Check if a 56.6 K modem works with a 286/12 MHz chipset. Look for the top-performing options available.
Check if a 56.6 K modem works with a 286/12 MHz chipset. Look for the top-performing options available.
If it's a genuine serial modem, no drivers needed and it should function properly. Analog modems generally work backward through time. While 56k could be too demanding for your CPU, you'd just set the port speed to match what your processor can manage and instruct the modem to use a slower signal rate. It usually makes more sense to opt for something like 14.4 or 33.6 kbps instead, considering 56K needs special support on the POTS line and at the receiving end. If you ever link two modems together, it will likely cap at 33.6k regardless. I think a very slow connection of 1200 baud might be more practical, though availability could be an issue since faster models are now more common as internet use grows.
Sorry, I didn’t think it was a test, did you? 128k modems were only available on ISDN lines, right? That would be really unusual and costly today for someone like me! Does this belong to a real museum or something else? I’m intrigued now!
It's fascinating how you discovered a 286/12 model back in 1982, when it wasn't available until 1985. You mentioned using it around mid-1990, and noted that 56.6 worked well even at 128.8 kbps. The 1200 baud was quite slow for the time, especially with text-heavy IRC sessions—you could type faster than the data could display or send. Some days I still believe IRC operated at 1200 baud.
My recall capacity stands at 128.8, mostly theoretical but in real life it behaved like a 33.6 modem typical of 56k connections. It’s quite an old device. The hardware could be from around 1982—back then they built CPUs, tested them, and sometimes repurposed them for consumer use later. Updated May 27, 2023 by Bombastinator
They seem to be mixing up the serial port speed with the connection mode. It was typical to set speeds higher than your modem’s actual connection to reduce lag. I’m not familiar with a 128.8 modem; in practice, a 56K line usually maxed out around 48K due to signal quality. ISDN could only handle 128 by combining two lines together.
The dial-ups were quite short, and in reality they weren’t any quicker than the 56K speeds, which themselves weren’t faster than the 33.6K lines. They failed, and then dial-up disappeared completely. He might be referring to ISDN, though that was a different technology altogether—it did use a modem.
Edited May 27, 2023 by Bombastinator
56K is intriguing, especially since I only discovered it was essentially an ISDN hybrid—downstream from POTS but not quite as effective. There are many engaging videos on YouTube covering similar topics.
There were also 300baud modems the size of suitcases if you go back far enough. Some really interesting items existed. There was a collection of shallow cups that looked like Eastern European telephone receivers, allowing data access from the eastern bloc. My favorite is medieval armor design—there’s an inherent balance between form and function. It seems we haven’t become any more intelligent. On the other hand, ancient humans were quite clever despite limited knowledge. Without written records, we’d all be guessing about the darkness of caves at night.