Compact Flash Extension Cable?

**maloosheck** · 06-01-2007, 11:42 PM

The motherboard I am using for my carpc project has a nice feature of Compact Flash Socket. The only problem it is on the bottom of the PCB.

Is there any extension cable available on the market I could use to have it available from outside of the enclosure?

Or maybe it would be better to use the CF socket for WiFi/Bluetooth card instead, and get the USB multi card reader?

Thanks,

**tom61** · 06-02-2007, 04:18 PM

How long do you need? There are adapters designed for industrial testing, but are usually short, and probably expensive.

Also, on most boards, the CF slot is connected to IDE, and won't work for anything but storage cards.

**maloosheck** · 06-04-2007, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by tom61

How long do you need? There are adapters designed for industrial testing, but are usually short, and probably expensive.

Just few inches. Are there any ribbon type connectors I could buy and fabricate it?

Originally Posted by tom61

Also, on most boards, the CF slot is connected to IDE, and won't work for anything but storage cards.

So WiFi/Bluetooth will not work?

DIGItonium · 06-04-2007, 01:40 PM

Digikey and Newark sells some connectors for ribbon cables. How many pins?

Here's a 44-pin 2mm pitch ribbon cable connector that I ordered last week for work-related project:
89947-344LF (DIGIKEY)

You can find ribbon cables there as well.

-Phuong

**tom61** · 06-04-2007, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by maloosheck

Just few inches. Are there any ribbon type connectors I could buy and fabricate it?

Should be possible, but finding the correct pitch and connector is fairly difficult. I found a person who made thier own extender: http://homepage.eircom.net/~podge001/CF%20Extender.html

There's also a comercial, fairly easy to find, PCMCIA to CF (lets you plug PCMCIA into a Pocket PC's CF slot) that is flexible, if you were to pair it with a CF to PCMCIA adapter, that might work for you.

So WiFi/Bluetooth will not work?

It depends on your board. If there is only one IDE connector availible, then the CF is likely connected to the other channel and is only for storage cards. What board do you have?

**maloosheck** · 06-04-2007, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by tom61

Should be possible, but finding the correct pitch and connector is fairly difficult. I found a person who made thier own extender: http://homepage.eircom.net/~podge001/CF%20Extender.html

It seems like the way to go... I found this but it seems to be too short...

Originally Posted by tom61

It depends on your board. If there is only one IDE connector availible, then the CF is likely connected to the other channel and is only for storage cards. What board do you have?

Well, it seems like it is the case. The board is iBase ECX800.