Problems with PCMCIA cards

Please be aware that Advanced Relay uses a customized version of the Sealevel PCMCIA 3612 card. This card must be purchased directly from Advanced Relay or Alcatel CIT. The non-customized card will not work.

Our LayGO A02-ACC-1 PCMCIA card works on most laptops, but we have learned of some laptops where this card fails. Two types of problems have been reported:

• CRC errors
• Error code 10 during driver installation

This section discuses these errors, their causes and possible solutions. However, due to a lack of standardization on details of the PCMCIA implementation, we strongly suggest that before buying laptops, you test them with our card, using the procedure explained below under "Testing with WinTdrv".

CRC Errors

On some laptops the card driver installs successfully, but there is a very high number of CRC errors. This can be readily detected using our WinTdrv test program.

Testing with WinTdrv

To test a card on a laptop, install the standard LayGO distribution, insert the PCMCIA card and install the driver following the instructions in the LayGO Installation Guide. Then, run WinTdrv by clicking Start->Programs->LayGO Multiprotocol Toolkit->LayGO WintDrv - Internal Loopback. This will open a window like this:

Here, click Open, then Connect, and then Full Duplex. The program will transmit and receive frames continuously. If there are any errors they will be shown in the Session Log box.

Unfortunately, there is no solution to this problem other than trying a different computer or using our LayGO MG-100 card.

Error code 10 during driver installation

On some other computers, the driver does not install successfully and a screen like the following is displayed:

An error 10 means "resource conflict". The error is apparently due to a conflict between the computer BIOS and the cardbus controller. During driver installation the Windows operating system supplies the driver an IRQ number. When the driver tries to install the Interrupt Service Routine, using ISA type of interrupt (the type used by the Sealevel card), the system fails to install it.

An examination of the device manager will show a screen like this:

And double clicking on the problem card, you will see the following screen:

The possible solutions to this problem are:

• Update your laptop BIOS if possible. This does not guarantee the problem will disappear, but it is worth trying
• If the above does not fix the problem, you will have to try a different laptop, or
• You may get a LayGO MG-100 which most likely will work in your machine. Still, it is best to first test the card in the machine(s) you intend to use in your application before committing to the purchase of laptops in large quantities.

Laptops known to have problems

This list is not exhaustive. We have received reports of the following laptops showing errors with the Sealevel card:

• Dell Latitude C640
• Gateway 450ROG
• Toshiba Satellite Pro SP6050
• Dell Latitude D505 and Dell Latitude D600
• Toshiba Satellite M55
• Toshiba Satellite A100/A105
• Compaq Presario R3000
• Acer Aspire 3000
• Acer Travelmate 3210

Please note that in most of them, the LayGO MG-100 card works properly. Nevertheless, there are some where neither card worked (e.g. the Compaq Presario R3000 and the Acer Aspire 3000). Thus our advice of testing before buying.