine in my laptop pc, into the empty slot on the Ricoh adapter card. Windows reported that the new hardware was successfully installed. However, PCS Connection Manager could not detect the S620 card.

I un-installed the S620 card and the PCS Connection Manager software, and tried installing my Sierra AirCard 550, which also works fine in my laptop pc, following the same procedure, installing PCS Connection Manager first, then the AirCard. Again, Windows reported the new hardware successfully installed, and it shows up in Device Manager, but still PCS Connection Manager cannot find the AirCard.

In both cases, there were no apparent hardware (COM port or IRQ) conflicts. Connection Manager simply could not communicate with the connection card.

I am at the point where I say to hell with it. The purpose was to have a backup connection to the internet, in case my phone line or ISP fails. That is important because I do a lot of online trading. If the landline connection to the internet fails, I will just have to boot the laptop computer with the AirCard installed and use that.

I post this to find out if anyone else had similar problems and found a solution. It would be nice if all this hardware and software truly were compatible. It would also be nice if a manufacturer produced a PCI wireless connection card for desktop computers. It seems to me that would be a lucrative niche market. It would have an antenna jack and a handy antenna you could put on top of your computer's tower case or mount up on the wall. Where are all the tech entrepeneurs? Someone could make millions of bucks marketing a product like that.

sosaited · EVDO Newbie Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Posts: 6

EVDO has been recently launched in my country, and currently two companies are providing it, but only one has launched in my city YET, and that too with only a PCMCIA modem (They'll launch the USB modem in march, and the other company will be launching in a month or two as well). I can't wait as I am fed of my slow speed unreliable EDGE connection (I can't use anything wired as I am in a hostel), and most probably neither will stick to this EVDO provider permantnly as its quite expensive for me (though not if they provide close to 3Mbps), so I am getting it for one month for now.

I'll be going to hunt for a PCI-PCMCIA adapter tomorrow, and most probably I'll find one for around $30 (a chinese one and wishing for something else than Ricoh) and if I do get it, I'll get the evdo as well, and will post my detailed experience.

Fingers and legs crossed on this one Very Happy

ko4qc · EVDO Heavy User Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Posts: 117

I used one a couple years ago and the only problem I had was,with the PCI to PCMCIA adapter installed,the computer would not shut down..it would re-boot when shut down was selected...as I rarely shut down my computers it wasnt a major problem for me...:>)