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Definition: Mini PCI


Mini PCI is a subset of the PCI interface that uses a significantly smaller card form factor. Supporting only 3.3 volts and 32 bits of the PCI specification, Mini PCI was designed for peripherals such as network adapters in laptops, but also wound up in DVD players, HDTVs and other devices.

Type I, II and III
Type I and II cards have 100 pins, while Type III has 124. Type II cards include RJ-45 connectors on the board, and the card must be housed at the edge of the laptop so the sockets reach the outside. Type I and III cards connect to external RJ-45 sockets by cables. See PCI and Mini PCI Express.




Mini PCI Card
The Type III 124-pin Mini PCI card (60x51mm) from MikroTik (top) is a laptop Wi-Fi card. For size comparison, a PCI Ethernet adapter (middle) and SCSI host adapter are shown. (Top image courtesy of MikroTik.)