The Alfa DiskFax was a communication device created by Alfa Systems of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was launched in 1990. The DiskFax was designed to allow the transfer of digital files over a conventional telephone line to a remote DiskFax machine. In operation users would insert an

PC-compatible IBM PC compatible computers are similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT, all from computer giant IBM, that are able to use the same software and expansion cards. Such computers were referred to as PC clones, IBM clones or IBM PC clones. ...

floppy disc A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, or a diskette) is an obsolescent type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined ...

into the unit, at which point the data would be transmitted automatically to a receiver, which would write an image of the data on a local floppy disc. There were two models, one equipped with 5¼-inch, and 3½-inch drives, and a second with an internal hard drive for storing incoming data. Encrypted versions of the DiskFax were sold to the military and intelligence markets. The DiskFax was also used by Britain's Conservative Party during the 1992 general election. Alfa Systems was founded in 1985 by David Karlin, formerly of

Sinclair Research Sinclair Research Ltd is a British consumer electronics company founded by Clive Sinclair in Cambridge. It was originally incorporated in 1973 as Westminster Mail Order Ltd, renamed Sinclair Instrument Ltd, then Science of Cambridge Ltd, then ...

References

{{reflist Fax Office equipment Telecommunications equipment