NetComm Roadster II 56 Ultra (AM5693) Serial Modem Unboxing and Disassembly

Nix McRetro // 17th July 2022 // IBM PC, YouTube

This is my favourite modem so far. Is it the breakneck speeds it can provide? Is it the blue translucent case? Is it the Conexant chipset? Maybe it’s all of the above!

In this video I unbox an AM5693 and compare the internals with an AM5690. Some interesting comparisons can be made, including a few unexpected ones with the Banksia modems. The boards share a lot of the same design language while differing in port orientation and revision markings.

The Banksia Wave SP 56, model BD4064S Rev. 2, uses a BT134 Rev F board that appears to share the same PCB design as this NetComm Roadster II Ultra 56K AM5693. The earlier Banksia Wave SP 56 Rev. 1 uses BT134 Rev B, while the NetComm Roadster II 56 Ultra SVD AM5690 uses BT134 Rev B1. The shared board markings show a very close hardware relationship, although they do not prove every component or configuration is identical.

AI-assisted revision: This post was reviewed and edited with OpenAI GPT-5.6 Sol on 1 October 2026 for fact-checking, sourcing, and editorial cleanup. Final editorial responsibility remains with the author.