Subject: From: Date:

Phone-Soundcard Interface LEC1964.aol.com Tue, 28 Nov 2000 19:36:08 EST

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Ecs User Group,

I have been using a commercially available PHONE TO SOUNDCARD INTERFACE for a 
little over a year now for local phone SR. Although available as a 'kit", the 
manufacturer has indicated he can also provide it fully assembled. It was 
designed to allow a phone to be used when placing phone calls over the 
internet. It replaces the speakers and microphone that are connected to the 
soundcard with a phone when "off hook" is detected and reverses when "on 
hook" is detected.

The enclosure measures about 1 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 5 " and has provisions for 
SndBrd Mic in, SndBrd spkr out, microphone, speakers, power (12vdc), and a 
modular phone plug. All are standard mini phone jack connections with 
exception of power and phone. It comes with cables and a power supply but the 
enclosure is extra.

I will list the more obvious limitations and methods to resolve them:

(1) There are no provisions for a phone plugged into the interface to have 
access to regular phone service.
Use a two line phone. Line 1 is an outside line. Line 2 provides access to 
the phone interface.

(2)Lack of mobility and multiple phone provisions.
Use a cordless phone or one of the new 2.4Ghz cordless phone systems.

(3)No provisions to notify ECS to toggle the SR wake/sleep states.
Leave SR in the wake state continuously or use a touchtone decoder to change 
the state of a digital input or X-10 Powerflash Interface that ECS monitors. 
This manufacturer also has touchtone decoders.

(4)No provisions to switch "speech profiles" which are the training profiles 
that each user must have for accurate speech recognition.
Verbally change them....just ask for yours or use a touchtone decoder with 
multiple outputs. I use a four output decoder using four digital inputs.

If you elect to use one of the cordless 2.4Ghz multiline phone systems such 
as Siemans or Panasonic you can have up to eight cordless extensions working 
to a single base. This allows you to have multiple phones that have access to 
SR without rewiring your existing phone system. In addition these systems 
come with quality voicemail that can be accessed by any extension as well as 
with an outside phone. Voicemail boxes with auto attendant are used. ECS can 
notify you that you have phone messages by comparing a phone ring count. If 
you program the phone system to take a message after four rings just have ECS 
page/call you when it counts four rings. Not fullproof but it should work 
reasonably well.

The interface power supply is of the wall plug in type. I replaced it with a 
more quality one with better filtering and regulation. A low background hum 
was eliminated. For my interface to work with the SoundBlaster card I also 
had to make some internal changes. If you elect to purchase a wired unit 
remind them that it will be used with the SoundBlaster. It has to do with the 
three conductors providing not only audio but power to the built in mic 
preamp.

The kit is available from Rainbow Kits www.rainbowkits.com (1-888-291-7262) 
or from www.radioshack.com (1-800-843-7422). The actual kit is called the 
"Phone Internet Kit". If purchased from radioshack.com the cat# is 990-0308 
and sells for $19.99. The enclosure cat# is 990-0309 and sells for $7.99. The 
kit is more expensive if bought directly from the manufacturer.

Now for the disclaimer. I would like to have someone just try one of these 
"right out of the box" ,so to speak, before everyone buys one. I made several 
modifications to mine based on what I thought was a better approach which was 
one of the reasons I did not mention this guy before now. It should work just 
fine though. It's whole goal in life is to interface a phone to a soundcard.

I also tried the Siemans phone system and the interface for SR use. This 
combination worked fairly well but I got a bit more coverage with a 900Mhz 
phone and so I elected to rewire my phone system and use the individual 
single line 900Mhz phones.The use of single line phones requires a transfer 
switch to access an outside line.

In closing, I also believe that the use of the modem for voice was more a 
marketing consideration than real world practicality. I use my modem for what 
it does best.

LarryC

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