zenophryk wrote:
I would consider any communications product like a phone system, a IP phone, a network hub/switch, router csu/dsu and cable modem a Telco board.
I understand your frustration! When I first found Boardsort and started trying to classify boards I thought the classification was based on the function of the board, like you said if it comes out of a telephone system it should be one of the two types of Telco board. I have figured out since then that classification method is not correct. Just like when the hard drive board class split into two types of board based on the connector style only (that is the easiest way to split the class), but there are many IDE boards that have the same population as SATA board. The same with gold finger cards, just because it has gold fingers doesn't mean it will be in that class. I have some boards that were upgraded from gold finger to high telco because of the number of ICs on them and I have some that barley make low peripheral class because of heavy transformers. I have a Cisco router board now that looks like low peripheral because it has so much blank space. Don't let the technical description of the board get in the way of the "art of classification" :)
Check this post and see if it helps your understanding, then add comments of posts you find that help clarify classification for you.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21765