atc@waikato.ac.nz (05/18/91)
In article <NBDBDP8@xds13.ferranti.com>, peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes: > In article <2451@wet.UUCP> roger@wet.UUCP (Roger Niclas) writes: >> peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes: >> > What I don't understand about all these cheap FAXes is why nobody has put >> > a $5 serial port in one and sold it as a combination FAX/MODEM/SCANNER/ >> > PRINTER? It's got all the parts, and the software on the computer side >> > couldn't be that big a deal. It'd be a killer product: you could sell it > >> Maybe because it'd be a third-rate printer, a crummy scanner, and an >> incompatible modem? > I just noticed an add in the English Computer Shopper Mag selling just such a device, Think it was made by Amstrad but I could be wrong. If anyone wants details I can get them. -- Andrew Chambers Computer Services University of Waikato New Zealand ATC@WAIKATO.AC.NZ
dww@stl.stc.co.uk (David Wright) (05/28/91)
In the referenced article atc@waikato.ac.nz writes: #>> peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes: #>> > What I don't understand about all these cheap FAXes is why nobody has put #>> > a $5 serial port in one and sold it as a combination FAX/MODEM/SCANNER/ #>> > PRINTER? It's got all the parts, and the software on the computer side #>> > couldn't be that big a deal. It'd be a killer product: you could sell it # #I just noticed an add in the English Computer Shopper Mag selling just such a #device, Think it was made by Amstrad but I could be wrong. I looked at the Amstrad FAX specs recently in a shop, because I too was interested in connecting it to a computer. Basically they did what could be done cheaply, not what we'd really like (typical Amstrad I guess, after all they do sell mainly on price). The FAX attaches to the parallel printer port, so you can use it as a printer. But you can't read in an incoming FAX to the computer. I think you can send a FAX from the computer however, if you can get your text out to the parallel port in a way to suit the FAX (which accepts ASCII). You can also keep your short-code address list on the computer and down-load it into the FAX. As for the scanner - there *is* a scanner port (a 5-pin socket) but it's just raw scanner data - thousands of bits at about 1 MBit/second. The manual specifies the bit stream format, but also informs you that Amstrad do not supply anything to process the data into a form that your computer can use. It says that they leave that up to third parties, but that they do not know of any at present. A good electronics hobbyist project of course, but not something I'd want to bother with myself. Regards, "None shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity" David Wright STL, London Road, Harlow, Essex CM17 9NA, UK dww@stl.stc.co.uk <or> ...uunet!mcsun!ukc!stl!dww <or> FAX: +44 279 432734 <or> /g=David/s=Wright/org=STC Technology Ltd/prmd=STC plc/admd=Gold 400/co=GB