KFP Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 2 x USB3.0 ExpressCard working on X201 with Mavericks: 1) GMYLE BC628 34mm USB3.0 Adapter (ASMedia 1042 chipset) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045BLP1S/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 2) AKE BC398 54mm USB3.0 Adapter (NEC Renesas uPD720202 chipset) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008CEN02Q/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 GenericUSBXHCI.kext supports both. you can install it from Source Project (search Google) I got 2.5Gbps, which is pretty good comparing with USB2.0 480Mbps. I am not sure, ExpressCard slot on X201 is version 1.0 or 2.0, or above cards are designed as 1x ExpressCard. I preferred ExpressCard 54 in X201, it just fills in all gaps, it seems more steady to plugin and out USB device with it. and uPD720202 seems more stable for hot swapping than ASMedia 1042! I read somewhere that ExpressCard can only reach 2.5Gbps as maximum bandwidth. it does not matter the ExpressCard slot is 1x or 2x. so the speed is correct. Download my GenericUSBXHCI.kext: GenericUSBXHCI.kext.zip (or http://yaodi.zzl.org/GenericUSBXHCI.kext.zip) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KFP Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 I also found and tested NEC uPD720202 chip based Express/34 because Levono T410, T420 only have Express/34 slot.It works same as Express/54 above, But only one issue to be aware, it seems inside the card, it use some cheap D/A converter. So if I connect a USB3 thumb drive. it is OK. external USB3 hard drive which has its own 5V/2A adapter, it is still OK. But if it is bus-powered external Hard Drive. no way to get it running and connected. The hard drive just cannot get enough power from the card to spin up (5400 rpm or 7200 rpm). I tested 2 cards. the same result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamessnell Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 I'm using the GMYLE BC628 with my 17" MacBook Pro (With OSX 10.10 Yosemite). I've got performance information about it posted here. I've also posted an expanded analysis here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1004ron Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 I changed to this card that has native support for El Capitan: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Port-USB-3-0-Upgrade-For-Apple-MacBook-Pro-15-17-ExpressCard-34-Adapter-/252359612763?hash=item3ac1ce195b:g:KxUAAOSwgQ9VwIvK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Hervé Posted May 4, 2016 Administrators Share Posted May 4, 2016 This actually seems to work OOB (so to speak) with Generic USB3.0 kext (I used Rehabman's latest). The BC628 certainly works up to Yosemite 10.10.5 under which it shows 2 x controllers in SysProfiler->USB: Under El Capitan 10.11.4 (the version I run), no controllers get displayed in SysProfiler but the card does work with USB2.0 and USB3.0 devices (I tested with USB keys of both types). NB: I bought a supposingly genuine GMYLE ExpressCard for peanuts on Amazon. Physical connection of USB devices is extremely poor and feels very loose. I can't say I'm impressed with the GMYLE adapter. I've bought another ExpressCard to test (NEC-based), hopefully it'll be of better quality. Comparative BlackMagic tests (max values observed) on my SandyBridge Latitude E6220: USB2.0 key in laptop built-in USB2.0 ports: 2.7MB/s Write, 12.3MB/s Read USB2.0 key in GMYLE BC628 adapter: 2.9MB/s Write, 12.8MB/s Read ----- USB3.0 key in laptop built-in USB2.0 ports: 8.1MB/s Write, 31.6MB/s Read USB3.0 key in GMYLE BC628 adapter: 8.7MB/s Write, 62.4MB/s Read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Hervé Posted May 7, 2016 Administrators Share Posted May 7, 2016 Received the AKE-looking NEC UPD720202-based ExpressCard I bought for even cheaper on the bay (from China)... If the GMYLE looked Ok, that one does not even look carefully built! Anyway, slotted it in and it worked OOB with the Generic XHCI kext installed. Despite the extremely poor look of the card, my USB keys fit in my tighter and do not feel loose at all. In fact my USB3.0 key fitted in so well that on extracting it, the ExpressCard comes out with it! I'm definitely advising to stay off cheap sales from on-line places. Genuine products from genuine brands (and probably genuine places) a must! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Hervé Posted July 9, 2016 Administrators Share Posted July 9, 2016 Cards working under Sierra in an identical manner as under EC (no controller listed in SysProfiler). They just require the Generic USB3.0 XHCI kext. Here the GMYLE adapter: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Hervé Posted August 10, 2019 Administrators Share Posted August 10, 2019 GMYLE BC628 EC34 card still works in High Sierra, Mojave and Catalina too. And still with Rehabman's good old GenericUSBXHCI kext v1.2.11. GenericUSBXHCI.kext.zip Now... where did I put that other Renesas-based NEC ExpressCard ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Hervé Posted June 29, 2020 Administrators Share Posted June 29, 2020 Found it! NEC UPD720202 card verified under High Sierra, Mojave and Catalina with same GenericUSBXHCI kext v1.2.11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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