Conference noted::ibmpc-95

The following is extracted from the list of features for an
'AT&T Globalyst 515' 486 system that I am looking at for a 
friend.  

	Expandability: 

	    	PCMCIA 
     		Two 3.5" Internal Drive Bays 
     		One 5.25" External Drive Bay 
     		Free Slots: 3 Plus 1 Dedicated Business Audio 
     		Two Serial Ports 
     		One Parallel Port 
     		PS/2 Mouse Port

This is a desktop system, so I am a little confused about the
PCMCIA feature.  Does anyone know what type the 3 'Free Slots'
are likely to be (PCMCIA, ISA, other?)?  My friend is looking for
a low-cost entry-level system, and with cost in mind, I don't want
to limit his choice of future add-ons to PCMCIA only.

Thanks for any insights,

Greg   

The PCMCIA is likely to be an add-on option.  My Celebris 590 also offers
this - there's a dedicated slot in the front panel where one could install
a PCMCIA/IR "adapter".  The internal slots are likely to be ISA.

				Steve

    Could you butcher anything useful from some broken old 386 laptops with
    PCMCIA slots so that you could use PCMCIA cards on a desktop system?

How would you connect the PCMCIA slot to the desktop's bus?  In the laptop,
it probably talks to a dedicated interface chip on the main board.

				Steve

    Very few components in laptops are modular.  Because of size
    contraints, everything has been custom-fitted and custom connected. 
    There a vrey few connectors.  Everything is soldered, and interfaces
    that would normally be present, like ISA bus electronics have been
    discarded.
    
    You should see what the floppy disk drives in laptops look like now. 
    They look more like a metal floppy jewel case than a drive, and wrap
    around the floppy like a piece of foil.  You might use one in a
    desktop, but it would take a lot of finagling, new connectors, etc.
    
    jeb