{{Short description|Expansion card for personal computers}} [[File:Goldstar IDE Plus V3 005.jpg|thumb|A multi-I/O card from 1993, manufactured by GoldStar]] A '''multifunction card''', also known as a '''multifunction board''', is a type of expansion card for personal computers (PCs) that combines the functions of multiple single-purpose cards in order to free up expansion slots for use with other cards. A multifunction card may combine the functionality of, for example, a random-access memory (RAM) card, a real-time clock (RTC) card, and a game port card.<ref name=exp />{{rp|51}}
A '''multi-I/O card''' is a type of multifunction card that specifically combines the functions of cards dedicated to input/output (I/O), including serial, parallel, floppy, and hard disk controller cards.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Hastings | first=Bryan | author2=Dan Miller | date=September 1993 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A14300151/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=1adfe26f | title=486 PCs with the Works | work=PC World | publisher=IDG Communications | volume=11 | issue=9 | pages=102 ''et seq''. | via=Gale}}</ref>
==History== Early multifunction cards were created for S-100 computers such as the Altair 8800. One of the first is the popular Processor Technology 3P+S that first appeared in 1976. It offers one serial port and three parallel ports.<ref>{{cite web |title=S100 Computers - Processor Technology 3P+S Board |url=https://www.s100computers.com/Hardware%20Folder/Processor%20Technology/3P+S/3P+S.htm |website=S100 Computers |access-date=23 December 2025}}</ref>
Multifunction cards had their heyday in the 1980s, especially with the rise of the IBM Personal Computer, which initially required several dedicated expansion cards for basic functionality (such as outputting video and controlling the disk drives), leaving few vacant slots for the user to install additional cards.<ref name=exp>{{cite book | last=Longley | first=Dennis | author2=Michael Shain | date=1985 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fpOvCwAAQBAJ | title=Expanding and Networking Microcomputers: Most Comprehensive Guide for Apple II and IBM Personal Computers | publisher=Palgrave Macmillan | isbn=9781349076253 | via=Google Books | pages=51–65}}</ref>{{rp|51}}<ref name=mcfip>{{cite magazine | last=Staff writer | date=November 14, 1983 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wS8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA76 | title=Multifunction cards for IBM PCs | work=InfoWorld | publisher=IDG Publications | volume=5 | issue=46 | pages=76–77 | via=Google Books}}</ref> Multifunction cards were also popular among Apple II users.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Maremaa | first=Tom | date=June 24, 1985 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ES8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA39 | title=Boards Add Life to Apple II | work=InfoWorld | publisher=IDG Publications | volume=7 | issue=25 | pages=39–40 | via=Google Books}}</ref>
The most popular of the early multifunction cards was the AST SixPakPlus for the IBM PC,<ref name="perrone19840625">{{Cite magazine |last=Perrone |first=Giovanni |date=1984-06-25 |title=AST Research Six Pak Plus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wS4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA63 |access-date=December 10, 2025 |magazine=InfoWorld |pages=63-65 |volume=6 |issue=26}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | last=Welch | first=Mark J. | date=August 25, 1986 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XC8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA25 | title=Multifunction Boards | work=InfoWorld | publisher=IDG Publications | volume=8 | issue=34 | pages=25–31 | via=Google Books}}</ref>{{rp|25}} which combines a serial card, parallel printer card, a RTC card, and a 384-KB-maximum RAM card.<ref name=mcfip /> The SixPak proved so popular that one in six PCs and clones had the card by the end of 1984.<ref name="gantz19850902">{{Cite magazine |last=Gantz |first=John |date=1985-09-02 |title=AST Burns Up Track With Sixpack Plus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ki8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA19 |access-date=January 13, 2026 |magazine=InfoWorld |page=19 |volume=7 |issue=35}}</ref> It spawned a cottage industry unto itself of so-called "SixPak clones", which closely mimicked its design and capabilities.<ref name="welch19860127">{{cite magazine |last=Welch |first=Mark J. |date=January 27, 1986 |title=Interest Grows in Generic Computers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=my8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA27 |work=InfoWorld |publisher=IDG Publications |pages=24–27 |via=Google Books |volume=8 |issue=4}}</ref>{{rp|27}}
With desktop computers, multifunction card became increasingly obsolete as the functionality of these cards began to be integrated into the motherboards of PCs, a trend that started in the late 1980s and solidified by the early 2000s.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Cummings | first=Steve | date=February 16, 1988 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A6237220/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=ecd75e21 | title=All the Rules Have Changed | work=PC Week | publisher=Ziff-Davis | volume=5 | issue=7 | pages=S9 ''et seq''. | via=Gale}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | last=Blackford | first=John | date=June 1995 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A16824035/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=29ef2289 | title=PC Boards go Multifunctional | work=Computer Shopper | publisher=SX2 Media Labs | volume=15 | issue=6 | pages=50 ''et seq''. | via=Gale}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Mueller | first=Scott | date=2004 | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Upgrading_and_Repairing_PCs/E1p2FDL7P5QC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22multi+i/o%22+motherboard++integration&pg=PA1194&printsec=frontcover | title=Upgrading and Repairing PCs | publisher=Que | page=1194 | isbn=9780789729743 | via=Google Books}}</ref> With laptops and subnotebooks, the multifunction card concept persisted for several more years with PC Cards; many laptops had only one or two slots for such cards, leading to many manufacturers developing multifunction PC Cards that, for example, combined modem cards with memory-expansion cards.<ref>{{cite book | last=Imdad-Haque | first=Faisal | date=1996 | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Inside_PC_Card_CardBus_and_PCMCIA_Design/Mr8xEbnHYngC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22multifunction+cards%22&pg=PA116&printsec=frontcover | title=Inside PC Card: CardBus and PCMCIA Design | publisher=Newnes | pages=115–131 | isbn=9780080534732 | via=Google Books}}</ref>{{rp|115}}
==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
Category:Computer peripherals Category:Motherboard expansion slot