Good people, if you ever open a BBS, please post the number here) Now I'm using mostly the fax part in my Genius PCI, and that is two-three times per year. Would love, love, love to call a BBS once.

Halofiber86 wrote on 2025-06-16, 20:03:

Good people, if you ever open a BBS, please post the number here) Now I'm using mostly the fax part in my Genius PCI, and that is two-three times per year. Would love, love, love to call a BBS once.

I'm not aware of any public landline BBS anymore, but there are a few that you can reach over telnet, which can be used along with this project (The RetroExternalModem) to make it look like you're dialing to a phone number instead of telnetting. Your computer wouldn't know the difference and as it has the same look & feel of an actual external modem, you wouldn't even notice much of a difference as well.

It's almost worth taking one of these cases, and making it into a router for your internet too.

the3dfxdude wrote on 2025-06-16, 21:27:

It's almost worth taking one of these cases, and making it into a router for your internet too.

Might be, indeed.

Really cool! 😎
Congratulations on a job well done! 😃👏

Nostalgia is a funny thing.
Not even 5 years ago I considered modems junk.
It's only in the last 2 years have I been on the lookout and managed to find a few old modems to build my own little dial up network with an ATA.

Personally I'm thinking it'll be useful for file transfers on old laptops that lack network and for the few games that have modem but no LAN multiplaer mode
(yes null-modem is an option but not as cool)

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-16, 20:12:

I'm not aware of any public landline BBS anymore, but there are a few that you can reach over telnet

There are actually almost a thousand listed at https://www.telnetbbsguide.com/ And if you use the "modem" filter a handful of them still has a phone number to dial! (if you can find a number in your country of course...)

Jo22 wrote on 2025-06-16, 23:18:

Really cool! 😎
Congratulations on a job well done! 😃👏

Thanks!

chinny22 wrote on 2025-06-17, 04:51:

Nostalgia is a funny thing. Not even 5 years ago I considered modems junk. It's only in the last 2 years have I been on the look […]
Show full quote

Nostalgia is a funny thing.
Not even 5 years ago I considered modems junk.
It's only in the last 2 years have I been on the lookout and managed to find a few old modems to build my own little dial up network with an ATA.

Personally I'm thinking it'll be useful for file transfers on old laptops that lack network and for the few games that have modem but no LAN multiplaer mode
(yes null-modem is an option but not as cool)

haha you got the spirit, that's what this is about.
In most cases it would be meaningless, you could just put in an ethernet base-T NIC card and be happy with network connectivity, but this is about nostalgia.
And yes, it is specially useful for old laptops or 'strange' machines like PDAs which can support external modems but not Ethernet Base-T.

konc wrote on 2025-06-17, 06:31:

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-16, 20:12:

I'm not aware of any public landline BBS anymore, but there are a few that you can reach over telnet

There are actually almost a thousand listed at https://www.telnetbbsguide.com/ And if you use the "modem" filter a handful of them still has a phone number to dial! (if you can find a number in your country of course...)

Nice! There isn't any number even slight near my country but it kind of doesn't matter anymore since phone call prices are really cheap.
The only problem today is to have a landline available since they don't sell it anymore. VoIP swallowed everything.

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-17, 07:14:

The only problem today is to have a landline available since they don't sell it anymore. VoIP swallowed everything.

If you have a SIP device like a Linksys SPA you don't need a landline. You can use a service like cheapconnect.net and call landlines with that. Using that sometimes with my retro pc's with real modems.

Nice project btw. Especially the 3D case. But why did you use a Raspberry Pi 3B and not a cheaper Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W for example?

Yoghoo wrote on 2025-06-17, 09:20:

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-17, 07:14:

The only problem today is to have a landline available since they don't sell it anymore. VoIP swallowed everything.

If you have a SIP device like a Linksys SPA you don't need a landline. You can use a service like cheapconnect.net and call landlines with that. Using that sometimes with my retro pc's with real modems.

Nice project btw. Especially the 3D case. But why did you use a Raspberry Pi 3B and not a cheaper Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W for example?

