1964 Antique MODEM Live Demo

Circa 1964 Livermore Data Systems "Model A" Acoustic Coupler Modem, live demonstration.




Q&A: http://phreakmonkey.com/index.php/archives/134

Background: This modem was given to me ~1989 by the widow of a retired (IBM?) engineer. Computerhistory.org has a Model B dated 1965, and I've seen a ~1967 Model C written up in a magazine. (Interestingly, incorrectly identified as being only 110 baud.)

Even better than seeing it in a museum, I decide to hook the trusty Model A up and make it talk to something. After some trial and error, I manage to get it to talk to a terminal server at work and use it to connect to a linux box. It's ALIVE! So, 45 years after it's creation, this antique modem gets to send data to and from the modern Internet.




Enjoy!
- K.C.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Antique
• Modem
• Hardware
• Hacking
• Museum

[aawyattphoto]

I was born back in 1991, and I remember when we had modems. My dad would play doom or duke nukem 3d until 4:00am. How did I know this?? BECAUSE THAT DAMN THING WAS SO LOAD IT WOKE THE FAMILY!!!!!!

[phreakmonkey]

ATM0

[notrodash]

so basically, if you were to take the phone off the modem, your connection would be dead and the whole thing is a phone call?

[phreakmonkey]

I love that this is a revelation to someone. I forget that there's a whole generation of people who only know a world where all remote communications aren't through telephone lines.

[sg777778]

You should black out the part of the video where you type the password. Not that I could make out what it was, but someone might be able to.

Seriously, do this now.

[phreakmonkey]

Thanks. I'd hate for someone to go back in time to early 2009 and log into my lab workstation.

[altagato]

AHAHAHAHAHHA, you mean if we don't have a dial tone we don't have internet?!

takes me back to compuserve BBS support.

[PFCFleisch]

It's nerd porn, so your school's filter isn't that wrong.

[Ethanos]

1.l j9jioktf

[cvamurfreesboro]

MODEM-Modulate and Demodulate.pretty much they're using Analog (wave based . think music like CD Audio.Pulse Code Modulation) to transmit information (bits 1's and 0's.the computer thinks in BITS digital 1 and 0's and those on off bits of DC circuit information get transformed into Analog (A/C) current it doesn't matter what frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum you transmit it on, or what encryption technique you use.. you just have to make sure each side can decode it back to useful info

[noname4422]

My school web filter thought this was porn.

[Yosikuma]

Man, what a fantastic piece of hardware you have there! I am a bit embarrassed that I had no idea there WERE modems in the 1960s until just now~!

[ZBlayde]

I'll have to admit you're right about that. I have a GBA SP that plays like new, but my DS is pretty much dead.

[Mbash93]

But it did. I don't know what happened, but sometime in the past 10 years, every company stopped building appliances to last. My NES is still alive and kicking. My Xbox died in 2 years.

[dmas222]

so, in other words the box listens to sounds from the phone? what if you were to like record it and play it into the mic of the box? plz explain, im big on technology and ive NVR seen anything like this.....