DIYbanter - View Single Post

wrote:

Franc, the USR 56K Faxmodem is also an internal soft modem (new
word?).

All of today's modems have setup switch settings, either hard or soft.
Without these the modem would be relatively inflexible and useless.
It's usually the modem initialization control command that sets them
up, and they typically run from S1 to S7 or more. These determine such
basic things such as if the modem is on-line continuously, normally
off-line, auto-answer, automatic retries, etc. You need to have a copy
of the chipset producer's technical data sheet to learn how to use
them, without which the chipset is virtually useless.

Without knowledge of what these settings mean and how to use them,
you're simply flying blind. This is why you need the data sheet.

When you purchase an integrated system, the system designers have
already done this basic bit of homework for you. But if you're starting
with the raw chipset, you have to do this bit of research for youself.

Eh ? My SM56 was sold to me as a retail PCI modem.

Motorola no longer make that chip anyway and indeed Motorola's not into selling
semis at all any more ( it's On Semi and Waferscale ? now )

Graham