Actually ATA devices like Linksys (and other brands as well) don't really behave that well when dialing landlines for data services like BBS and ISPs, they tend to be pretty unstable tough, we did many tests using both hybrid IPBX and landline services as well as "full" side-to-side IPBX and in most cases it really s*ck (it depends on codecs, etc).

Now regarding the case:
Because the Raspberry Pi 3B was the most sold Raspberry device, so it's easier to find people with an used one lying around.
At least in my country is nearly impossible to find an used Zero 2W and a brand new one costs actually more than an used Pi3B, also the case should fit with both raspberry 2B and 5 (but not Pi 4 and Pi 1) so people with those devices could try it on and maybe get it on the budget.

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-17, 07:05:

Jo22 wrote on 2025-06-16, 23:18:

Really cool! 😎
Congratulations on a job well done! 😃👏

Thanks!

You're welcome!
This project reminds be a tiny bit on another one here in my home country.
There are folks who have managed to build an emulator of an old postal modem, the (in)famous DBT-03.
It was used to access the information service of our former postal agency.
The project also uses a Raspberry Pi, but doesn't feature a nice case replica yet.Video of the emulated service.

Jo22 wrote on 2025-06-16, 23:18:

You're welcome! This project reminds be a tiny bit on another one here in my home country. There are folks who have managed to […]
Show full quote

You're welcome!
This project reminds be a tiny bit on another one here in my home country.
There are folks who have managed to build an emulator of an old postal modem, the (in)famous DBT-03.
It was used to access the information service of our former postal agency.
The project also uses a Raspberry Pi, but doesn't feature a nice case replica yet.Video of the emulated service.

What a cool niche device, didn’t even know something like that ever existed.
But it seems like this wasn’t something people would have at home. Was this device used in public places like the metro or something? (I think he may have explained it in the video, but I don't understand German, and the subtitles weren’t very good either).

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-18, 00:40:

Actually ATA devices like Linksys (and other brands as well) don't really behave that well when dialing landlines for data servi […]
Show full quote

Yoghoo wrote on 2025-06-17, 09:20:

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-17, 07:14:

The only problem today is to have a landline available since they don't sell it anymore. VoIP swallowed everything.

If you have a SIP device like a Linksys SPA you don't need a landline. You can use a service like cheapconnect.net and call landlines with that. Using that sometimes with my retro pc's with real modems.

Nice project btw. Especially the 3D case. But why did you use a Raspberry Pi 3B and not a cheaper Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W for example?

Actually ATA devices like Linksys (and other brands as well) don't really behave that well when dialing landlines for data services like BBS and ISPs, they tend to be pretty unstable tough, we did many tests using both hybrid IPBX and landline services as well as "full" side-to-side IPBX and in most cases it really s*ck (it depends on codecs, etc).

Now regarding the case:
Because the Raspberry Pi 3B was the most sold Raspberry device, so it's easier to find people with an used one lying around.
At least in my country is nearly impossible to find an used Zero 2W and a brand new one costs actually more than an used Pi3B, also the case should fit with both raspberry 2B and 5 (but not Pi 4 and Pi 1) so people with those devices could try it on and maybe get it on the budget.

Strange to see that much difference in price in other parts of the world. We can get a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W for € 16,93 here. A Raspberry Pi 3B costs € 43,24 (same price as an Raspberry Pi 4 1Mb btw). But now I know why you choose that. 😀

Didn't encounter any problems calling with my Linksys SPA to landlines (both modems and faxes) but indeed you need to setup the codecs etc correctly. So you need to have some technical background regarding that topic.

Yoghoo wrote on 2025-06-17, 09:20:

Strange to see that much difference in price in other parts of the world. We can get a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W for € 16,93 here. A Raspberry Pi 3B costs € 43,24 (same price as an Raspberry Pi 4 1Mb btw). But now I know why you choose that. 😀

Didn't encounter any problems calling with my Linksys SPA to landlines (both modems and faxes) but indeed you need to setup the codecs etc correctly. So you need to have some technical background regarding that topic.

