[comp.sys.amiga] Can an Amiga emulate a Fax machine?

john13@garfield.UUCP (12/06/87)

If so, does software for the purpose exist or would it have to be written
specially? How about documentation on the Fax format?

This question comes from a guy in our user's group, this was an area he
mentioned from his work where a PC might be able to do the job just as
well.

John
-- 
"Klaatu barada nikto... I always wondered what those words meant."
"It means live from New York, IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!"
		-- Ronald Reagan (Phil Hartman) shows Mikhail Gorbachev
		   the Washington sights

dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) (12/06/87)

>Can an Amiga emulate a Fax machine?
>If so, does software for the purpose exist or would it have to be written
>specially? How about documentation on the Fax format?

	A Fax machine is little more than a simple modem, you can't emulate
one without some additional hardware on any machine.  I am not aware of
any software/hardware to make an Amiga a fax.

						-Matt

robert@trwind.TRW.COM (Robert W. Snyder) (12/09/87)

Robert Snyder
>If so, does software for the purpose exist or would it have to be written
>specially? How about documentation on the Fax format?
>
>This question comes from a guy in our user's group, this was an area he
>mentioned from his work where a PC might be able to do the job just as
>well.
>
>John
>-- 
I spent a little time on this, but not much.  Anyway this is info I collected.
When FAX machines came out they did not use a standard modem, no real standard
for 9600 baud had been established.  The software that Apple developed for the
Mac follows a proposed standard for modems and protocol I was told.  Anyway
your difficulty will probably be in trying to talk to the units that do not
follow the standard.  I also heard that a product for the IBM exists as well.

Take all information above with a grain of salt.  I collected it from
knowledgeable friends.  I believe it is correct, but don't know that it is.



-- 
Robert Snyder       Disclaimer  --  nobody claims dis, but me
TRW Information Networks Division 23800 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance CA 90505
USENET: {ucbvax,ihnp4,sdcrdcf}!trwrb!trwind!robert
ARPA: robert@trwind.TRW.COM

richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) (12/10/87)

In article <4276@garfield.UUCP> john13@garfield.UUCP (John Russell) writes:
>If so, does software for the purpose exist or would it have to be written
>specially? How about documentation on the Fax format?

I'm pretty sure there is no commercialy available software that does this.

All you need though, is to receive the data and decompress it from the CCIT
compressed format. AMD makes a chip that does this, and the data sheet
that accompanies it has a very good explanation of the compression
algorithm. If you could find a way to utilize some of the special
Amiga graphics hardware to speed up the decompression you'd really
have something.

>This question comes from a guy in our user's group, this was an area he
>mentioned from his work where a PC might be able to do the job just as
>well.

PC ? Whats a PC ?

>John


-- 
Richard J. Sexton
INTERNET:     richard@gryphon.CTS.COM
UUCP:         {hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, ihnp4, nosc}!crash!gryphon!richard

"It's too dark to put the keys in my ignition..."

root@sbcs (Root) (12/11/87)

While we're on the subject, does anyone have a pointer to a document
giving current Fax standards?

					Rick Spanbauer
					SUNY/Stony Brook

john13@garfield.UUCP (John Russell) (12/12/87)

In article <2529@gryphon.CTS.COM> richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) writes:
>>This question comes from a guy in our user's group, this was an area he
>>mentioned from his work where a PC might be able to do the job just as
>>well.
>
>PC ? Whats a PC ?

Why an Amiga 1000 PC, of course. I always try to make the point in
conversations that just 'cuz IBM decided to stick those initials on the
side of their box doesn't mean they're the only ones in the world who make
personal computers.

Maybe CBM could call the 2000 "the Amiga 2000 BC" (Business Computer) and then
sue anyone who calls their model a business computer for trademark infringement.

John
-- 
"Listen fathead, the ONE thing we DON'T need is some trigger-happy lunatic
 in charge... No I didn't mean you Mr. President... Yes sir, I'm sure you
 do get a lot of that sort of thing."
				-- Judge Harold T. Stone

neil@mitsumi.UUCP (Neil Katin) (12/12/87)

In article <4276@garfield.UUCP> john13@garfield.UUCP (John Russell) writes:
>If so, does software for the purpose exist or would it have to be written
>specially? How about documentation on the Fax format?
>
>This question comes from a guy in our user's group, this was an area he
>mentioned from his work where a PC might be able to do the job just as
>well.
>
>John


Hmmm, how to answer this.  The amiga CAN emulate a fax machine.
I know, because I did some hardware and software to make it happen.
What you need is a CCITT V29/V27 ter/V21 modem chip (such as the
Rockwell R96FAX, or ones from Emulex), or a comercial V29 modem.

Then you need code to handle the fax transmission and encoding.

I did a GIII fax for the Amiga using the Rockwell chip.  It was
about 20 chips and 4000 lines of code.  However, it never made
it to a product (instead, we retargeted it to an IBM/PC).

I don't know of anyone who will sell you one for the Amiga.
Apple has anounced one for the Mac, and there are about
15 companies that have a fax system for IBM/PC's

(That seems to be the normal ratio -- Amiga:Mac:IBM/PC is 0:1:15)

	Neil Katin