* Eveneens geplaatst in (also placed in) SUPRAFAX *
* Eveneens geplaatst in (also placed in) MODEM.028 *
Hello All!
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DIAMOND  MULTIMEDIA  SYSTEMS,  COMMUNICATIONS  DIVISION
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TECHNICAL SUPPORT NEWSLETTER     Version 10.0,  3/97
                                   Circulation 22,062
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Spring is here and new products are springing up as well.  56K modems are
shipping and we are all very excited to be able to provide technology that
will increase the "fun" online.
Regards,
Jim Hafner-Eaton
Technical Services Manager
Announcements:
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*  Diamond Multimedia is now shipping modems support the K56flex protocol.
The SupraExpress 56i and the SupraExpress 56e should be on store shelves by
the time you read this.  These new modems support both data and fax as well
as connection speeds up to 56,000bps. These modems outperform even our
SupraSonic on V.34 connections.  They connect at faster speeds and have
higher throughput.  We are now shipping both Macintosh and Windows packages.
Look for them at your favorite computer store. All models come with Flash
ROM for easy firmware upgrades.
     We will begin shipping the SupraExpress 56i SP and SupraExpress 56e SP
soon.  The SP versions of the SupraExpress 56 modems add Speakerphone
capabilities to the high performing modems described above.
     For more information about our line of 56,000bps modems please see our
Web page at .
* In response to customer requests, we have changed the design of our
SupraExpress 56e Macintosh modem.  In earlier models of the SupraExpress
Macintosh modems, we pulled power for the modem from the ADB port on the
Mac.  The new SupraExpress 56e has a separate power adapter (just like our
PC version).  No longer do we pull power from the ADB port.  Your requests
have been heard and we made the change.  Thanks for your input.
Upgrades:
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*  The demands placed upon a modem to be able to transfer at rates up to
56,000bps are significantly higher than the demands to achieve 33,600bps
rates.  As a result we had to redesign the modem board.  Doing so does not
enable us to upgrade SupraExpress 288 or SupraExpress 33.6 modems to support
K56flex [Our engineers are still looking into the possibility of upgrading
SupraFAXModem and SupraSonic modem boards but we do not yet know if it will
be feasible or cost effective].
   We are offering a trade-in program that can help you upgrade to a new
SupraExpress 56 modem -- designed specifically to meet the demands of very
high speed connections.  You can obtain information about this upgrade via
our Web page  or our FaxBack
server (541-967-0072, document #1056).  If you have questions about our
SupraExpress 56 modems please contact our Sales staff at 800-727-8772.
*  FAXcilitate 2.2 is now available for download from our FTP
 and Web  sites.  The
archive will update owners of FAXcilitate 2.0, 2.0a or 2.1 to the new
version.  If you currently have FAXcilitate 2.x you are strongly encouraged
to download this latest version.  If you have FAXcilitate 1.7.x you will
need to purchase the full package from our Customer Service staff.  Our
Customer Service staff can be reached at 800-727-8772, 360-604-1410 or
sales@supra.com.
*  Supra VoiceMail 2.3 is available for download as well.  The archive will
update owners of Supra VoiceMail 2.2.   Supra VoiceMail 2.3 fixes a variety
of reported problems and adds many features to the prior version --
including 10 mailboxes, CID support, fax-on-demand and pager notification.
Supra VoiceMail 2.3 will begin shipping with new SupraSonic 336V+ this
month.  The new manual for this version is also available at

Tech Tips:
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Part I.  General Tips
*  Clearing up confusion.  There is still a lot of confusion out there about
56K modem technology.  I will not attempt to give a comprehensive answer
here.  But I would like to clarify a few things.  My comments here apply to
just about any 56K modem on the market.
   1) 56K modems can only _download_ information at speeds up to 56,000bps.
Uploads will only go as fast as 33,600bps.
   2) In order to achieve a connection using the K56flex (or even x2)
protocol, the site that you are calling must have digital phone lines and
digital equipment supporting the same protocol as your modem.  This will
generally only be the case with Internet Service Providers (ISP's), large
online services and some company dial in servers.  In short, you cannot call
you buddy down the street and connect at anything above V.34 speeds (i.e.
33.6 maximum).
   3) 56K technology is a new and evolving technology.  Both you and your
ISP will want to stay on top of any news pertaining to firmware (i.e. ROM)
upgrades for your equipment.  We will send out newsletters informing you of
any firmware releases. Since all of our SupraExpress 56 modems have flash
ROM you can update your modem's firmware simply by running a utility
application -- which can be downloaded from our Web and FTP sites whenever
new firmware is available.
Part II.  Macintosh Tips
* If you have many fax recipients at one location (e.g. Apple Computer
408-555-122 John Smith; Apple Computer 408-555-1212 Jane Brown, etc.) who
all receive faxes at the same fax number, you will not be able to just drag
and drop the phonebook entries when scheduling a fax.  Both FAXcilitate and
Supra VoiceMail, by default, look only at the first two fields of the
phonebook entry (i.e. Company Name and Fax Number).  By holding down the
Option key when adding recipients with the same Company Name and Fax number,
you can have FAXcilitate or SVM properly differentiate between the entries.
Part III.  PC/Windows Tips
* Some of you, by now, are using Release 2 of Windows 95 (known as OSR2).
If you are not, don't worry about it.  Many computer manufacturers are now
installing this version in new computers. OSR2 does not support the function
that lets a modem wake up a computer that's in a suspended state when using
Advanced Power Management (APM) features. This means that if you have a
communications program set to answer incoming calls it will not work once
the APM features kick in. In order for your modem/computer to answer calls,
do not enable the suspend state option.
Additional Bits and Bytes
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*  If you would like more information about our new products or want to
place an order please call our Customer Service department at 800-727-8772
or 360-604-1410.  Or email us at sales@supra.com.
*  The Tech Tip section of this newsletter is a little light.  You can
expect to see more information in the future.  If you have suggestions for
other topics to be discussed in future newsletters please email your
suggestions to maillist@supra.com.
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Dennis P. Lorimor                       Voice:  360-604-1491
Network Administrator                   Fax:    360-604-1401
Communications Division                 e-mail: dennis_lorimor@supra.com
Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.
312 SE Stonemill Dr., Suite 150, Vancouver, WA  98684
All, regards & take care,
Henk            (e-mail: henk.loosbroek@pi.net)   [PGP KeyID: 9032BB1D]
Latest Supra-ROM (V34-PC-ext): 1.440-25-V34_DS (05 nov 96)(Magic: SUPE1201)
Latest BGFax                 : 1.70            (01 mar 97)(Magic: BGFAX)
... Genius doesn't work on an assembly line basis.  - Kirk
--- GED3 3.00.Alpha4+/FD 2.12+/GE 1.11+
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