It's called taxes and my country likes to take 'em to the extreme.
However, the code should be compatible with Zero 2W as well and regarding the case you can glue it using double sided tape or some short screws, on the back side once you 3d-print it, it will have a detachable plastic where the holes for network and USB of the pi3b should be, so just don't detach 'em and you're good to go with 2W. Have a nice hacking 😉

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-18, 16:03:

What a cool niche device, didn’t even know something like that ever existed.

It's very vintage, a lot of my fellow countrymen don't know about it either. 😅

Edit: Sorry for the long post, I tried to make it as compact as possible.
I didn't mean to hijack your thread, either. My apologies if it looks like it, I'm too chatty. 🙁
I mainly responded to tell you that the Raspberry Pi was used in at least one
other project (DBT-03 emu) and makes sense, so your modem replica is far from silly.

In fact, it makes for a very authentic experience!
At first look, I wasn't sure which one was the original or if they were both replicas.
They look both so very similar (also checked the web for more photos)! 😅

I could imagine it being sitting next to a beige 90s Mac, a Windows 3.1/9x PC.
It would even fit an desktop with an Amiga 1000, C128D or a Schneider Tower AT 220 from the 80s.
The Sportster modem design looks confusingly both modern and retro same time!
It's beige and boxy, but the form also has something early 90s-ish to it.

Edited. Edited. Put everything into "details", so it doesn't dominate your thread so much.

Jo22 wrote on 2025-06-19, 21:56:

It's very vintage, a lot of my fellow countrymen don't know about it either. :sweatdrop: […]
Show full quote

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-18, 16:03:

What a cool niche device, didn’t even know something like that ever existed.

It's very vintage, a lot of my fellow countrymen don't know about it either. 😅

Details

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-18, 16:03:

But it seems like this wasn’t something people would have at home. Was this device used in public places like the metro or some […]
Show full quote

But it seems like this wasn’t something people would have at home.
Was this device used in public places like the metro or something?
(I think he may have explained it in the video,
but I don't understand German, and the subtitles weren’t very good either).

Hi, right, the terminal (Multikom?) wasn't used at home very much.
Probably because home users weren't the most common, either. 😅
French Minitel was different here, it aimed at the ordinary people.

That Multikom terminal thus was more of an office equipment, for the business men and women.
Travel agencies and accountants loved such devices, I think. And the service, too.
Btx terminals did indeed exist in public spaces, too.

The modem box, however, was sort of a standard piece of equipment. Slow, but simple to use.
It dates back to 1983 or so and uses vintage technology from 1980 (V.23 standard, 1200 Baud download/75 Baud upload, full duplex).
The microcontroller is comparable to the PC/AT keyboard controller, I think. It's a 4-Bit model?
All it does is dialing (auto-dial) and sending the user ID (hardcoded in a PAL or GAL chip, pre-EPROM tech 4-Bit PROM?).
It also does encode/decode ASCII characters, I think, speaking under correction.

The modem has internal jumpers for different pre-programmed phone numbers, I think.
There's no AT command set, though. Dialing works by toggling some serial port pins.
Besides auto-dialing, there's a manual dialing option, too, I *think*. And a physical "TEST" button.
So a Multitel, Multikom or handset could do the dialing into Btx service.

Here's a footage of a wall-mounted DBT-03: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZjXN6vMvlc&t=807s
If you look closely, you see an orange seal. It could been blue, too, depending on the maintenance status of the box.
Edit: More info: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

On computer side, the C64 or Multitel (a Btx phone) was very common.
Business users had used Amaris BTX software on PC, for example.
Though there also were software decoder programs for Atari ST/Amiga (Drews software)
and Windows 2.x/3.x (Fenestra, Amaris BTX, WinBTX etc).

Most if not all of them did also support accoustic couplers/modems. Or ISDN (by the mid-90s)..
To use them, users required to have to know their software ID (Softwarekennung) for login.
Because, without the hardware ID (Hardwarekennung, stored in the DBT-03) the users had to send an ID via computer.
Or use guest access (Gastzugang, demo mode essentially. Free of charge pages only.)

Here's some footage about the service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr62RbKPy6U
It's from 1996/1997 circa, when Windows 95 was out already. The video is about online banking and the risks.
The T-Online 1.2 software for Windows 3.1x still supported the obsolete DBT-03.
In additon to the latest modems at the time (the software had modem auto-detect and a modem database).
It also was available on MacOS.

