Posted By
MMS
on 2018-07-06
18:03:11
 |  Re: WiModem
Hi!
Very good topic.
In fact Robert from US confirmed some time ago, that C64 (normal) 300-1200 baud C= and other user port modems work on Plus/4 User port too (so the different naming of the pins on the C64 and Plus/4 User port means no problem on the serial part of user port. The parallel part is a different story, it is completely mixed up). I was hesitating to buy one more HW, as I have no traditional telephone line at home, and the Wifi board was a little too pricey to turn out it will not work. (I have C64s too, but rarely use them)
It is nice to hear that that wifi modem works. In fact, the C64 had no proper UART, just an ACIA. So ususally they solved internet serial communication with SW bitbanging, that's how the slowliness of C64 modems come. It cannot go beyond 2400 baud without external HW help, otherwise character losses will come. I have no clue, how they go beyond this limit, as the user port communication has limited speed, and this card is on userport, not on expansion port, so it cannot speed up internal communication.
The Plus/4 has a proper UART MOS6551, that can support the modems up to 19200 baud. Probably the difference between the two methods cause, that the Plus/4 works only without the HW support of the UART, and without help of ACIA or UART this is the speed the CPU can manage.
If you are interested to start a BBS and need some PETSCII (or ANSI) graphics for Logos, some Pictures for it, am in, I can do some pictures or logo in character mode (probably PETSCII,right? But can be done in CBM PRG Studio too)
Without external pressure or demand I am lazy like hell and just watch Game of Thrones 
With 300 baud the full screen PETSCII graphics would be rather slow to download (10-12 sec per screen), though I know the first C= modems were 300 baud only too.
Actually VICE may able to setup different HWs, maybe a modem too. Is there a BBS program you use and may be tested?
On C64 and C128 there are a lot. Guruterm, Kipperterm, Telnet in Contiki, Skyterm, etc.
I checked some of them and hoped they are austrospeeded Basic I may decompile and convert, but unfortunately not.
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