Accelerate Your Mac! - G3 Internal Modem Installation Tutorial

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G3 Internal Modem Install
Published: 5/19/98

What's Included:

I was fortunate to be able to buy a Apple G3 56Flex internal modem from someone who needed the flexibility of a modem port over the convenience of the internal modem (you can't use both). Since none of the "kits" come with any instructions, I thought a tutorial might be of benefit to readers of my G3-ZONE and XLR8YOURMAC.COM sites.
The photo at the right shows the modem card and the CDROM that contains the modem script and STF Fax software.

Availability:
Since Apple does not sell these modems unless ordered with a system, they are fairly hard to find in stock. Small Dog Electronics has recently offered these modems for $159 (check availability). I paid about half that from a private owner. Being a specialized modem, the price will always be higher than a standard modem. For many owners, the price is well worth it. The modems are said to be flash upgradable to the new V.90 standard, but Apple has not released an upgrade yet.

How to install it:

To install the modem, you have to remove the AV personality module card as it contains the connector for the modem and a breakout plug for the modem card's phone jack.
Looking at the rear of the G3 MiniTower, locate the single screw at the base of the rear of the AV card module and remove it. I keep all screws in a small cup to avoid loss.

External AV Module Screw
(MiniTower laying flat)

As always, discharge any static electricity you have by touching the metal G3 power supply case, and preferably use a anti-static wrist strap whenever touching, inserting or removing electronic cards from inside your Mac.
Once the external retaining screw is removed, open the G3 case and remove the two internal AV Module retaining screws. Once the screws are removed, pull the AV Module up and out of the motherboard slot. Place it on a padded work area for the next operation.

Internal AV Module Retaining Screws

With the AV Module resting on a padded surface, I used a large flat-blade screwdriver to remove the "break-out" modem jack cover plate in the rear bracket. It's been punched almost completely through around the edge, and has a thin slot just for this purpose.
The exposed hole is for the modem phone jack, as shown in the next step.

Removing Break-away Tab for Modem Jack from AV Module

With the knock-out plug removed, insert the modem card into the AV Module, hooking the metal endplate tab on the modem card into the cutout area on the AV Module rear bracket. Tip the Modem card up, insert the tab on the bracket through the AV module hole and then the modem card can be seated in the AV card connector.
The modem card bracket has a little ridge that must be on the outside of the AV bracket - otherwise the modem card connector can't align with the mating connector on the AV board.

Modem Card Bracket Tab
(Click for larger image)

With the modem card installed in the AV module, insert the AV module back into the chassis, making sure it's seated fully in the motherboard slot (this is hard to verify as now the modem card is obscuring the view).
Replace the two internal and one external screws to secure the AV Module. Close up the case.

Modem Card Installed
(red border denotes modem card)

Finishing up/Software Install:
Connect your phone line to the jack on the rear of the AV Module panel. Unlike PC internal modems, there is no pass-through jack to allow another connection to say a desk phone. You'll need a splitter for that.
Start the system, insert the Modem CDROM and copy the modem script from the scripts folder into the modem scrips folder (insider the system/extensions folder).
Open the modems control panel and select the "Apple/GV 56K" modem from the list of scripts. Open your PPP control panel and ensure you are using your ISP's 56K Flex dial-in number.

Modem Jack after installation

Comments:
I noticed a lower connect speed than my previous X2 USR external modem (33.6k vs 43k) but I'm hoping that the new V.90 bios (when it is released by Apple) will provide better speeds. Even though the connect rate was only 33.6k, download speeds seemed similar to the X2 modem, so possibly some upward negotiation was taking place after the initial connect.
For me this was a worthwhile upgrade. It cost me a serial port, but not having to switch modems and cabling from one mac to the other was worth it, especially at the price I paid ($80). At $160 it would have been a tougher choice.
New GV/56K Modem Update! Apple has released a V90 Update for the internal modems used in the original G3 systems. See the readme for more information.

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Copyright © mike, 1998.
Thanks to my better half for tolerating all the time I spend on this site.
No part of this sites content is to be reproduced in any form without written permission.
All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies.
Users of this web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.


