Background of the Study:
Dennis C. Hayes and Dale Heatherington invented the PC modem in 1977, establishing the critical technology that allowed today’s online and Internet industries to emerge and grow. Dennis left the Georgia Institute of Technology in the mid-1970s to work at a company called National Data Corp which was involved in handling electronic money transfers and credit card authorizations. Hayes’ job was to set up modem connections for NDC’s customers. He realized that home computers could really take advantage of the technology and in April 1977 with his friend Dale (also at National Data), they pooled their funds and bought an IMSAI 8080 computer kit. After they got it working they designed a modem for it. Out of Dales home they produced their famous 80-103A S-100 modem. Of the two, Dale was all about technology and electronics design, while Dennis was much more business oriented. A great combination to start such a company.
The 103 was an immediate success and in January 1978 they founded D.C. Hayes Associates, Inc. They were in Atlanta GA. Later this was changed to Hayes Microcomputer products. Next he sold a similar board for the Apple (the Micromodem II) with even greater success.
The real advance for the company came with the introduction of non-board level modems. These separate units with their own power supplies were called Smartmodems. These were connected to the computer over an RS232 data line and were controlled from the computer with various “AT” commands. They are all non S-100 boards so I won’t dwell on them. Suffice to say there were over time, many of increasing complexity and speed. All sold very well.
The appearance of the Internet with its demands for high speed networks (ADSL and Broadband) eventually lead to the demise of such modems. Unfortunately Hayes had bet the company on another protocol, ISDN, assuming it would be the method of internet communications in the future. It never happened for many reasons.
Hayes could not switch gears to DSL or cable modems in time. The company entered Chapter 11 in 1994 and want through various names and forms to close completely in 1999
Significance of the Study
1-1 The Hayes Stack Smartmodem is a complete high-performance communications system for small computers. It is designed for use with RS-232C compatible computers and terminals to permit communication over the telephone lines with other computers or time-sharing systems. A unique feature is that the Smartmodem can be program controlled in any language by ASCII character strings. This intelligent datacomm system analyzes and executes commands and in response sends result codes which, at the users option, can be English words or decimal digits.
Commands may be user entered via a terminal keyboard or issued under program control. There are unique “Set” commands that allow the user to select (and change) various operational parameters such as dialing speed, how long to watt for a dial tone before beginning to dial a number, and number of rings to answer on.
The Smartmodem was used to automatically call and communicate with time-sharing systems and other computers or to automatically answer incoming calls from distant systems. A special design feature is that all circuitry required for auto-answering and auto-dialing is built Into the unit. This eliminates the need for any auxiliary equipment and makes the smartmodem a stand-alone system, The Smartmodem is approved by the FCC for direct connection to the telephone lines.
Since it is a direct-connect device. the losses and distortions associated with acoustic couplers are eliminated. Unlike most modems, the Hayes Stack Smartmodem can be connected to any telephone system in the United States since either Touch-lone* or pulse dialing can be used. Furthermore, Touch-tone and pulse dialing could be combined within a command, with pulse being used, for example, to access a PBX board and Touch-lone for dialing an outside number after the second dial tone is received. An audio monitor within the Smartmodem permitted the user to follow the progress of the call and be alerted to wrong numbers and busy signals. If a busy signal is encountered, the user can enter a repeat command and the Smartmodem automatically redials the last phone number entered.
The Smartmodem was completely compatible with Bell 1@3-type modems. Operation can be in full- or half-duplex with a data rate of -300 baud. Power-on default options are controlled by the positioning of seven configuration switches. Four of these configurations can be overridden by software commands that are user entered or issued under program control. LED status indicators on the front panel of the unit provide a visual check of the Smartmodem’’s operational status. The Smartmodem datacom system consists of the Smartmodem unit, a modular telephone cable and a power pack. Installation is a simple three-step process that involves plugging in the telephone cable and power pack and connecting your system’s RS-232C interface cable to the RS-232C connector installed on the back panel of the smartmodem. The Smartmodem could be used in three operational modes, connection to a terminal, computer, or receive-only dev
The Smartmodem was used in three operational modes, .e., connection to a terminal, computer, or receive-only device. Although the Smartmodem is an intelligent system, there are just some things it was not designed to do: 1) The Smartmodem will not and cannot be modified to operate at 2) speeds higher than 3@0 baud. The Smartmodem cannot detect dial tones and distant busy or ringing signals, therefore, it cannot tell if the call it made was answered unless it connects with another modem. 3) 4) Commands given to the Smartmodem must be ASCII coded at baud rates between 118 baud and 1200 baud. Once “on-line” any code at any speed from @ to 380 baud may be used. Two Smartmodems cannot be connected back to back (RS-232C to RS-232C) even with a cross-over cable. They can be directly connected with a modular cable
An improved iteration, the Hayes Smart modem was released. This device offered 300 bits per second speed in an affordable body. It also enabled users to perform new functions like initializing, hanging up, and auto dialing. A 1200-bits-per-second version of the Hayes Smartmodem was released soon after.