Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!hc!lll-winken!scooter!neoucom!wtm
From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: Telebit Trailblazer versions
Summary: Darn Bricks!
Message-ID: <1376@neoucom.UUCP>
Date: 23 Oct 88 18:46:45 GMT
References: <1364@neoucom.UUCP> <1988Oct11.165614.25645@utzoo.uucp> <30891@oliveb.olivetti.com>
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 30


I know that the plastic encapsulated cord-lumps make it somewhat
easier for manufacturers.  Here are a few ways:

1.  Keeps heat outside the modem.
2.  Can buy generic units that already have FCC/VDE/CSA/UL, etc.
    approval.
3.  Easily swapped for 220v, etc operation in other countries.


What annoys me is more the asthetics of having a picle of those
bricks, I suppose.  Also, all three of the V.32 modems I messed
around with did have internal power supplies.  Even the least
expensive UDS/Motorola/Codex modem ($1595 US list price) managed
it.  Since there are relatively fewer V.32 units sold, the power
supply must be a proportionately more expensive element due to
higher engineering costs over fewer units sold.

To Telebit's credit, they do have a really nifty rack-mount
controller unit, but none of our sites have enough trailblazers to
make the rack economical.

One peculiar brick-transformer deivce is the HP Deskjet printer.
Curiously, the Deskjet has a facny switch mode power supply in the
printer to generate the several voltages needed.  I gess that isn't
curious; what is is that the swticher is supplied 18 VAC from the
cord-brick transformer.  It doesn't seem like it would have been
that hard to have designed an off-line switcher, since they were
using a switcher anyway.

--Bill