Hmm.. I have a USR modem here. It's been
fine for many years _after_ I
resoldered a lot of dry joints shortly after I got it (on the PCB and on
the secodnary of the transformer in the mains adapter). Oh, and
re-crimped the telephone plug.
So to be honest, I don't think much of USR prodcution or quality control.
I've sold **hundreds** of these modems here in Brazil and never had
returns like that you said :oP From the Sportster 28800 to the Courier
V-Everything-but-the-girl, and the older couriers (I had a 9600/14400 HST)
OK, I probalby had a bad one.
The modem in question is a Sportster 14400. It was terrible when I got
it, it dropped the line, locked up, and so on. After I resoldered it,
it's been fine for 20 years or so (well beyond what I suspect is the
design lifetime).
So, yes, its fine now. By the comments of some peopel here, though it
shouldn't be in that reworkign the PCB should ahve reduced the
reliability. Maybe it did, if I'd got one that didn't need reworking, it
wowould go on even longer. But 20 years without problems, turned on and
used just about every day, doesn't seen unrelaible to me.
-tony