Someone have tried this? Will work like magma?

[lagoausente]

Have been mentioned in other thread but the Pcie adapter, but there is aswell the Expresscard option, much cheaper than magma:

http://www.virtuavia.eu/shop/expresscar ... 29858.html
http://cgi.ebay.es/Expresscard-to-4-slo ... 414948a3a9

Any experiences with this?

[garyb]

quite some time ago there were very unsatisfactory results from a pz'er. i don't remember who tested it.

[lagoausente]

Found the threads;

http://forums.planetz.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22524
http://forums.planetz.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=24246

[kylie]

gary, I think it was the box that could power only one card. I still use that particular box (bought it from jonathan / bill3107) for other purposes than hosting audio cards (especially testing pci cards of all kind and running a AVM B1 active isdn card with 5V pci interface ).

the backplane for use with a dedicated atx psu should be able to solve this, but though I have it shrinkwrapped 4 foot behind me I couldn't put it into a case and power it up yet...
I managed to get a 4U case for it meanwhile, and a psu is the next thing on my list. next week I expect the advent of my latest 14dsp board, and then the transfer will be done from a quite noisy 4-slot magma to the new enclosure. well, I might run the MV tests to have some before-after stats...

[garyb]

well, maybe some questions can be answered then. good that it works with a single card, though...

[lagoausente]

re. well, I might run the MV tests to have some before-after stats...

I´m very interested on that MVs test.
Another question, is there any way to use this expansion box with a computer with pcmncia? or is not avaible?

[kylie]

I´m very interested on that MVs test.

I'm quite curious, too

Another question, is there any way to use this expansion box with a computer with pcmncia? or is not avaible?

no way. this is a pcie to pci expander, so the host card can't be anything but pcie or express card (bein g the successor to pcmcia).
these host cards are quite cheap, btw, especially when compared to the magma stuff. maybe they don't provide full possibilities like magma does, but that has still to be proven...

[lagoausente]

I´m very interested on that MVs test.

I'm quite curious, too

Another question, is there any way to use this expansion box with a computer with pcmncia? or is not avaible?

no way. this is a pcie to pci expander, so the host card can't be anything but pcie or express card (bein g the successor to pcmcia).
these host cards are quite cheap, btw, especially when compared to the magma stuff. maybe they don't provide full possibilities like magma does, but that has still to be proven...

What´s the brand name of this expansion box?
Don´t you have both, this one and the magma already?

[kylie]

What´s the brand name of this expansion box?

I think it is sold under various brand names. in D/A/CH it is (at least) sold as exsys.

Don´t you have both, this one and the magma already?

ok, for clarification:

1) I have a 13 slot magma box (dec chipset) that runs with a 32bit pci host card, but not with the pcmcia card I bought from a member here. I plan to sell it as I don't need that many slots anymore.
2) later I bought a 4 slot magma box (pericom) that is at least recognized with the pcmcia card and works as well with the pci card. I'm a bit undecided whether to keep it or not. depends on testing results.
3) I have a shrinkwrapped slot exsys backplane with pciex1 hostcard that is meant to be powered by a standard atx psu to overcome the power distribution limit of 4). if it works fine this will become my expansion of choice.
4) I bought (for testing reasons) a used 4 slot (virtuavia) short enclosure that neither powers more than one dsp card nor is able to machanically hold cards longer than a luna.
because I wanted it for other reasons than holding scope cards this isn't a show stopper for me. as it is ideal for testing I will most probably keep it.

the limiting factor is workspace and time right now as well as it was the last months...

[lagoausente]

The used Virtuaria has Expresscard? or do you have expresscard laptop?
If you have it you could do a quick Mv testing using the expresscard hostcard from the used Virtuaria with the shrinkwrapped chassis and only one card, maybe?

[kylie]

The used Virtuaria has Expresscard? or do you have expresscard laptop?

no, I neither have the expresscard host card nor an express card enabled laptop. my notebook is from the P2 era (I told you via pm already ) and is also not suitable for a mv test via pcmcia. I'm happy it still works at all...
I don't think you'd be interested in a test with 4.x which is the latest release that would run on it since it is on w2k. I neither plan to go xp nor would this be done quickly since the dvd drive already gave up working...

all I can do is a comparison between magma via pci32 and exsys via pciex1. I expect card no3 every day now, and I have to grab the case from a big pile of tech stuff, remove everything inside, put a psu and the backplane into it and... well see what happens...

[lagoausente]

(I told you via pm already )

True, I have some chaos with diferent guys and pm so I didn´t remember, but I do now.
I don´t care much about Pci-e test, in case of want use a desktop mainboard I don´t find much interesting using an expansion box (I know is useful for sharing pci between Pcs). Considering a desktop mainboard there is the alternative about the Xite-0.0x verions that have appeared in this forum using micro-atx and mini-atx mainboards.
Regarding laptop use interesting should be a comparison between Xite-1, Magma and Exys through expresscard.
Ibm thinkpads T43 are at around 300-350 euro on Ebay, and they have both pcmcia en expresscard, so seems a wonderful laptop comnpatible with new and old devices.

[kylie]

Regarding laptop use interesting should be a comparison between Xite-1, Magma and Exys through expresscard.
Ibm thinkpads T43 are at around 300-350 euro on Ebay, and they have both pcmcia en expresscard, so seems a wonderful laptop comnpatible with new and old devices.

feel free to send me one, and I'll get me the ec hostcard and tell you how it performs

[lagoausente]

Regarding laptop use interesting should be a comparison between Xite-1, Magma and Exys through expresscard.
Ibm thinkpads T43 are at around 300-350 euro on Ebay, and they have both pcmcia en expresscard, so seems a wonderful laptop comnpatible with new and old devices.

feel free to send me one, and I'll get me the ec hostcard and tell you how it performs

I´m afraid I am even in worse position, have no laptop with Expresscard and should buy it only if know the improvement with the exys. My comment was for any other user (if exists) that may has the exys, but seems that there is no other one who have it... so seems dificult on the horizon.

[kylie]

well I'm out of the game for the laptop part, then. for now.

[lagoausente]

well I'm out of the game for the laptop part, then. for now.

Money,, always money

[lagoausente]

I thinking again about this issue.
Pcmcia has a teorical max bandwith of 132mb/s, but that´s similar to PCI, isn´t?
I can load 8 masterverbs with my old pcmcia magma. How much masterverbs can you load on a desktop with a moderm mainboard?
On the other hand Exsys seem to have 250mb/s, but if it´s any improvement using only one card if PCI itself is 132mb/s?

Edit: have just found the Masterverbs thread; http://forums.planetz.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=17078&h

I´m having 8 masterverbs with the 2 slot magma, not far away of many users using desktop..