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I need to buy a modem

wilsonsammwilsonsamm
edited June 2009 in Chit chat
Preferably one that will fit into my PCI slot, and necessarily one that doesn't require Windows (I'll be using it on my Linux box for remote logins...)
Butwhere should I go to look for this kind of thing?
Post edited by wilsonsamm on

Comments

  • beanzbeanz
    edited May 2009
    wilsonsamm wrote: »
    Preferably one that will fit into my PCI slot, and necessarily one that doesn't require Windows (I'll be using it on my Linux box for remote logins...)
    Butwhere should I go to look for this kind of thing?

    Ebay or get someone on here to give you one for free...I've got about 10 but am in the US...so shipping would cost more than you could pick one up for locally......I bet you can get one by asking around..they are pretty obsolete these days or at least in surplus.

    Just make sure it's not one of them Winmodem things that only work with windows (virtual hardware?)
  • wilsonsammwilsonsamm
    edited May 2009
    Yes, those winmodems have most of the hardware emulated in software if I understand it correctly, which is why they often don't work that well with Linux.

    OK, so does anyone on here have one? I am interested in your offer, beanz, would you accept PayPal?
  • beanzbeanz
    edited May 2009
    wilsonsamm wrote: »
    Yes, those winmodems have most of the hardware emulated in software if I understand it correctly, which is why they often don't work that well with Linux.

    OK, so does anyone on here have one? I am interested in your offer, beanz, would you accept PayPal?

    If no one else more local comes forward I could dig one out and send it yes...give it a few hours though see if anyone else offers.
  • wilsonsammwilsonsamm
    edited May 2009
    Thank you!
  • beanzbeanz
    edited May 2009
    If you get no local responses on this PM me your address and I'll dig a few out this weekend..I'll send you 2-3 as I'm not really in a position to test them and you will have to look for drivers etc.
  • WinstonWinston
    edited May 2009
    wilsonsamm wrote: »
    Yes, those winmodems have most of the hardware emulated in software if I understand it correctly, which is why they often don't work that well with Linux.

    In the last decade or so, nothing except winmodems have been made (and they are truly an abombination - even with a new CPU they suck up excessive CPU time due to the DSP work the CPU ends up having to do). Some do have Linux drivers, you'll have to look at hardware compatibility lists to figure out which to use.

    When I was still using modems, this is why I stuck with external ones.

    Even so, you had to be careful in the latter years of modems - many USB modems used a proprietary protocol for reasons I can't fathom - because there's a perfectly good USB standard for modems called ACM, just like there's a USB standard for HID stuff like keyboards and mice. I even encountered an RS232 based ISDN TA that had a proprietary RS232 protocol instead of the typical Hayes command set!
  • Scottie_ukScottie_uk
    edited May 2009
    I remember my old PCI internal modem from 1997 was ace.

    It started out as a V34 providing 32kpbs.

    Though it's onboard program data could be flashed and upgraded.

    It first got upgraded in December 1997 to a V90 at 56kbps.

    and ended up in 1998 as a V92 at 56Kbps but with reduced handshake time.


    Not bad eh? They don't make them like that any more.
    Calling all ASCII Art Architects Visit the WOS Wall of Text and contribute: https://www.yourworldoftext.com/wos
  • WinstonWinston
    edited May 2009
    Scottie_uk wrote: »
    Not bad eh? They don't make them like that any more.

    Good job too, I wouldn't trade my Netgear ADSL2 router for a 56k modem any time soon :-)

    Incidentally, flashable hardware is very common these days, everyone uses flash for ROM rather than memory that can't be programmed in system like EPROM.
  • Scottie_ukScottie_uk
    edited May 2009
    Yeah but they'd never thet users upgrade such an item so much now. There would be some complication to prevent it.
    Calling all ASCII Art Architects Visit the WOS Wall of Text and contribute: https://www.yourworldoftext.com/wos
  • beanzbeanz
    edited May 2009
    I dug out 3 what appear to be 'hardware' modems (dated 95, 97 and unknown)....as I said..PM me if you want 1 or all 3 of these....Can't test them so not sure of speeds etc....and obviously no drivers.
  • ajmossajmoss
    edited June 2009
    Years ago, I got hold of a bunch of Mac LC475 computers (the pizza-box sized machines) from a local Freecycle user or a skip or somewhere. It's a sin to throw stuff like that away, so I went to considerable effort acquiring modems for the things, with a view to sticking an old 680x0 version of Opera on them, and flogging them off for a packet of Rolos (+75p postage) on ebay.

    Of course, you can't run YouTube's Flash video software on a 68040, and ebay has since married Lord Satan and is expecting the birth of its second cacodemon shortly.

    Luckily, my local Freecycle group includes someone who runs an after-school club for children to fiddle around with computer hardware, for which the flat design of the LC475 is almost perfect. I kept the modems, though.

    They're old, external voice/fax/modems: some K56, others US Robotics X2. I might still have power adaptors for them somewhere, but I don't have any spare serial cables. The modems have 25-pin COM sockets, and you'd probably need a 9-pin connector at the other end for modern motherboards.

    I'm sorry if this sounds like you need a key to the Midway.
  • AndyCAndyC
    edited June 2009
    I've got a reasonably decent PCI 56K Modem lying around which I know works (or at least did last time I tried), only plucked it out of my desktop the other week so I'd imagine it's still fine.

    PM me your address if you want it and I'll pop it in a Jiffy bag. :)
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