G3 Internal Modem Install Published: 5/19/98
What's Included:
I was fortunate to be able to buy a Apple G3 56Flex internal modem from someone who needed the flexibility of a modem port over the convenience of the internal modem (you can't use both). Since none of the "kits" come with any instructions, I thought a tutorial might be of benefit to readers of my G3-ZONE and XLR8YOURMAC.COM sites. The photo at the right shows the modem card and the CDROM that contains the modem script and STF Fax software.
Availability: Since Apple does not sell these modems unless ordered with a system, they are fairly hard to find in stock. Small Dog Electronics has recently offered these modems for $159 (check availability). I paid about half that from a private owner. Being a specialized modem, the price will always be higher than a standard modem. For many owners, the price is well worth it. The modems are said to be flash upgradable to the new V.90 standard, but Apple has not released an upgrade yet.
How to install it:
To install the modem, you have to remove the AV personality module card as it contains the connector for the modem and a breakout plug for the modem card's phone jack. Looking at the rear of the G3 MiniTower, locate the single screw at the base of the rear of the AV card module and remove it. I keep all screws in a small cup to avoid loss.	External AV Module Screw (MiniTower laying flat)

As always, discharge any static electricity you have by touching the metal G3 power supply case, and preferably use a anti-static wrist strap whenever touching, inserting or removing electronic cards from inside your Mac. Once the external retaining screw is removed, open the G3 case and remove the two internal AV Module retaining screws. Once the screws are removed, pull the AV Module up and out of the motherboard slot. Place it on a padded work area for the next operation.	Internal AV Module Retaining Screws

With the AV Module resting on a padded surface, I used a large flat-blade screwdriver to remove the "break-out" modem jack cover plate in the rear bracket. It's been punched almost completely through around the edge, and has a thin slot just for this purpose. The exposed hole is for the modem phone jack, as shown in the next step.	Removing Break-away Tab for Modem Jack from AV Module

With the knock-out plug removed, insert the modem card into the AV Module, hooking the metal endplate tab on the modem card into the cutout area on the AV Module rear bracket. Tip the Modem card up, insert the tab on the bracket through the AV module hole and then the modem card can be seated in the AV card connector. The modem card bracket has a little ridge that must be on the outside of the AV bracket - otherwise the modem card connector can't align with the mating connector on the AV board.	Modem Card Bracket Tab (Click for larger image)

With the modem card installed in the AV module, insert the AV module back into the chassis, making sure it's seated fully in the motherboard slot (this is hard to verify as now the modem card is obscuring the view). Replace the two internal and one external screws to secure the AV Module. Close up the case.	Modem Card Installed (red border denotes modem card)

Finishing up/Software Install: Connect your phone line to the jack on the rear of the AV Module panel. Unlike PC internal modems, there is no pass-through jack to allow another connection to say a desk phone. You'll need a splitter for that. Start the system, insert the Modem CDROM and copy the modem script from the scripts folder into the modem scrips folder (insider the system/extensions folder). Open the modems control panel and select the "Apple/GV 56K" modem from the list of scripts. Open your PPP control panel and ensure you are using your ISP's 56K Flex dial-in number.	Modem Jack after installation

Comments: I noticed a lower connect speed than my previous X2 USR external modem (33.6k vs 43k) but I'm hoping that the new V.90 bios (when it is released by Apple) will provide better speeds. Even though the connect rate was only 33.6k, download speeds seemed similar to the X2 modem, so possibly some upward negotiation was taking place after the initial connect. For me this was a worthwhile upgrade. It cost me a serial port, but not having to switch modems and cabling from one mac to the other was worth it, especially at the price I paid ($80). At $160 it would have been a tougher choice. New GV/56K Modem Update! Apple has released a V90 Update for the internal modems used in the original G3 systems. See the readme for more information.

Back to G3-ZONE or Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM (If you're trapped in a frames site - click here to clear frames)
Copyright © mike, 1998. Thanks to my better half for tolerating all the time I spend on this site. No part of this sites content is to be reproduced in any form without written permission. All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies. Users of this web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.