hi, I exchanged a pctel303A / W based module with this one: http://xmodem.org/chipsets/agere/agere_LU97.html and slmodem kept working. as long as there is no eeprom on the AC'97-Link module (which I dont think there is) probably not so much lasting trouble can be done, since the chokes behind the 2-wire-plug to the phone socket remain in use in a particular laptop. I guess quite many laptops have such a socket, while not all may be easily accessible. In some laptop bodies, where some variants have mini-pci cards, this module may be located in the then vacant space of the "mini-pci card bay" and is easily accessible possibly together with the subassmbly "outward phone plug". Then you have good repair chances if the modem is broken. Again, these modules appear to be quite standardized and have some level of compatibility, as was proven by slmodem, which drives many different hardware codes (e.g. scorpio). I also have a true AMR audio modem riser card sitting on a nvidia bus. On that AMR, the main components also are that same pctel303a / w pair of SMT SOC chips. these laptop modules are somewhat functionally similar to AMR cards, I conclude. But I think slmodem cannot drive the nvidia bus and therefore the amr probably does not work with slmodem, though there is the same pctel303A codec. greetinx -F > All those really are is a telephone line -> sound card interfaces. > Typically these just handle converting the signals from the sound card > in to the phone line signals. > > It is linked directly to the audio bus's modem processing functions, and > to my knowledge are not interchangeable with different ones- since part > of the modem processing is hard coded in to the sound chipset, changing > that board (unless to an identical model) may simply not work or could > have disastrous consequences.
