cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP (Sir Xetwnk) (02/29/88)
In response to the recent fever of SX212 praise and wonderment, I gave in and
went out and bought one yesterday, intending to UNPLUG my existing modem (which
talked to my Atari through an 850 Interface and so-called "standard" RS232C
cable) and plug in the SX212 instead. I had it on good authority (this net)
that you could indeed do this, with no hassles.
I got the modem for about $99 (came to $103.95 with the 5% sales tax here in
Indiana), brought it home, unplugged the old modem, plugged in the SX212, and
threw the switch. Nothing happened. It didn't work. The SX212 would indeed
talk to my Atari - accept Hayes-like commands, respond with "OK", and all that.
It did NOT, however, even so much as ATTEMPT to talk to the PHONE LINE! It
just sat there and did NOTHING. I was devastated.
Before collapsing in cardiac arrest, however, I checked the documentation, and
was astounded to find that this very problem was in fact covered in the sec-
tion on "Troubleshooting." The problem, it turned out, was that the "DTR"
(Data Terminal Ready) line of the RS232C connection was NOT PRESENT. Oh. I
tried a few more 850 Express! commands, but nothing made any difference vis-
a-vis bringing up the DTR signal. Finally, checking the cable itself, I found
that not only was there no signal on the DTR pin of the cable, there wasn't
even a PIN at the proper location (pin 20 of the 25-pin) in the connectors!
My old modems apparently didn't mind, but the SX212 can't deal with it. So
for the past day and a half I've been searching for ways to fix MY cable, re-
placing pin(s), connector(s), and/or whatever else I could find. Radio Shack
(forgive me; I was desperate) had an RS232C cable and a "serial port adaptor"
for ITS line of equipment, which had the correct number of pins on both ends,
but after bringing it home I found that the particular pinouts were wrong.
Finally, good ol' Dave P. (aegnor@bsu-cs) stopped in, and suggested that per-
haps the oft-mentioned "Club II BBS" would have an alternate R: handler that
would let me say goodbye to the RS232C and 850 arrangement, and simply con-
nect the SX212 directly to the SIO port. We quickly logged onto the Net, got
the Club II BBS phone number, dialed into it, found "RVERT212" in the File
Section, downloaded it -- and, to make a long story just a little shorter,
HERE I AM, TALKING TO YOU VIA SX212, "RVERT212" R: handler, and the KERMIT65
(minus contained R: handler) that was posted here a few months back!
It WORKS, gang! Go out and get 'em NOW!
This thing is BEAUTIFUL, in operation AND in appearance. Even my non-compu-
terholic girlfriend calls it "the squirt" because "it's so cute!"
Anyway, that's my tale, which had an unexpectedly happy ending. I'd like to
thank John Dunning for porting Kermit65 in the first place, and whomever it
was (I forget, sorry) who posted the Club II BBS info here! The entire face
of my telecomputing experience has been changed beyond recognition, much for
the better, due to you guys. Have a happy!
Chris Chiesa, Senior, CS Dept., Ball State University, Muncie, IN
(317) 288-2957 <home>
[soon to be travelling to Rochester, NY, via central Ohio, for a few days'
visit with my parents over Spring Break!]
--
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Chris Chiesa <><><><><>
<> {ihpn4|seismo}!{iuvax|pur-ee}!bsu-cs!cfchiesa <>
<> cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP <>
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