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Fitting a fax card to your computer Fax cards for the personal computer are not new - in fact, they've been around for some time. The theory is fantastic although practical application can sometimes leave a bit to be desired. Here we take a look at the pros and cons of fax cards. By JENNIFER BONNITCHA Our sample fax card was Viemar System's Fax89 which provides all the capabilities of a standalone facsimile machine, and then some, on your trusty PC. You can send and receive facsimile messages over your telephone line, store images for retransmission to other destina18 SILICON CHIP tions, print as many copies as required, queue documents while transmitting or receiving, and schedule documents for predetermined transmission times. When you consider that fax rolls cost around $14 per 100-metre roll, the option to print only those faxes you want, and then on plain paper, is quite attractive. Think of the amount of money you could save on junk faxes alone! The Fax89 requires an IBM PC, XT, AT or compatible with a hard disc, at least 512K of RAM and DOS 3.0 or later. Useful is an EGA or better graphics card, although the documentation suggests that MGA, CGA, EGA, VGA and Hercules graphics cards are all supported. Printing the fax is no problem either provided you have a Toshiba, HP Laser Jet, Epson FX or LQ series, IBM Proprinter, or any printer compatible with one of the preceding. Included with the half-length fax card are three 5.25-inch discs, a telephone cord and a rather comprehensive manual. However, I get the feeling that the manual has been recently upgraded since, from Chapter 6 onwards, the print quality improves dramatically and the sometimes erratic indexing also becomes more accurate. According to a label on the fax card, it also has full Telecom authorisation. Fax89 is CCITT (International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee) Group III compatible. CCITT establishes and recommends communications standards and Group III is one such standard. Over 99% of the world's installed facsimile machines are Group III machines, so you should have no trouble communicating with the world at large. One of the problems associated with fax cards is the requirement of a COM port. While this may seem of little significance, consider the plight of someone with a serial mouse, modem and printer. Although a bus mouse and parallel printer solve the problem, what happens when you already have serial devices? Memory demands from the resident fax software can also create problems for an already overtaxed PC. The card usually operates in the background so your computer is free for other tasks while transmitting or receiving faxes. It usually operates at 9600 bps, however it can automatically decrease the speed of operation to match both the remote facsimile machine and the quality of the line. Known as automatic fallback, this means Fax89 can drop to 7200, 4800 or 2400 bps, depending on the prevailing conditions. Fax89 also has the ability to operate in the foreground but most users will probably choose the background mode. Foreground mode freezes other applications and the screen display but on the other hand, some programs may not operate when Fax89 is running in background mode. Timing is of the essence since programs which hold the CPU for too long can corrupt facsimile documents or the computer may come to a screaming halt (CRASH!}. If this should occur, you can simply disable background operation. However, this tends to defeat The half-length Fax89 card plugs into an expansion slot in your PC-compatible machine. It normally operates in the background which means that you can go about other tasks while transmitting or receiving faxes. f?AXK9 F Ai:'.SI.M tt,E 1.JS.H R '"S: GlHl)B Three 5.25-inch software discs, a telephone cable and a comprehensive manual are supplied with the Fax89 card. the purpose of having a fax card. Time saving is important and, let's face it, none of us are getting any younger. With Fax89, you can send faxes directly from your word processing software provided a memory-resident utility is loaded first. Fax89 also lets you place documents in a queue for transmission and you can schedule transmissions when telephone rates are at their cheapest. As with most Fax89 operations, you can do this either from the Menu System or from the DOS command line. Once you a re familiar with the appropriate commands, you will probably bypass the Menu System in most cases. However, it is nice to see a menu which is uncluttered, easy to use and with an acceptable level of help. Included on the Utilities discs are sample Header and Signature files which you may like to add to the beginning of your fax document. If you own a Chinon or compatible scanner, you can use the Scan JUNE 1990 19 This on-screen menu lets you convert other files (eg, word processor or TIFF) to FAX format for transmission. This photo shows the setup menu for sending & receiving faxes. The menu-driven system is easy to operate. The incoming register shows the date & time of reception. The received fax can be viewed on-screen or printed out. Menu to scan and convert an original document, thus giving you as much flexibility as using a "real" fax. You can also use almost any pre-scanned image provided it is in Tag Image File Format (TIFF), PC Paintbrush Plus [PCX) or DR Halo (CUT) format. Installation Installing the Fax89 was quite simple and I used an NEC PowerMate 1 Plus to test the card. Just remove the PC cover, locate