GOOD NEWS FROM COMPUCOM...9600 bps...$149 CompuCom is proud to announce two AFFORDABLE, multistandard high speed modems. The Storm(tm) is a dual protocol high-speed modem supporting two high-speed modem standards, CCITT v.32/v.42bis and CompuCom CSP, along with Fax and Voice Mail. It is the first v.32 to provide this capability...total communications capability. It costs an incredibly low $389. Those wishing v.32, v.42, v.42/bis and CSP modem functions may purchase the Storm without the Fax and Voice mail option for only $299. A caller identification option is also available. The SpeedModem Challenger(tm) adds v.32/bis for 300-14,400 bps modem speed, with data speeds up to 57,600 bps with v.42/bis. At $499 it is by far the lowest cost V.32/bis modem available! The sysop price is $199 for the Storm and $299 for the Challenger. This pricing is available to qualified sysops, only. It is on a first qualified first shipped basis with priority given to sysops already in CompuCom's sysop program. The expected ship date is September 1991. The Champ and Combo are so popular that there was as much as an eight week backlog, before production ramped sufficiently to cover the order rate. The new modems are expected to create an even greater backlog over the next several months. We encourage you to call and get your order into the queue as soon as possible. This is especially important for sysops since only a few percent of our production will be allocated to the sysop program. The Champ and Combo have reached new economies of scale, due to their high sales volume. CompuCom's business strategy is AFFORDABLE high speed modems...so, the savings are being passed on to you for an even more successful product. As of July 15 1991 the Champ is priced at $149, an unbelievable price for a true 9600 bps modem. The SpeedModem Champ has become the de facto commodity priced AFFORDABLE STANDARD for 9600 bps modems. The sysop price is now $99 for the Champ. This price is available to qualified sysops, only. It is on a first qualified first shipped basis. This product breadth and unprecedented pricing will undoubtably accelerate the rapidly growing acceptance for CompuCom CSP protocol within the BBS community. Now sysops can have it all, with a low cost modem on a single phone line. Call 800 ACT ON IT for more detail...(800) 228 6648 PRICING SPEEDMODEM DIRECT SYSOP* VOICE MAIL EXTERNAL CALLER ID MODEL PRICE PROGM. & FAX, ADD ADD CHAMP $149 $99 NO +$30 NO COMBO $269 $159 INCLUDED +$30 NO * STORM $299 $199 +$90 +$40 (30)* +199 (FREE) * CHALLENGER $499 $299 +$90 +$40 (30)* +199 (FREE) * Denotes Qualified Sysops Only PRODUCT INFORMATION CompuCom has two lines of AFFORDABLE high speed-modems; multi-standard modems supporting the CCITT standards including v.32, v.32bis, v.42, v.42bis and starting at only $299. CompuCom CSP commodity-priced Champ modems designed to provide 9600 bps capability to a large price-sensitive marketplace. Starting at $149, they are priced competitively with 2400 bps MNP modems. They offer 2400 bps and MNP 5 compatibility with all modems and when connected to another CompuCom SpeedModems they provide 9600 bps communications. The Combo has all the modem features of the Champ in addition to fax and voice mail. The v.32/v.42bis (300-9,600-38,400 bps) Storm and v.32bis/v.42bis (300- 14,400-57,600 bps) Challenger features fax send/receive, and voice mail options. They are also compatible at 9600 bps with CSP modems and offer a caller ID option. They are possibly the highest performance CCITT modems available simultaneously with the lowest cost...quite a feat! Order lead-times on the Champ and Combo are now running at about one week. When production starts on the Storm and Challenger, in September, the lead-times on the Storm and Champ will be pushed out somewhat, hopefully no more than four to six weeks. We can not predict the lead-times on the Storm and Challenger, but we know it will require several months for production to ramp to its expected order rate. EXTERNAL SPEEDMODEMS ARE NOW AVAILABLE! VOICE MAIL Voice mail is on schedule. Barring any unforeseen problems we expect it to be available by July 31 (our original projection). It looks great and has many very advanced features...answering machine, automatic switch-over between voice and modem, voice mail boxes, audio-text tree functions, touch-tone decoding, multiple outgoing messages, security features, fax command, terminal mode, dos error levels...much more! LEADING SYSOPS AGREE! What sysops say about the Champ and Combo. "We've tested (the SpeedModem) from London (to New York) and found we get a more consistent 9600 bps connection than V.32 or the U.S. Robotics models provided. I honestly believe its going to knock the bottom out of the high speed modem market," Mike Sussell, Director of The Invention Factory BBS "The CompuCom SpeedModem provides all the utility of a high quality 2400 bps modem, but it gives 9600 bps in the package. With that, it is priced below most modems that offer only the 2400 bps (MNP) speed...why don't they buy a real 9600 bps modem that also does a good job at 2400 bps MNP-5?. The Speedmodem is such a modem." Bob Mahoney, Sysop of EXEC PC BBS "We've replaced all our 2400 bps lines with SpeedModems