Cirrus Logic Inc, Fremont, California claims to have the first mixed-voltage Peripheral Component Interconnect-to-PCMCIA host adaptor capable of controlling two fully independent PCMCIA sockets with simultaneous use of 5.0V and 3.3V peripherals. Called the CL-PD6729, it provides a direct connection to the PCI system bus and supports both the PCI interface for iAPX-86 systems and for emerging technologies such as PowerPC. It measures two square inches, is claimed to support virtually any PCMCIA memory or input-output card, and has a Suspend mode that stops the internal clock, and an automatic Low-power Dynamic mode to stop transactions on the PCMCIA bus and turn off much of the internal circuitry. It’s $24 for 1,000-up next quarter.
