HearID Hardware FAQ
- Which hardware system/PC-card do I have: Bullet or HearID?
- What are the minimum laptop/notebook hardware, software, and operating-system specifications required for running HearID?
- I would like to use my own notebook/laptop with HearID. Is it compatible?
- My notebook/laptop has an express card slot but not a PC-card slot. Can I still run HearID?
- I am running the HearID system with the HearID PC-card and the MEPA and/or TE modules, and I am getting an "HID-board error" that reads "Av-error:Buffer size mismatch". What should I do?
- Are DP2000 and TE2001 (pre HearID products) and older versions of HearID compatable with Windows XP or Vista?
Q: Which hardware system/PC-card do I have: Bullet or HearID?
A: All HearID systems from R3.3 have a "HearID" PC-card. Earlier HearID (R3.2 and earlier), T2K, and DP2000 systems may use either a "Bullet" or a"HearID" PC-card. Bullet PC-cards have a Probe Interface Cable (PIC) - this is a small box with a green light and cable - that connects the ER10C probe to the Bullet PC-card (see image). HearID PC-cards just have a probe-adaptor cable connecting the ER10C probe and the card (see image). Also, HearID PC-cards have a gold colored strip on their top side, whereas the Bullet PC-card does not.
Q: What are the minimum laptop/notebook hardware, software, and operating-system specifications required for running HearID?
A: The minimum system specifications are:
- The HearID system must be run from an IBM-compatible laptop/notebook computer.
- Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, or Vista. Windows 7 has not yet been fully tested, but initial tests revealed no problems. 64-bit operating systems are not currently supported.
- An available PC-card cardbus (Type II) slot.
- The computer must be EN60950 (IEC950) compliant. If the system is a laptop that is not EN60950
compliant, it must be used in battery mode only. - Pentium class processor at least 1.30 GHz.
- At least 512 MB RAM.
- Color laptop screen.
- At least a 10 GB hard drive.
- CD-ROM drive.
- Recent version of Adobe Reader (for displaying the electronic manuals). The reader may be downloaded and used for free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
Q: I would like to use my own notebook/laptop with HearID. Which laptops are recommended? How do I determine if my laptop is compatible with HearID?
A: Your notebook/laptop must meet our minimum system requirements (above). The majority of laptops meeting these specifications are compatible with HearID. In some rare instances a laptop has had an incompatible CardBus controller. HearID connects to notebook/laptop computers through a CardBus interface card (PCMCIA Type II PC Card), with high-speed communication managed by the notebook's onboard CardBus controller chip. Notebooks/laptops with Texas Instruments, Toshiba, or Ricoh CardBus controllers are likely to be compatible with HearID. Notebooks/laptops with ENE or O2Micro Cardbus controllers may not be compatible. To see which controller your laptop uses, go to My Computer > View System Information. Choose the Hardware tab in the System Properties window, then choose Device Manager. Open PCMCIA Adaptors in the list. The adaptor for each PC-card slot is displayed. Alternatively, follow these screenshots. If you suspect that your laptop does not have a compatible Cardbus controller, contact Mimosa Acoustics or your vendor for more information. There is currently a work-around available for ENE controllers.
- Mimosa Acoustics recommends the following laptops for use with HearID: IBM Thinkpad X-series (if portability is a key requirement); IBM Thinkpad T-series (if the system will be used in one location).
- The following laptops have been successfully tested with HearID (using the HearID PC-card): IBM Thinkpad T40, T43, T61, X23, X40, X60, R60E, i Series 1300 1171-340; Dell 820; Toshiba Satellite M35X-5163, L15-S104, M45-S165; Gateway M340WVN; Winbook J4 G732.
- The following laptops are known to be incompatible with HearID: Dell Latitude 630.
- Please note that computer manufacturors can change their design or subcomponents at any time without warning, so this list is a guide, not a guarantee. To ensure compatibility, get your computer pre-installed and tested through Mimosa Acoustics or your vendor.
Q: My notebook/laptop has an express card slot but not a PC-card slot. Can I still run HearID?
A: At this time there is no express-card version of HearID. However, there are express-card-to-PC-card adaptors available (see image), which connect the HearID PC-card to the express card slot. Initial testing at Mimosa Acoustics has shown that HearID runs through an adaptor without any performance degredation. However, express-card-to-PC-card adaptors do not necessarily work with every laptop/notebook, and we cannot at this time recommend specific adaptors. We recommend contacting Mimosa Acoustics or your vendor for further information if you wish to use an adaptor.
Q: I am running the HearID system with the HearID PC-card and the MEPA and/or TE modules, and I am getting an "HID-board error" that reads "Av-error:Buffer size mismatch". What should I do?
A: Using the installation CD, choose the update feature to repair your drivers.
Q: Are DP2000 and TE2001 (pre HearID products) and older versions of HearID running with the Bullet PC-card compatable with Windows XP or Vista?
A: No, these products are not supported for Windows XP or Vista.
