Quatech vs. 3.3V Parallel PCMCIA Card

We have had quite a few customers ask us the difference between the Quatech Parallel PCMCIA Card and the generic 3.3V card. Hopefully this will clear up some of the confusion.

Most laptops have 5V PCMCIA (cardbus) slots. Some newer laptops, however, have 3.3V ports because they prolong battery life. Check the Quatech Parallel PCMCIA page for a list of known 3.3V laptops.

Quatech is a very high-quality manufacturer. In fact, their Parallel PCMCIA Cards (as well as Serial PCMCIA Cards) are actually designed and manufactured in the USA. Needless to say, this is rare in the industry. They also offer top-level tech support for all of their products - from a retailer’s standpoint, I can’t say enough good things about Quatech. If the prices for their products seem a bit higher than the competition, it is because they have the “do it right the first time” philosophy - consequently, their labor costs are much higher.

Quatech has recognized the need for a 3.3V Parallel PCMCIA Card (their serial card already supports 3.3V laptops). They are expecting the new card to be available within a month - we will be the first company to purchase a batch of the new cards. Until then, if you have a 3.3V laptop, you are better off with the other card. The problem with the other card is that the manufacturer basically took a PCI card and rigged it up to work as a PCMCIA card. For this reason, we have about a 15% incompatibility rate on the card. This is unacceptable in the long-term, but we decided to carry it until Quatech releases their 3.3V card.

By the way, the 3.3V card works with 3.3V and 5V laptops - the new Quatech card will support both as well.