Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-06-23, 03:13:I've been waiting for someone to make a modem thread. I found the craziest modem ever a few months ago... been waiting for the time to make a thread about it.
Three words: hardware wavetable synth
This needs to happen.
Retronautics: A digital gallery of my retro computers, hardware and projects.
Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-06-23, 03:13:I've been waiting for someone to make a modem thread. I found the craziest modem ever a few months ago... been waiting for the time to make a thread about it.
Three words: hardware wavetable synth
Your hint alomost gives it away, but I wonder if it is one of 2 scenarios I have in mind or something I have not heard/thought of . Either way, looking forward to that thread .
Okay, here you go guys:
E-Tech PC336ECA-PL = Strangest modem ever... with hardware wavetable.
Probably not as interesting as you were hoping. 😁
Now for some blitting from the back buffer.
Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-06-23, 18:06:Okay, here you go guys:
E-Tech PC336ECA-PL = Strangest modem ever... with hardware wavetable.Probably not as interesting as you were hoping. 😁
It is cool. I had forgotten about the ESS foray into modem chipsets . My guesses were an MWAVE or one of those Aztech/Packard Bell modem/sound cards .
darry wrote on 2020-06-23, 18:26:Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-06-23, 18:06:Okay, here you go guys:
E-Tech PC336ECA-PL = Strangest modem ever... with hardware wavetable.Probably not as interesting as you were hoping. 😁
It is cool. I had forgotten about the ESS foray into modem chipsets . My guesses were an MWAVE or one of those Aztech/Packard Bell modem/sound cards .
As mentioned in the thread, it's not so much that the card uses an ESS modem chipset that makes it interesting... it's that they made a card that includes an ESS Audiodrive chip AND an ES692S wavetable chip... yet it has no audio outputs on the back of the card, so it's not intended to be a sound card. Very odd!
Now for some blitting from the back buffer.
Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-06-29, 00:00:darry wrote on 2020-06-23, 18:26:Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-06-23, 18:06:Okay, here you go guys:
E-Tech PC336ECA-PL = Strangest modem ever... with hardware wavetable.Probably not as interesting as you were hoping. 😁
It is cool. I had forgotten about the ESS foray into modem chipsets . My guesses were an MWAVE or one of those Aztech/Packard Bell modem/sound cards .
As mentioned in the thread, it's not so much that the card uses an ESS modem chipset that makes it interesting... it's that they made a card that includes an ESS Audiodrive chip AND an ES692S wavetable chip... yet it has no audio outputs on the back of the card, so it's not intended to be a sound card. Very odd!
That J4 jumper block might be meant for audio break-out .
Some time last year I set up a dial-in connection for one of my retro PCs just for the fun of it.
Components used:
- Windows 2000 Advanced Server machine to act as a RAS server
- Dell USB modem hooked up to the server (any other non-winmodem will do)
- Windows 2000 Professional machine (the "client")
- ELSA Microlink 56k modem hooked up to the client (any other modem will do, obviously)
- an old Fritz!Box 7170 home router with built-in PBX functionality. Those are very popular here in Germany and can be found very cheap. Key success factor is that these things have at least two analogue phone ports that support internal calls between them.
Hooked everything up like this:
Client PC --> ELSA modem --> Fritz!Box <-- Dell modem <-- Server --> LAN --> router --> broadband internet
I found this to be the easiest way to setup a dial-in connection, mainly because the PBX setup of the Fritz!Box is really straightforward. Fiddling around with Win2k RAS services was the most time-consuming part, but there are still plenty of guides online that show how to do it.
Of course, this setup has zero advantage over just hooking up the retro PC to the LAN.
