PCI conversion

[Elmo89m]

Im 99.9% sure this doesn't exist but i thought i would ask for sure and at least give people a reason to give me a hard time. Is there any device that i can plug a PCI device into which has a usb or firewire output, allowing pci connection to a laptop.

 

[bennychico11]

there are PCI expansions chassis like this
But I think they can get rather expensive. You'll have to look around

 

[ocnor]

Is this what you are looking for?
http://www.mobilityelectronics.com/expansion/products/expresscard_expansion/index.html

 

[bbeck]

i found one for $40.00 bucks at computer builders warehouse !

 

[Elmo89m]

great. Thanks a lot. that really helps me out.

 

[Elmo89m]

woah, expensive.

 

[Elmo89m]

will this work too?
http://nxn.netgate.net/dellcdockii.html

 

[fraserhutch]

Looks like it

 

[dgatwood]

Im 99.9% sure this doesn't exist but i thought i would ask for sure and at least give people a reason to give me a hard time. Is there any device that i can plug a PCI device into which has a usb or firewire output, allowing pci connection to a laptop.

Not unless the device has a PCI bus built-in that is exposed in some way. If you have a CardBus or ExpressCard slot, you can do expansion chassis. That Dell thing somebody mentioned works because Dell provides PCI signal lines on a custom connector. In the general case, though, if all you have is FireWire/USB, no it isn't possible. PCI is a lot faster than FireWire or USB.

I once considered mocking up a PCI-over-FireWire software bridge to allow one machine to use PCI slots in another over a FireWire connection, but I never got around to actually writing the first line of code. I sold my 1010LT and bought a FireWire interface instead.

 

[Elmo89m]

yeah it looks like im just going to do that. The dell bridge wont work with the laptop im getting, and there is no way i will drop a grand for the mobile elctronics expansion box.