because they deliver reliable 2400 bps and MNP-5 performance and provide our subscribers with an affordable high-speed standard, too. Kevin Behrens and Steve Williams, Directors of Aquila BBS "We are getting more callers on our SpeedModem lines than our V.32 lines." Mike Callaghan, Sysop of Hottips BBS "We have thoroughly tested the CompuCom SpeedModem and have found it to be of high quality, achieving download speeds that rival those of other manufacturers! I think that everyone should do themselves a favor and step up to high-speed modeming!" Rusty Hardenbaugh, Sysop of Rusty 'n Edie's BBS COMPUCOM SPEED PROTOCOL, CSP, THE COMMODITY-PRICED AFFORDABLE STANDARD CSP is a proprietary 9600 bps protocol developed by CompuCom Corporation. At 960+ cps on archived files, it offers a true raw speed of 9600 bps and is competitive in performance with v.32 technology. It costs as little as $149 and is the only commodity-priced high-speed modem technology. It fills a very important need and market segment not met by any other product. Because of its low cost and large sales volume it has become the de facto commodity-priced standard for a high- speed modem. SYSOP PROGRAM In the past few months hundreds of BBS have joined CompuCom's sysop program; and, they are making CSP low cost, high-speed access available to their users. These boards include the largest BBSs anywhere, Aquila, Canada Remote, Connect America, Exec PC, Invention Factory, Rusty & Edie's...many more. This is only the beginning... keeping with CompuCom's commitment to make high-speed modems affordable to everyone, CompuCom is making sysops "can't refuse" offers on its new multistandard modems. The sysops are ecstatic about it. Not only do they get high-performance modems, they get them at the lowest cost ever offered for each modem category. Sysops are beginning to realize that their callers will always choose the BBS which gives them AFFORDABLE high-speed connections. CompuCom's low cost SpeedModems make it possible. Sysops who have participated in our program so far have experienced an increase in the number of callers, and in caller satisfaction. Many have reported that they are getting more callers on their CSP lines than their v.32 lines. What their excited about now, is that one low cost modem gives them both universal CCITT compatibility, and thier users, very low cost CSP, 9600 bps access on the same phoneline. Everybody wins! Furthermore, many sysops would pay far more for the unique caller identification option, but they get it FREE. Overall sysop enthusiasm guarantees broad support in the BBS community, for the low cost CSP standard. That means BBS users are no longer stuck at 2400 bps. Now, they can join the high-speed Top Guns without mortgaging their homes. CHALLENGER/STORM MODEM SERIES DESIGN OVERVIEW The Challenger and Storm are very low cost a dual technology modems supporting two high-speed modem standards, CCITT v.32/v.32bis and CompuCom CSP. Their design represents a significant departure from conventional high speed modem design. Fig 1 shows a typical v.32/v.42bis modem design. The digital signal originates at the RS-232 port which is connected to a UART. The UART interfaces to a command and control microprocessor. The data then flows to a second microprocessor which implements protocol and error correction functions. Each of these two microprocessors have read only memory, (ROM), and random access memory, (RAM), banks. The signal then flows into the "black box" called the data pump. First, an interface circuitry module connects the outside world to the digital signal processing module. The digital signal processing module is a computationally intensely, super-fast computer. It implements complex math, communications algorithms on the digital data stream. The output of this still a digital signal but its information content represents an analog signal waveform. The digital signal processing system then feeds its output to the digital to analog convertor which produces an analog waveform output. The analog output then feeds a telephone interface circuit which sends the signal down the telephone line. The distant modem signal input from the telephone line is sent to the modem electronics in the reverse direction. In this case it goes through an analog to digital convertor, then on to the digital signal processor module. The conventional design consists of several specialized processing modules operating on a linear dataflow path from the computer to the phoneline. Each of these modules is optimized to perform a very specialized function. In a low end design, the microprocessors are typically 8-bit CPUs with a very limited memory address range. The code is written in assembly language which is finely tuned both for its specific function and to fit within the limited address range of the 8- bit microprocessor. The code is often written by a third party vendor who provides only a black box solution to the modem manufacturer. (This is very common with the protocol cpu module. Even complete v.32 modem designs are available from third party vendors.) The vast majority of manufacturers design with a third party data pump. The data pump is, for the most part, a black box. Its features and functions