Getting a Mini-pci 802.11b card to replace the AE card

[dcstimm]

Hey guys, I was thinking about a month ago, that the Airport extreme card looked very similar to a normal mini-pci card that is normal in a PC laptop.

I noticed that it even had the same type of antenna connector so as long as I could get the correct pin configuration it should work. (easier said than done)
But after about a month of playing with it I think I have figured out how to do it, It isnt for the faint of heart though because you have destroy a perfectly good AE card to get it working, and even then I cant guarantee anything.

(Warning this could kill your laptop)


On the wireless cards there is exactly 62 pins, but they are in a different order on the AE card, so what I did was I had to run 62 soldered wires from the toshiba card to the AE card that I cut in half. (I had to do this because the grove is different)

one I got it soldered I booted gentoo up and did a cat /proc/pci and sure enough it was recognized!

here is the output:
0000:02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications, Inc. AR2212 802.11b NIC (rev 01)

The toshiba card I used is this one:

http://www.superwarehouse.com/Toshiba_Satellite_802.11b_Wireless_LAN_Mini_PCI_Expansion_Card/PA3212U-3MPCR/p/247111

I am going to try to get a diagram of the pin layout later today or tomorrow if anyone is interested.

good luck