GeoPort

GeoPort was an enhanced Mini-DIN-9 serial data port available on most of Apple's beige-era Power Macintosh computers.GeoPort 'Modems' by Daniel Knight, Low End Mac. 1998-04-10. It was first introduced in the Quadra AV models and was not included in the LC-based Power Macintosh 6200 and 5200 LC.ARCHIVED: What is the GeoPort?, Indiana University, 2018-01-18.
==Functionality==
GeoPorts were capable of LocalTalk speeds up to 230.4 kbps. Many early Macs typically had two Mini-DIN-8 serial ports, labeled for a printer and modem.Macintosh Serial Throughput by Daniel Knight, Low End Mac. 1998-04-12. The GeoPort specification adds a 9th pin to the serial port to supply 5 volts of DC power. A GeoPort is backwards-compatible with standard Mini-DIN-8 serial devices, but 9-pin peripherals cannot be plugged into an older 8-pin serial port.Making a Universal Teleport Gold IIP modem. by James Lockman.
Attaching a GeoPort Telecom Adapter to a GeoPort-ready serial port (labeled with a globe symbol on Pippin consoles) allows it to emulate and function as a (relatively) low-cost modem without an external power supply, at the expense of CPU overhead. The GeoPort's functionality was also integrated into Apple's proprietary Comm Slot II in some PowerPC-based Macintosh desktop computers, but has since been discontinued.Apple's Geo Modem, The 6400 Zone. 2003-06-17.
==Telecom Adapter models==
GeoPort Telecom Adapters shipped with varying modem connection speeds, and could be upgraded through software updates.
* GeoPort Telecom Adapter M1694LL/B - 14.4 kilobaud (kbps)
* GeoPort Telecom Adapter (II) M2117LL/A - 28.8 kilobaud (kbps)
* GeoPort Telecom Adapter II M5438LL/A - 33.6 kilobaud (kbps)
===Conventional modems on GeoPort===
Some third party manufacturers, such as Global Village, also created conventional modems that could draw power from the 9th pin of GeoPort-equiped Macs to eliminate the need for a power supply, like Pippin modems.
==Discontinuation==
GeoPort and several other legacy technologies were eventually phased out by Apple, starting with Steve Jobs' introduction of the iMac G3 in May 1998.#1 Temporal Loop - Birth of the iMac by Thomas Hormby, The Mac Observer. 2007-05-25.
==Gallery==
GeoPort Telecom Adapter light grey.png|A light grey GeoPort Telecom Adapter.|link=
GeoPort Telecom Adapter light grey inside.jpg|Inside a light grey GeoPort Telecom Adapter.|link=
GeoPort Telecom Adapter II dark grey.png|A dark grey GeoPort Telecom Adapter II.|link=
==References==
==See also==
*Apple Desktop Bus
*AppleTalk
*Ethernet
==External links==
*GeoPort Telecom Adapter Kit at Apple (archived 1998-12-05)
**Welcome to the GeoPort Telecom Adapter Kit (PDF)
*Ports and Pinouts at Apple Macintosh Computer Repair Resources
*Apple GeoPort 9 pin at AllPinouts
*GeoPort, le connecteur méconnu d’Apple (French) by Pierre Dandumont at Le Journal du Lapin (2021-08-10)
*Low End Mac’s GeoPort Guide by Tommy Yune at Low End Mac (2018-03-21)
*GeoPort Mini DIN-9 at mdsh.com
*GeoPort at the Pippin @WORLD & Atmark Wiki
*GeoPort at Wikipedia
Category:Apple hardware
Category:Connectors
Category:Terms
Category:Discontinued Apple hardware