are totally predefined by the third party vendor, for example Rockwell or Thompson. The modem manufacturer has little flexibility in terms of the features the pump provides, and limited if any access to the component modules (for example the data convertors) of the pump. Additionally all the code which makes up the brains of the data pump is inaccessible to the modem manufacturer. In summary the modem is a set of finely tuned special functions. Modification is difficult because of the nature of assembly language program maintainance and/or inaccessibility of the code. The overall design is inflexible - making future expansion limited and/or very costly. _______________ _______________ | | | | | ROM | | ROM | |_______________| |_______________| | | _____________ _______|_______ _______|_______ | | | 8 BIT COMMAND | | PROTOCOL | RS232--->| UART |--->| & CONTROL CPU |--->| 8 BIT CPU |----> |_____________| |_______________| |_______________| | | | | _______|_______ _______|_______ | | | | | | | RAM | | RAM | | |_______________| |_______________| | | | | <--------------------------------------------------------------------< | | | _________________________________________________________________ | | | | | _____________ ________________ ___________________ | | | | INTERFACE | | DIGITAL SIGNAL | | DIGITAL TO ANALOG | | >--->|->| CIRCUITRY |--->| PROCESSOR |--->| INPUT / OUTPUT | | | |_____________| |________________| |___________________| | | | | | DATA PUMP | | |_____________________________________________________|___________| | | TELEPHONE INTERFACE Fig. 1 TYPICAL LOW END V.32/V.42BIS MODEM ARCHITECTURE _______________ ______________ | | | | | ROM | | RAM | |_______________| |______________| | | |__________ __________| | | ________________ _|_______|_ ___________________ | 68000 16 BIT | | INTERFACE | | DIGITAL TO ANALOG | | CORE CPU |--->| CIRCUITRY |--->| INPUT / OUTPUT |----> |________________| |___________| |___________________| | | | | _________| |__________ TELEPHONE | | INTERFACE ______|______ _______|________ | | | DIGITAL SIGNAL | RS232--->| UART | | PROCESSOR | |_____________| |________________| Fig. 2 COMPUCOM STORM and CHALLENGER V.32/32bis V.42/42bis MODEM TipTek(tm) ARCHITECTURE The Storm and Challenger designs, Fig 2, use a tightly integrated processing technology architecture; TipTek. It provides total access to all the capability and functionality of the silicon while reducing redundancy. Since all the code which defines the product is accessible, functionality can be added with relative ease. Instead of two flea-power 8-bit microprocessors, the powerful 16-bit Motorola 68000 CPU provides a muscular modem platform. The majority of the programming is high level C code, thus the code is easy to maintain and features are added easily. Only time critical code (approximately 20%) need be programmed in assembly. The costly data pump is replaced by CompuCom's own DSP technology, resulting in a considerable cost savings and providing easy expandability. Backed by an excellent engineering team, this approach is powerful, flexible, and easily accommodates added features. For example, echo canceling has been the weakest link in previous v.32 modem designs. CompuCom's TipTek architecture provides considerably more echo canceling muscle and finesse then the majority of current v.32/32bis modem designs. This design approach is not only very cost effective, it is possibly the highest performance v.32/32bis modem available today, regardless of cost. Remember...If you aren't totally satisfied, you may return the SpeedModem in 30 days for a full product price refund! See for yourself...CALL NOW CompuCom Technical Achievements First 2400 bps modem under $100, July 1988 Invented Dynamic Impedance Stabilization(tm), DIS(tm) January 1989 First 9600 bps modem under $300, Combo, September 1990 First 9600 bps modem under $200, Champ, March 1991 First 9600 bps modem under $150, Champ, June 1991, Due to high volume production but, this is as low as it is going. Coming up... First Total Communications 9600 bps Modem, Fax, and Voice Mail, September 1991 First dual technology v.32 and proprietary protocol modem under $300, September 1991 First dual technology v.32 and proprietary protocol modem with Fax Voice Mail, September 1991 First v.32bis modem under $500. September 1991 800 ACT ON IT (800) 228-6648, (408) 732-4500, Fax (408) 732-4570 Latest information...CompuCom Support BBS (408) 738-4990 CompuCom Corporation 1180-J Miraloma Wy. Sunnyvale, CA 94086 ATTENTION SYSOPS: Please call for details on the CompuCom sysop pro- gram. ATTENTION BBS USER: If your favorite BBS doesn't yet support the Speed- Modem, upload this file to the BBS. Leave a message with the sysop re- questing that he or she support this affordable high speed modem. Also provide us with the voice telephone number of the BBS. We will tele- phone, and introduce the sysop to our sysop program. Thank-you ! SPEEDMODEM, COMBO, CHAMP, Challenger, Storm DISmodem, DIS, Dynamic Impedance Stabilization, CSP, CompuCom Speed Protocol, TipTek, and CompuCom are trademarks of CompuCom Corporation. U.S. Robotics is a trademark of USRobotics, Inc. MNP is a trademark of Microcom Systems, Inc. Motorola is a trademark of Motorola, Inc.