lazlo%triton.unm.edu@ariel.unm.edu (Lazlo Nibble) (12/28/90)
penguin@gnh-igloo.cts.com (Mark Steiger) writes: > The old Apple-Cat modems can also be used to connect to TTY machines. > Also to TDD machines. > [Moderator's Note: Do you mean they had a switch-selectable setting > allowing them to work both ways? I had one and don't remember it. PAT] The Apple-Cat (I take umbrage to their being called "old", because as I type this I'm using one with a Bell 212 (1200 baud) upgrade board attached :-) could/can handle the following baud rates, as listed in the manual: 50/75 baud -- for, as they call it, "very low speed communication" 110 or 150 baud -- "TWX or TELEX transmissions" 300 baud -- the old standby, Bell 103 1200 baud -- in half-duplex Bell 202 mode . . . which a lot of folks actually wrote software to handle; it wasn't much fun for calling boards with, even when they supported it, but it was just fine for 1200 baud transfers. Anyone remember Cat-Fur? 45.5 baud -- "communications with the deaf network"; this last required a "simple, no-charge hardware modification" from the factory, probably a trace cut on the board. All these modes were supported right out of the box (except the latter which required the hardware modification and special software that was free but not supplied automatically when you bought the modem) and were switchable from software. In addition to the 212 upgrade board, you could also get an expansion module that added an RS-232 connector, a BSR interface, and input/output/remote control jacks for a cassette recorder; a firmware ROM that let the modem be easily controlled from BASIC, a BSR transformer for the expansion module, and an IC that added touchtone decoding. There were pins on the expansion port I/O connector that allowed for a speech synthesizer interface but I don't think it was ever developed, though I have some underground software that takes advantage of the onboard DAC to produce synthesized speech from software (as well as music, phone-related sounds and tones, and other esoterica). Quite a hacker's toy. Lazlo (lazlo@triton.unm.edu)
gabe@sirius.ctr.columbia.edu (Gabe Wiener) (12/31/90)
In article <15707@accuvax.nwu.edu> lazlo%triton.unm.edu@ariel.unm.edu (Lazlo Nibble) writes: > 45.5 baud -- "communications with the deaf network"; this last > required a "simple, no-charge hardware modification" from > the factory, probably a trace cut on the board. The later models didn't even need a hardware mod to run TDD. You just popped it out of the box, shoved it into slot 2, and ran the "Deaf Term" software that Novation included on the utilities disk. THe Apple-Cat II had only one real problem, and that is it had so much stuff packed onto one board that it used to overheat a lot. Many people (including myself) used to run their machines with the cover off in order to protect the modem from blowing. The modem in its fullest configuration had TWO cards, the second being for 212 mode. You could install the second card in a slot, or you could run it in Slot Saver position. Since the only thing the 212 card needed from the slot was electrical power, and since the slots on the II were a high commodity, novation developed a nifty little trick that let you mount the card on the flat surface of the power supply (with special clips and an adhesive board, and then get the power through a special Y-connector that'd intercept the power before it got to the motherboard. I'm only sorry no one makes something as good as the Apple Cat II in a standalone serial configuration. It really was a gem of a modem in every way. It had touchtone dialing (in those days, a very unique feature), touchtone decoding (with one $30 chip added), an X-10 controller, a voice handset that was fully programmable, and best of all, a D/A converter chip on board that could work wonders. I had software for mine that could synthesize eight-voice music, male and female voices with great text-to-speech, and of course, all the TSPS tones, 2600 Hz, payphone coin tones, etc. The phreaks loved it. I miss it, though, because of its great answering machine capabilities. Heck, people were writing automated telephone info services on those things back in 1983!. Oh well. I wish I still had mine, but since I don't have an Apple II anymore, it wouldn't do me much good! Gabe Wiener - Columbia Univ. gabe@ctr.columbia.edu gmw1@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu 72355.1226@compuserve.com