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Hayes Smartmodem 1200 to Wifi modem conversion.

dabone

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Messages
1,280
Location
Chattanooga, TN - USA
I like having a wifi modem on my older equipment, but missed the blinky lights. So I did this with a old hayes modem.
I already did a fork of Zimodem for a different project, so lets edit the source code, add 3 more leds, add a buffer for the signals and get to work.

Source code and schematics are here.

https://github.com/dabonetn/ZimodemESP8266Leds


QXVX7m5.jpg


I removed all the components from the original board, except for the LEDS, the resistor packs for the LEDs, the serial port, and the power switch. I designed my board to use the Pololu rs232 board, but had issues with it, so I used a Aibans Breakout (???) rs232 board I bought off amazon. Traces are cut and removed from the original sockets, and the 2 board are mounted using header strips. The esp8266 module is a D1 Mini pro to get an external antenna because the hayes case is metal sleeve.

C6qCvPn.jpg


And here we have the magic, lots of kynar wire, some larger wire for the power and a helping of hot glue.

F5fP1mn.jpg


Designed and 3d printed some mounting brackets for the antenna and power jack. +5, 1.5a or better.


aJeDEYI.jpg


And the front.. Blinky blinky... :)...

So, good use of a old modem? Or a horror that shouldn't exist??
 
Oh man! I am still chuckling at this.. great job, and I don’t think you ruined some kind of classic. If I thought I could locate my old modems I would replicate this.

Cheers!
 
I liked dabone's project so much that I had to make it into a product. It runs the standard Zimodem ESP8266 firmware. It is a non-destructive replacement for the PCB in your existing Hayes smartmodem 1200 or 2400. Note, while it will fit in the later modems, the LEDs in the Hayes optima series aluminum cases are offset from the letters.

Price is $99. Plus CA tax, $6 shipping, and $4 paypal fee. 5V power adapter not included, add $8 if you need one.

I need to get at least 10 people interested to kick-off the build.

The second image is the original smartmodem 1200 and then below are two different hayes shells with the retromodem1200
 

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Sweet design, but a bit too pricey for my taste.

I sell a Wifi modem for the 64 that also includes a 6551a and a printed case for under $50.00, is the bare pcb that much??
If so, maybe a redesign for 2 smaller boards and a 3d printed spacer? You could use a small IDC cable for interconnects.
 
now shipping V3 with audio. New price $89 + $3 PayPal + $6 shipping (+ CA tax if applicable)

See the audio demo here

So I bought one of these because of the novelty factor and the fact that I have a bunch of Hayes Modems sitting around here. The tech/SW is pretty well established so no surprises there. I can confirm that the PCB also fits in well and lines up in a Haye V-Series ULTRA Smartmodem 9600:

RetroModem.jpg



Some more notes on this particular implementation:

Pros:
1. Cool Retrotech! Blinkin Lights are always a plus!
2. Non-Destructive PCB Replacement
3. Quick HW install (I had the PCBs replaced within 5 minutes)
4. The sound effects are cool - unnecessary but cool ;)

Cons:
1. As already mentioned: Price. Yeah you pay a "tax" for convenience but is it worth it? Only you can determine that. For me as a one off purchase it was an ok buy. If I was buying this and trying to get a modem, e.g. off of eBay, to plug it into I definitely would have made a hard pass.
2. The new speaker is a bit hokey and it makes installation harder. The speaker is not really mounted on the PCB and is just hanging off the two pins with the wires. Because of how the wires are soldered onto the PCB it actually adds a bit to the over all thickness of the device so you have to be very careful sliding it in.
3. No easy way to add an antenna. Mine is right next to my AP so it works fine but I can see it being an issue if you are a bit further away with the metal casing of the Hayes Modem
4. No way to mount and secure the board with screws like the original PCB

Suggestions:
1. Change DB25 connector or add mounting stand offs like the original PCB so the board can be screwed in
2. Use a different speaker (maybe like the original Hayes one) that sits flush and is secured to the PCB. Potentially could reuse original speaker from the Hayes PCB but that partialy defeats the convenience/non-destructive nature of the project and could make the price even harder to justify.
3. Add a SMA antenna connector to the board like Dabone has.

Wish List:
1. Use a different type of button for reset and boot so they can be accessed while the PCB is mounted
2. Optional 3D Printed replacement back cover for the Hayes Modem that is a better fit/match to the Retro Modem w/ appropriate labeling
3. Optional replacement Window sticker for the front branding it as a Retromodem 115K - just for laughs

Overall this is a cool little play thing. I can see it being a hit at VCF or computer shows specially if you set the baud rate down to 1200 so a BBS you have telneted to is running at a crawl; you know to give it that real old timey feeling! ;) If the next revision has some of the stuff from my suggestions/wish list I would definitely would want a second one so I can setup a server/client "modem to modem" connection for demonstration purposes!
 
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