an empty slot, plug it in, attach the phone cord to the PC and phone socket and away you go. Remember though, you need to use either COMl or COM2. Fax89 is preconfigured to operate on COM2 and once the software was installed, off we went, ready to fax merrily to all and sundry. Installation creates three directories called FAX, FAX IN and FAX OUT and copies the appropriate 20 SILICON CHIP files from the Program and Utilities discs. Obviously FAX IN holds your incoming faxes and activity log, while FAX OUT holds the outgoing faxes and activity log. Immediately following the Software Installation section in the manual is a section called Quick Start, where you get the chance to send a sample fax. I had no problems in either following the instructions or sending the fax. In fact, a complete novice subsequently installed the card and software and sent a test fax just to confirm my suspicions. Faxing Having sent the initial fax, it was time to get down to the real nuts and bolts of the system. The F AXSYS driver remains in memory so Fax89 can answer all calls and receive fax documents without interrupting your current application. You can even use voice and fax at the same time, provided the other person is speaking on a line where they can switch from voice to fax transmission. The FAX program lets you operate all the functions of the Fax89 by using an easy to follow menu-driven system. Creating and sending faxes is fairly straightforward. You write the text in any word processor and then save it in ASCII format to the FAX OUT directory [you can also include the extended ASCII graphics characters). Documents to be sent using Fax89 must be in FAX format. Once again you can use either the Menu System or DOS command line utilities to convert the file. If you use the Menu System, you can check the FAX file before it is sent using the View File option. Using the Menu System also allows you to see how the header and signature file [if used) appear with your fax document. When sending a fax, the computer beeps twice at the start of the transmission and then once on completion. A font editor is provided so you can choose between four fonts in your fax documents - Standard, Bold, Italics and Compressed. You can also create you own fonts using the supplied MAKEFONT utility. You then simply substitute the name of the font file you created for the name of another font file in the Menu System Configuration Window. By using the appropriate escape codes, you can make parts of your document print in any of the available fonts. CONTi\ill FUNCTIONS EXPLANATION i ; ~ ./ / , 1 Swh:ri {1/ Swhnfi {Oi ;,l; ,_,:t,-i_ ui1 ~: ; ~~ ~ ~--!"'":, . ~·....: c... ,...yv .,)' ,,. "" '" .·,~.'~~--u 'S.11111 the !Witch to ,;APPLE" or "IBM" for your oomputer (opt!nn,i! ____., ,s_'~ EUCTRICAl TRIM AllJUSiMENTS Maks 1ur1 that your lovttlck Ii under th, SeLF·CENTEFUNG po;ltlon lr, A!'Pi.E PC. Sy Input; Receiving faxes 10 PDL(OI POLO I Although there is no on-screen advice that a fax has been received, the computer beeps three times when the fax transmission starts and once on completion. During transmission, you can keep on working on your spreadsheet, word processor or accounting program, etc, and scan the incoming documents at your leisure. To do this, you just select Receive from the Main Menu, then Select File, and then select View from the Receive Menu. You can then view the selected document in either of two magnifications. Printing the fax is just a matter of selecting Print from the Print Menu. I printed out a number of faxes on a dot matrix printer and the quality is at least equivalent and, in some cases superior, to a normal fax machine. Evidently, the printer is used in dot-addressable mode so that virtually no details are lost, compared to conventional fax printouts. This will depend to a large extent on the send quality of the source fax machine and the amount of noise on your telephone line. If for some reason you need to interrupt the print procedure, you can cancel quite easily by pressing S. Printing ceases when the print buffer is exhausted. A particular advantage is the not insignificant fact that printer paper does not deteriorate (unless the dog eats it!) unlike fax paper. Therefore, you need never make photocopies (at an additonal cost of 20 GO TO 10 :iO l'iUN I Rot!tg tht thumb\=1rliiii {Al 1.mtii tht numbisr II -128 v.niii; ,Me JoyiiiQI( in oenw ,mition, Printing the received fax is just a matter of selecting Print from the Print Menu. The quality of the printout is at least equivalent (and often superior) to that from a conventional fax machine. around 12 cents per page) of those faxes you wish to keep for posterity. The Edit option of the View Menu lets you cut out horizontal portions of a fax document - this is handy when you want to combine a number of documents. Sadly, editing a FAX document only lets you cut off part of the document and place it in a new file. If you want to alter the contents of the document, you need to return to your word processor. Alternatively, you can convert the FAX document to, for example, PC Paintbrush Plus format, edit it, and then convert it back to FAX format - phew! Documentation As mentioned earlier, the documentation has a few niggling problems with the index, although I am reliably informed a new version of the manual is available. There are lots of words and some screen shots - perhaps a few more would enhance the readability and understandability, especially for novice users. The use of each utility is first explained in