• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

What is this? Post Photos of Mystery Items Here (vintage computers only)

Well, the connector header on the right-side upper board as well as the 2 40 pin DIPs along side it have been added by the props people. The connector uses the same slotted cheese-head brass screws that attach the fake modules on the lower board. I'm fairly certain that those white ceramic DIPs on the left side have also been added.
The bottom boards, however modified, appear to be from the same unit, given the parts choice and spacing.
 
Almost looks like a Ballys/Midway arcade board, and yes some had white ceramic IC's. Grabbed a copy of the movie, going to watch it tonight and see if I can get some better stills...
 
1655262055932.png

Best screengrab I could get off my Bluray right now. Maybe I can get a little more detail tomorrow if i go into the garage office, the main display is 4k. Just too dang hot to go in there right now, was about 100F today and humid as heck. Yuck.
 
Last edited:
The board on the upper right is old--note the HC6/W crystal and the carbon composition resistors, as well as the disc ceramic bypass caps. Definitely late 60s-70s vintage.
 
A few years ago, I bought a Commodore 128DCR at the local thrift shop. The user port had this device installed. The mains cable was tied (with black electrical tape) alongside the main unit mains cable. I never used the device, out of abject terror. The top half of the box is white, and the bottom is grey. I can't pull it apart further without releasing the mains cord strain relief.

The unit had a dodgy PSU, so I wonder if this was some sort of auxilliary power injector... looks like the mains might go to the tiny "used for tuning in a stereo tuner" style metal-can transformer, but there's no way UL would be comfortable with it.
 

Attachments

  • b.jpg
    b.jpg
    197.3 KB · Views: 34
  • c.jpg
    c.jpg
    196.4 KB · Views: 32
  • aa.jpg
    aa.jpg
    156.8 KB · Views: 33
I don't think that "genesis" has anything to do with Sega.

I understand your terror, with a power cord basically on the wrong side of your Commodore. :)
 
Hi Everyone

This screenshot is from the KNIGHT RIDER "SOUL SURVIVOR" episode.

Does anyone have an idea, which computer this could be (unless it's a made-for-TV mockup)?

I doubt it would have had a color display and it for sure would not run Pacman,
more likely I believe is white/green/amber on black, and propably even a text-mode only display.

Thanks.

IMG_4811 2.jpeg
 
Almost looks like an old school car analyzer, alot of them ran on C64 inards.

I know this looks different, but gives the general idea. Some did have color screens. And looking below the screen you can see the keyboard drawer. Looks like dual 180kb drives. Maybe it was an Apple II based machine?

1657854619903.png


When I was a kid growing up in the automotive field, I seen a bunch of weird diagnostic computers for automotive use. Here's one thats stands out in my mind... I remember it was being used to tune Mopar lean burn systems and primitive emissions testing. Somewhere in the mid 80s, I remember alot of the machines being moved over to PC side of things. By late 80s I recall PC Jr based diagnostic machines being popular.

1657855382838.png
 
Last edited:
it has a large offset at the beginning of the file
That's probably because they only needed a 2K ROM, and it was easier/cheaper to get a 2732 than a 2716. When you do that, the first half is either empty or a copy of the second half. The real data starts with 55, which I think is standard for BIOS ROMs in PC expansion cards.
 
Does anyone know what brand and model this terminal is? It doesn't have any stickers on it, and I haven't been able to find similar looking terminals on Google.
 

Attachments

  • terminal1.jpg
    terminal1.jpg
    339.8 KB · Views: 34
  • terminal2.jpg
    terminal2.jpg
    609.9 KB · Views: 35
Almost looks like an old school car analyzer, alot of them ran on C64 inards.

I know this looks different, but gives the general idea. Some did have color screens. And looking below the screen you can see the keyboard drawer. Looks like dual 180kb drives. Maybe it was an Apple II based machine?

View attachment 1243602


When I was a kid growing up in the automotive field, I seen a bunch of weird diagnostic computers for automotive use. Here's one thats stands out in my mind... I remember it was being used to tune Mopar lean burn systems and primitive emissions testing. Somewhere in the mid 80s, I remember alot of the machines being moved over to PC side of things. By late 80s I recall PC Jr based diagnostic machines being popular.

View attachment 1243603
I know this is months after your post, but the tester in the first position is apparently a "1983 Sun Inspector II analyzer" (I found it at https://www.purplewave.com/auction/170307/item/CB9806/Shop_Tools-Tools-Iowa).
 
Found this animated GIF in MS Teams’s GIF collection. What is it? My only guess is that it is a data entry unit circa 1972 (before terminals even existed). Also, the lady’s clothing kind of dates it. 😁

823E5695-A39B-44E7-A100-D19B8AABAC3B.gif
 
It looks similar to a Datapoint 3300 terminal but the curve on the front bezel and the extra row of switches under the display aren't correct.
 
Based on the tape drives in the background (65x), I'd say that this was a CDC 700-series terminal (perhaps a 713). Period-correct. Barely visible behind this looks to be an upper 3000 console. Here's a post about a similar terminal (CDC used the chassis for several different terminals).

I remember these from working at CDC--the base model had 8 widely-spaced lines. You could get an upgrade to 16 lines.

Look carefully at the GIF--just below the row of LEDs under the display, you can see the Control Data badge.
sexycomputer2.jpg
 
Last edited:
Back
Top