856XE memory module card format

[tchiwam]

Look like a PCMCIA, but it has card edge fingers under a retractable shield.

 So not a PCMCIA, also much thinner than a type 1.

Any one has an idea on the format name, adapter to something that can adapt to something modern, etc etc ?

[kirill_ka]

It's a SRAM card. It contains some static memory and a battery. That's it.
HP48gx calculators used the same type of cards.
Advanced users of HP48g calculators used to solder SRAM chips instead of the cards.
http://www.finetune.co.jp/~lyuka/interests/calc/hp48g/hp48g-ram256k-sch.png
So the picture above essentially shows the card schematics (red color).

Obviously replacing SRAM with ROM makes the card read-only (= ROM card).

[tchiwam]

Thank you for the schematic, so all in all I could cannibalize an hp48g (get scolded for it) and read it from my eprom programmer or something to that effect...

No other less destructive manner to get the data out ?

[kirill_ka]

Thank you for the schematic, so all in all I could cannibalize an hp48g (get scolded for it) and read it from my eprom programmer or something to that effect...

No other less destructive manner to get the data out ?

So you just want to get the data out? If I got you right, the HP48g won't work. It doesn't have the connector.
Then you need 48gx. But I think 85620A would be a better option as a connector source.
If you do have an HP856XE, you can read the card using the GPIB interface.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/hp856xe-hackers-corner/

Also in theory* it's possible to read both the 85620A and the card by connecting a parallel programmer to the 85620A's bus interface.
* This may not work with of the shelf software as you'll need to configure address multiplexers in the 85620A.