Subject: From: Date:

Re: [ECS] sssssssh Dario Greggio Thu, 25 May 2000 13:43:59 +0200

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David Kindred wrote:
> 
> Tell us more about your fax program. How did you get it to share the modem
> with ECS?
> 
> Feel like sharing it with any of your ECS buddies?

Oh, well, of course I would. But as Mark knows, I'm not using ECS
because I'm using home mode 220V-boards and a custom software written
entirely in C++.
So I could jut share hints about how I faced the matter.

The background is that you can not open and use the modem from both ECS
or any ansering-machine/remote-control software and a commercial FAX
software.
So the bottom line would be, when you need to answer to a fax call, to
stopo the answering machine, freeing the modem, and spawn a FAX receiver
with immediate answer. This may work, but gives you just a little
control (it will have its own phonebook, its own fax-file format, etc.)
and it may not work for many reasons depending on many things (worst
thing could be: the fax software won't release the modem entirely and
ECS will not restart answering correctly).

Implementing a fax software was not so difficult when you get the proper
info.
You have to control the modem via AT commands, using specific
data-packets.
They are more or less a dozen, so it's not difficult: you write and read
through the COM port. It's a bit more difficult when you get to receive
the image bits, which are coded in a rather complex manner (but there
are already-done libraries do convert them to BMP or TIFF). The only
VERY IMPORTANT thing is: you must be fast in controlling your modem. In
some situations you need to answer to the remote fax in less than
75mSec!
Working in C it's not too difficult (but it was to me because... I
didn't know speed was so critical! So I wasn't caring about it and THAT
was the reason why it was always failing). But I don't know if ECS
serial events are fast enough. Maybe Mark should develope this "block"
as an object, leaving only higher control over it.
If any of you is interested, I will give you source and the concepts
about my implementation.

-- 
Ciao,
Dario
--
ADPM Synthesis sas - Torino
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http://www.geocities.com/adpm99

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