OS/2 users had to use the Opalis decoder software, I think. Or use Windows version via WIN-OS/2.
Hm. I guess that's because OS/2 was more of an CompuServe platform. It had OS/2-CIM shipped, a native port of WinCIM.

Also common here were the Creatix modems. They were gray boxes, essentially.
They looked similar to these little "BTX modems" sold by Digitec or 1&1 (now a major ISP).
These little modems could do 1200/75 Baud, 1200/1200 Baud and 2400 Baud - depending on their serial number/revision.

Edit: Sorry for the long post, I tried to make it as compact as possible.

I didn't mean to hijack your thread, either. My apologies if it looks like it, I'm too chatty. 🙁
I mainly responded to tell you that the Raspberry Pi was used in at least one
other project (DBT-03 emu) and makes sense, so your modem replica is far from silly.

In fact, it makes for a very authentic experience!
At first look, I wasn't sure which one was the original or if they were both replicas.
They look both so very similar (also checked the web for more photos)! 😅

I could imagine it being sitting next to a beige 90s Mac, a Windows 3.1/9x PC.
It would even fit an desktop with an Amiga 1000, C128D or a Schneider Tower AT 220 from the 80s.
The Sportster modem design looks confusingly both modern and retro same time!
It's beige and boxy, but the form also has something early 90s-ish to it.

Edited. Edited. Put everything into "details", so it doesn't dominate your thread so much.

Wow, that was far better than I imagined your answer was going to be, thank you for that much of cool information.
That would be really a thing I would be very interested if it ever existed in my home country.
No problems for long texts, I really appreciated it. I really love computer history including niche stuff.

Regarding the External Modem, I really hope more people get to try it for themselves as I think it will bring them good memories as it does for me.

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-24, 03:36:

Wow, that was far better than I imagined your answer was going to be, thank you for that much of cool information.
That would be really a thing I would be very interested if it ever existed in my home country.

You're welcome. ^^

The Videotex services were available in a few more countries here, too, I think.
But the computer fans probably used CompuServe at some point, since it was more international.
So if you had visited CompuServe or AOL, Prodigy, GEnie etc, you hadn't missed out, either, I think.

CompuServe was best known for its e-mail service over here, I think.
It also had hosted forums of the big tech giants such as Microsoft, IBM, Apple and so on.
So things like latest patches, updates and support information was available there (alternatively, FTPs and local BBSes had existed, too.)

The drawback (to us) was that the mainframes were located in the US,
which meant that CompuServe didn't have its own dial-up logins over here.
Well, at least not in the beginning. By mid 90s they arrived here, I think.
So our national online services initially acted as gateways to CompuServe network in overseas.

Which worked fine, but we had to pay twice, hah. 😅
For e-mail this was acceptable, though, considering that the technology was so young still (and e-mail so quick!).
Also, I think, software like WinCIM could be configured to dial-in, get e-mails/send e-mails and disconnect.

AOL also appeared in my country, eventually, but that was by mid-late 90s, I think!?
I have to check. I merely know that AOL 3 software was fully localized over here already, so it wasn't that late.

Other users over here probably visited Fidonet, MausNet and so on.
Especially the Atari ST and C64/Amiga users at the time rather liked visiting mailbox systens/BBSes, I think.

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-24, 03:36:

No problems for long texts, I really appreciated it. I really love computer history including niche stuff.

Thanks, glad to hear! :)

caiot5 wrote on 2025-06-24, 03:36:

Regarding the External Modem, I really hope more people get to try it for themselves as I think it will bring them good memories as it does for me.

I hope the same! There are cool modern day projects such as internet BBSes and so on.
For example, there's FirstClass BBS running via Internet, it's a graphical BBS system that Mac users used to use in early 90s (Win 3.1 client available).
Or even more fascinating, there's NINA which revives AIM (also supports ICQ clients).
With RetroExternalModem the experience would be much more authentic, I think.
http://obsolyte.com/fc/ (Example of a FirstClass BBS)
NINA - Reviving old-school AOL Desktop, AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