This doesn't sound too promising!!no:

Regards

Andreas Neubronner

I just went into a big computer store and checked out other notebooks with ExpressCard slots. It's in all of them the same problem (somethings less and sometimes more). It gives me headaches to know that this connection is so unreliable!!

Best regards Herr Fuchs

Andreas Neubronner

I have mentioned the National Instruments product before (see link to manual below). Apparently scientists are also concerned about accidental cable/card disconnects during critical experiments and have developed a stain relief for laptops. I am ordering one of the strain reliefs from National Instruments I and will report back with photos if it seems to work well.

http://www.ni.com/pdf/manuals/321620a.pdf
http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/11950

Take a look at the diagrams in the manual. The device clamps the cable just as it exits the card. Therefore, it would seem to fix both the cable and the card into position.

Hi folks,

once again: this tiny little toy doesn't help really (sorry, Herr Fuchs). I was in a big computer store and checked more than twenty different laptops with ExpressCard-slot (34mm and 54 mm-slots). The problem is always obvious. The ExpressCard is not locked in the slot and only a little pull on the cable let the card slide out of the slot. There are little differences between the various brands only. The Exsys EX-10000 causes only a bit more stability of 34mm-cards which are inserted into a 54mm slot. It stabilizes the card only vertical but NOT horizontal. And there's the problem.

Sorry, but I must say: problem not solved at all (knowing that this is NOT a specific RME problem).

Regards

Andreas Neubronner

As I mentioned, I have taken some images of the National Instruments device which can clamp to cables or laptop cards of any type. The complete slide show with captions is available on my Picasa account with Google at:

[large]Slide Show of National Instruments laptop clamp[/large]

Alternative placement (below): device clamped to card only, allowing connection/disconnection of firewire cable while the card remains securely held in place with the clamp.

Anyway, it's sad that we have to rely on such clumsy solutions. I'm about to purchase the MADIface as well, so I will run in such problems soon...

Fortunately I still own the old version of the CardBus-Interface using that flat connector which can be locked to the card (for connecting the Digiface). First I was sceptical about this, but it has prooved to be reliable. Why did RME change this connector...?

Can anybody here make any statements on using the MADIface in real world? Any surprises besides the mechanics?

Ulrich

Today I got my MADIface. I also got the EXSYS-10000 Daniel mentioned above.

Nevertheless, mechanically it's a mess. It's hard to believe that you have to spend 1K EUR for this solution and still have to tape it together with the laptop in order to run it! Since the RME developpers do recordings by themselves I would have expected a more "real world proof" solution. Maybe RME could at least include the EXSYS-10000 to the package.

Anyway, I'm still waiting for a ADI-648, and then I will go outside to record a little bit. Hope I won't forget the tape...

Regards,
Ulrich

Bummer! The NI clamp works so well on my laptop (ThinkPad T61p) that I never remove it. Apparently it works best on laptops without significant obstructions beneath the card slot on the back of the laptop. Perhaps a work-around is to attach the clamp upside down with the 3M Dual Lock attached to the top (palm rest). For example:

http://www.rme-audio.de/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3593

Hi there,
I am a happy RME user since 2001. but now I made a mistake and bought the pcie card.
it might not sound nice, but as I see now this is a whide spread, very well known problem,
I would have liked to be warned somewhere bevore purchase. something like:
"you must be very very lucky to have a laptop that holds the card stable in the slot"
in my thinkpad I basically can make the card disconnect by looking at it.
its compeletly useless, now I have to send it back. I think for a 319,- professional audio solution (what excactly makes this card that pricy?) I would have expected that it ships at least with the above mentioned stabilisation adapter or something.
its disapointing. because: also the whole card doesnt look high qualitiy at all. the part with the firewire slot feels verticaly very easy breakable.
cheers,
su

hey isaac,
I can see that its sometimes maybe better to wait a day before writing in the certain moment of
dissapointement. actually I was very stressed because I have a lot of music work to do. so I would really like to make music, but actually also the card completely fails to install and I didnt get any answere abaout that issue the last days. also I might have to explain to you that all this has a history:
I wrote some emils to RME last year with questions about the PCIe card before buying it that have never been answered.
beeing a long time costumer that actually is not really satisfing.
so maybe you should better let them speak for themselfes.
thank you.
su

Yes, I use EX-10000 together with taping and it really works. I use crepe tape, BTW... Maybe RME should provide a roll of tape together with the MADIface...

Regards,
Ulrich