Be Careful When Trying New Flash Cards

There are a lot more PC Cards on the market nowadays than when the HP 200LX was introduced. Some of the older cards are beginning to enter the "used" market at bargain-basement prices. The prices make them very tempting.

However, look closely before investing any money in a PC Card. The most critical number to look for is the current needed to run the card. HP designed the 200LX's card slot so that it would provide a maximum of 150 milliamps (mA). Some PC Cards require 300 or more milliamps. to work. They probably won't work on the battery power supplied by the 200LX.

Some users have found, however, that these cards will work if you plug in the Palmtop's AC adapter.

THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! In other words, don't do this. You may get the PC Card or modem to work but you risk destroying the PC Card port on the HP 200LX: not something you want to do. It's difficult to repair and may have a domino effect in destroying other parts of the Palmtop.

Consider the following analogy.

Drawing 150mA of electric current through the PC Card port of the 200LX is like letting sand fall through the opening in an hourglass. If you wanted to speed up the hourglass you could hook a suction pump to it. The sand would probably move through the opening a little faster but, after a while, friction would heat things to the point where the glass would break. Kiss the hourglass goodbye. A PC Card that draws more than 150mA acts much like an overpowered suction pump. It might work for a while, but it will eventually suck the life out of your Palmtop.