Acoustic coupler is a telecommunications device used to connect modems with the telephone line. The spelling of this word is based on the IPA phonetic transcription /əˈkuːstɪk ˈkʌplər/. The first syllable "a" is pronounced with a schwa sound /ə/. The second syllable "coust" is pronounced with a long "o" sound /uː/ and "st" is pronounced with a "s" sound /s/. The final syllable "ic" is pronounced with a hard "c" sound /k/ and "coupler" is pronounced with a short "u" sound /ʌ/ and a silent "e" at the end.
An acoustic coupler refers to a device used in telecommunications, particularly in the early days of data transmission, to connect a telephone or audio device to a computer or terminal. It is designed to allow data transfer by employing audio tones over a telephone line.
The acoustic coupler consists of two parts: a cradle-like receptacle for the telephone handset and a modem. The telephone handset is placed into the coupler, which houses a pair of rubber cups that encounter the handset's earpiece and microphone. By using specialized rubber cups and an internal speaker and microphone, the coupler converts the audio tones into electrical signals that can be interpreted by the connected computer or terminal. Similarly, the electrical signals from the computer or terminal are transformed into audio tones that can be transmitted back to the telephone line.
The primary purpose of the acoustic coupler was to enable remote communication and data exchange between computers and distant locations through telephone lines. It offered a solution for users who did not have direct access to a terminal or computer network. This technology was widely utilized in the 1960s and 1970s but gradually became obsolete with the advent of direct electrical connections and the development of more advanced forms of data transmission, such as modems that connect directly to telephone lines via cables.
The word "acoustic coupler" has a straightforward etymology.
The term "acoustic" refers to sound or the sense of hearing, and it comes from the Greek word "akoustikos", meaning "relating to hearing".
The word "coupler" comes from "couple", which in turn originated from the Latin word "copula", meaning "a bond or a link".
When combined, "acoustic coupler" literally means a device that connects or links sound. In the context of technology, an acoustic coupler is a device that allows a computer or other electronic device to connect to a telephone line using sound signals. It was used in the early days of modems to establish a connection and transmit data over telephone lines before the advent of direct digital connections.