Are C-cards and Q-cards the same?

NOVICE

I've decided to use surface-mounted cards for programming rather than gold wafers - as, thanks to this forum, I learn they dissipate heat better. I know they are both surface-mounted, but can anyone confirm C-cards and Q-cards are one and the same thing.
Also I have a bunch of cards I used to use for D2Mac. Anyone know if any of the following might be of use for satellite or terrestrial digital:
1) Green PCB card with the chips PIC16C84 and eeprom 24C16.
2) Two gold wafers with what look like two parallel sets of three contact lines (ie six lines on the chip)
3) Two white wafer cards - one with six contacts lines on chip, the other with a much more intricate pattern
It's probably a stupid question but if any of them are of use, will I have to erase their content before they can be used, or can you just rewrite over anything which might be on the chip already? I'm getting a Millennium 2000 programmer.

2old4this

What are "C-cards" and "Q-cards"? Where have you come across those names?
Your green pcm 16c84 card is no good for digital sicne the "c" version of that chip needs to be an "f" version for digital (more memory).
And a goldwafer is a goldwafer is a goldwafer. If the thing is described as a goldwafer then it means it has a 16F84(A) PIC and a 24(L)C16 eeprom. Regardless of what the lines and circuits look like. And a goldwafer is the most commonly used for digital systems.

There have been various types of card produced in plain white plastic. You need to find out the specification of the internal chipset. Some are NOT suitable for digital reception (eg the single-pic cards, or the dual-pic master/slave arrangements used for some D2MAC)
Almost all programming utilities cause an implcit erase before writing to the card. But if you're in doubt, do it as a separate step (it's only one click more with the mouse....)

2old