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[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

We have two Megahertz ethernet cards which both use smc91c92_cs.o (and 
8390).  The 10BT/2 works in all our laptops.  The XJEM3336 modem is 
working right now, and I set up /etc/pcmcia/config as follows but tho 
smc91c82_cs inserts, ifconfig does not find it - no such device. These are 
both 16-bit cards.

 While hunting for the proper config for them, I ran 
across someone who had given up on the Linksys wpc11 (?) rtl8180 wireless 
card which won't work for us (even with the Win98 drivers) because Linksys 
told him the card needed newer hardware.  Our32-bit 3com ethernet card 
wont' work in the 100MHz linux (1995 or 1996?) laptop.  I will try it in 
the 200MHz 1997 Win98 laptop (with Yamaha XG sound).

The wireless card worked in a newer laptop with DamnSmallLinux.

Are there older non-cardbus wireless PCMCIA cards?  Our other wireless 
card uses the same rtl8180 module and nobody has given us a new laptop.

PCMCIA 2.0 is 16-bit and comes in types I II and III (which is double 
thick, used only for external hard drives, and no longer made).

PCMCIA 2.1 is 32-bit cardbus and was introduced in 1995.  You would think 
our 1997 and 1998 computers would have it.  This type of card won't plug 
into the older slot, says Wikipedia.

So why would a recent (2004, I think) cardbus card not work in a 1997 
pcmcia slot?  Maybe the software needs something specific about the 
hardware?

So I am sticking with 10MB ethernet cards (plain PCMCIA not cardbus)
I got hold of this combo card because someone else gave it away.  The 
modem part is working right now.

I set up /etc/pcmcia/config by adding:

device "smc91c92_cs"
    class "network" module "misc/8390", "smc91c92_cs"


(For the single-purpose card:)
card "Megahertz CC10BT/2 Ethernet"
    version "Megahertz", "CC10BT/2"
    bind "smc91c92_cs"

(Or card "Network Card"
    function network_adapter
    bind "smc91c92_cs"
will also work if you don't ever change ethernet cards)

The multipurpose card serial part worked, but it did not find the ethernet 
part when I used the generic
card "Network Card"
section above that worked with the simpler ethernet-only card.  It found 
the card with the following and I think inserted the module (things get 
complicated when you keep putting the card in and out and at one point I 
inserted it manually.  I got the usual response about trying to start eth0 
- we don't have that set up so I have to do it manually with ifconfig.

The config file paragraph is:

card "Megahertz CC/XJEM3336 Ethernet/Modem"
    version "Megahertz", "CC/XJEM3336", "DATA/FAx/cell ethernet modem"
    bind "smc91c92_cs"

With the first card (not the combo) I can
ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.1

This does not work with this second card.  'no such device'

Am I doing something wrong, or is the ethernet part of the card dead?
Frequently people donate equipment to where we got it from because it is 
broken, and it is our job to figure that out.


I have a couple of other cards without dongles to try.  Maybe the dongle 
from this one will work with them?  A linksys 'Combo' card that is 
supposed to work with either RJ-45 or BNC, and for which I have a Farallon
BNC dongle (but no other BNC dongle and I want to transfer between 
laptops).  And  Xircom Credit Card 11PS.  Are dongles interchangeable 
between manufacturers?

FOr the two Megahertz models, we had to make a crossover adaptor.  One 
comes with a built-in cable which plugs into the adaptor, and we plugged a 
non-crossover cable from the combo card to the adaptor and all was going 
well until the 'no such device'.

I may just use laplink pro and a parallel transfer cable in DOS since this 
is only a 19MB BL3.40 tgz file.  Another option is to transfer via a 
desktop computer and use the same pcmcia ethernet card in both laptop 
computers, for bigger files.

How can I change the cursor from underline to big square so I can find it 
on this passive LCD screen?  My connection is so slow right now it takes 
10 sec to move the cursor and I need to be able to spot where it ended up.

keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - 'http://sdf.lonestar.org