I've been using
JimDrew's simply fantastic
WiModem w/OLED display to feed my insatiable BBS appetite for several months now. I can't recommend it more highly for those that want a simple plug-and-play device that just works. At least, that's been my experience.
The
Schema modem which inspired the original post of this thread is good, but mine (at least on my network) was harder to hook up by quite a bit compared to JimDrew's (Jim's took, like, a couple minutes). And, once set, the Schema was often a bit flaky, too, just keeping its baud steady or overall lack of connecting to things like you'd expect. JimDrew's product also has the ability to update its firmware over-the-air - no USB cables, extra computer, etc. Just turn it on, and tell it do it's thing. Boom! Really nice and easy.
In any case, aesthetically the thing looks a bit like, well, a hunk of interesting techno stuff hanging out of the back of your C64. So, I went and got another
3D printed case from the excellent folks at
corei64. I made sure to
not get the option with the WiFi symbol, as I made that mistake before and it's incredibly hard to sand around it.
Personally, I can't stand the way most 3D printed plastic pieces look. You get this rough, layered look due to the very nature of how the pieces are printed (a bit like a topographical map).
- I started sanding the 3D enclosure. You can still see a lot of the lines.
The exception to the rule would be sweet pieces like the
SCSI2SD V5 Bracket by Maya Designs, which uses "nylon plastic with a matte finish and slight grainy feel." I wish more places did this, frankly, as it looks so much better and requires no or almost no mods by the anal retentive like yours truly, But I digress.
I kept sanding. After a while, most of the flat surfaces were looking pretty good.
- I still had some lines, but was feeling a bit lazy about it this time. I didn't go the extra mile and use putty to fill in the gaps.
I then used the same camo paint I used
last time, and a clear coat. The final product looks pretty decent as you'd expect.
- In the right lighting and some paint and a clear coat, almost anything can look good. :)
I've attached a couple of pics with the finished product. I could have spent more time on it to look perfect, but I think this'll do for now. What do you think?
- I really need to straighten up my desk so these shots aren't so embarrassing. But you're supposed to be focusing on the little modem anyway. ;) It's footprint is much smaller than the Schema. It also can't ever support being a BBS that receives calls - it can only make calls. But that's really all I want to do right now anyway. I mean, if you want to run a BBS, you better learn to code IMO.