seleryba wrote on 2024-05-06, 14:15:

Small discussion starter from me: I wonder if it would be possible to play sound with ISA modems and some fancy custom TSR/drivers?

No technical reason why not. It IS designed to create sound waves after all.
The quality is likely going to be crap due to the restricted audible range of phone lines limiting the modulator.
IIRC ~50-8000hz

The only reason to do something like that is because you can.
There's no other discernible benefit and literally every other solution will be superior in every way.

POTS simulators are not that hard to make.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8xOpIFWfZg&l … igLQh1viLgSvlCM

(Happy watching!)
(not my vids)

He has a github with a developed interface.

https://github.com/GadgetReboot/Phone_SLIM

That aside-- if you ask me, ABUSING a modem into acting like a soundcard, would be more interesting.

More interesting still, would be abusing the FSK tone generators to produce chiptunes.

myne wrote on 2024-05-06, 15:15:

The only reason to do something like that is because you can.
There's no other discernible benefit and literally every other solution will be superior in every way.

I fully agree - it is just for fun. Like maths equations as an exercise or sudoku. Because we can. 😄

wierd_w wrote on 2024-05-06, 15:43:

More interesting still, would be abusing the FSK tone generators to produce chiptunes.

Nice idea. And some special tracker software for that.

Funny enough, I think I've only ever come across 1 ISA modem. Plenty of PCI of course.
I'm more interested in external modems with their hypnotizing flashing lights.

I do plan to do this mini POTS setup, mainly for wacky wheels multiplayer (only supports modem/serial) and maybe mess around with some server type stuff
https://youtu.be/EGFIEF6siIE?si=aWWea14j0akbACve

wierd_w wrote on 2024-05-06, 15:43:

That aside-- if you ask me, ABUSING a modem into acting like a soundcard, would be more interesting.

More interesting still, would be abusing the FSK tone generators to produce chiptunes.

I think this is more in keeping of what the OP is talking about, and kind of like the idea as well

Stick these number strings in text files with an ATDT in front and pipe it to the serial port.... might need massaging with commas for pauses/timing. https://dumb.com/touchtones/

I would like to make more use of the digital sound capabilities of voice modems though, they seem a bit wasted normally.

Edit: might be AT0H or something with no phoneline connected, rusty on the hayes command set and learnt it piecemeal so always forgetting and remembering it in dribs and drabs.

I was meaning more along the lines of data transmission mode fsk, not dtmf.

The fact that it CAN do dtmf, means it can make 2 simultaneous tones. If it can make 3, we have enough to make chiptunes.

It would probably require flashing a new firmware to the modem though...

I love what The Serial Port is doing with their retro ISP setup. Wouldn’t be too hard to add that kinda kit into my rack so my retro PCs can access retro services.

https://youtube.com/@theserialport?si=xP945KezKpnF_0EU

If you wanted to do that sort of stuff you'd probably be after a PCI modem. All the ISA modems I've seen only expose themselves as bog standard serial ports.

jmarsh wrote on 2024-05-07, 06:34:

If you wanted to do that sort of stuff you'd probably be after a PCI modem. All the ISA modems I've seen only expose themselves as bog standard serial ports.

Since the modem galore "problem" fits even more to the PCI ones, I've changed the topic to extend the ideas list. Thanks

The "Hardware" modems might just look like a PCI bridge and a serial port still. Theoretically a winmodem is a programmable DSP kinda thing though.