I have an hp zx5078cl running mepis on the 2.6.9 kernel. Everything's great except I'm not sure how to use the built-in sdram & memory stick pro ports on the side. I looked in linux-on-laptops for other hp's but I couldn't find any that address this.

First off, it's most likely a SecureDigital ("SD") card slot, not a SDRAM socket. SD is like Memory Stick (Pro) a flash memory mostly used in digital cameras and mp3 players.

The card reader found in most HP/Compaq laptops is a Texas Instruments subsystem piggybacked on the PCMCIA controller. It is almost completely undocumented (except for the firmware loader) so there is not much to go by if you're trying to write a Linux driver for it.

Please contact HP support and ask for technical documentation on the card reader so you (or the community) can write a driver. This is usually the most effective way of getting docs released.

I have a hard time understanding why TI are keeping these docs closed - it's probably not that unique hardware and not that advanced either. Getting the card reader fully supported in Linux would be a great plus for HP/Compaq as well.


Håkan