summary and then in further detail, while the Appendix section contains helpful sections like Installation Troubleshooting, Background Operation Considerations, a Glossary of Terms used throughout the manual and the Fax89 specifications. The Index is adequate without being outstanding - again for the novice user, a little more cross-referencing would help. Windup - at last! In summary then, fax cards and specifically the Fax89 provide a low-cost entry to the world of faxing. If you use a fax infrequently, you don't need a dedicated fax line, nor a standalone fax machine. The ability · to print only those faxes which are of direct importance to your business/life is also very important - the amount of money wasted on "junk" faxes is quite astounding when the cost of fax paper is taken into account. With Fax89, you can queue your documents for sending at a date and time most convenient (and at continued on page 55 JUNE 1990 21 Farmer Giles rang Arthur to ask him if he would have a look at the you-know-what milking machine. It would be next week before the manufacturer's serviceman could reach him and poor old Strawberry could explode before then! Arthur knew a little about milking machines but none of the details of this one. But he was prepared to try, so it was on with the gumboots and a screwdriver on a string around his neck. Float switch Giles doesn't get out of the way in time and is clobbered by all four cups in turn. He lets fly with some unparliamentary language (and we all know what that means, don't we), then tries again, with the same result. The cups are retracted with a fair amount of force, so farmer Giles is beginning to feel rather battered and in no mood to argue with the "blankety-blank" machinery. So poor old Strawberry doesn't get milked that morning. Cows are only contented in their own stall and won't co-operate if put in any other. Nor will they co-operate if milked out of turn, so Strawberry can't be brought back later and milked by hand. Enter Arthur, a qualified electronics technician. Arthur is also one of those people who are happiest with their hands in the soil. He has a small hobby farm within commuting distance of town and grows fruit and vegetables to help keep the family fed. The cup release mechanism is activated by a float switch in the collector bowl above each stall. When the milk runs out, the float drops and closes a switch which operates a valve to release the vacuum that holds the cups in place. At the same time, a catch is released so that a spring loaded cord can pull the cups off the udder and up to the parked position at about shoulder height. The inhibit function, at the beginning of the milking cycle, is initiated by a switch attached to the vacuum lever. After the lever is operated, a 555 timer begins a 60-second countdown, during which the release mechanism cannot function. Our gumbooted serviceman learned all this by studying one of the other properly functioning stalls. So it took him very little time to realise that the faulty stall was not producing the inhibit signal due to a l000µF capacitor on the circuit board with a broken pigtail. As simple as that! Arthur's reward So endeth the technical part of the story but the best is yet to come. Farmer Giles was delighted with the prompt and efficient service and insisted that Arthur submit his bill for the time he had spent on the job. In the meantime, would Arthur let him show his appreciation with a small gift? Which is how Arthur came to drive home with a bucket of fresh milk, a side of lamb neatly butchered and packed in a cardboard carton, and a promise of all the fresh cream his family could consume. And a week later there was a cheque for the cash part of the deal as well. Why don't I ever get customers like that? Dunno J.L., but everyone up here had a good laugh over that story. And it brought back memories. As a callow country youth, when times were tough, I once earned my bread and dripping milking cows - and not with the aid of any new £angled milking machines either; it was all very rough and ready. And I learned about cows; just how stubborn, contrary, and cantankerous they can be. Nothing in your story surprised me one little bit. Truly is it said, they are "cows" of animals. ~ Fitting a Fax Card to Your PC: ctd from page 21 least cost) to you. Letterheads, signatures, logos, etc can all be transmitted provided you have access to a scanner (although you could fax your signature, etc back to your PC) and Fax89 supports most popular graphics file formats. The fax card, however, cannot be a total replacement for the fax machine. If you don't j:i.ave access to a scanner, there's no way you can send brochures, promotional material or pages from a manual. If the bulk of your work is non PCbased, then the fax card is really not for you. Rather, the fax card should be seen as an adjunct to the fax machine. Perhaps the scenario will be for a cheap lower-featured fax machine to transmit faxes while the PC fax card receives all incoming faxes. Also, the very nature of a fax suggests round-the-clock access. Are you prepared to leave your PC running all day and all night? However, for the PC user who works from home or a small office and mostly communicates via PCbased documents, a fax card probably meets all the specifications while presenting a major cost saving over a normal fax machine. The price of our sample fax card, the Fax89, was $599 from Eskay Printernet, Suite 3, 124 Marsden Street, Parramatta, NSW 2124. Phone (02) 891 1282. ~ JUNE 1990 55