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mystery cards

Plasma

Plasma

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Nov 7, 2005
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I have a couple of expansion cards that I don't know much about and was wondering if anyone here could id them.

The first is obviously a memory expansion card, but I don't recognize the bus type. What kind of computer is this for?

The second is a Novell 8-bit ISA/XT card. Since it's by Novell I'm guessing it's some kind of network card, but it's like none I've ever seen. The only connector on it is a minijack (?!) I tried searching the part numbers but got nothing.

I have larger pictures here if it helps:
http://www.phatcode.net/stuff/1.jpg
http://www.phatcode.net/stuff/2.jpg

Thanks to anyone who can point me in the right direction :)
 

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T, I think you missed that little 3 connector nub at the other end of the board. Until I noticed it, I thought it was an 8-bit card as well, but, it might be proprietary.
 
Ooooo, I think he's got it. I was trying to think of what kind of slow speed comm would use a jack like that. RS232 naturally. Of course, Mr. Certified Network Engineer (me) should have come up with that one too.
 
I dunno - doesn't the 2nd card look an awful lot like the keycard?
These were the cards that Novell used to serialize before 2.xx.
1.0a I think was the last to use keycards.

T
 
chuckcmagee said:
Ooooo, I think he's got it. I was trying to think of what kind of slow speed comm would use a jack like that. RS232 naturally. Of course, Mr. Certified Network Engineer (me) should have come up with that one too.
Click to expand...
No, not RS232. Early UPS did not have an RS232 output. If they had anything, it was a relay output - the three contacts of a relay: common, nomally open, normally closed. Two of those contacts ('Common' and an appropriate choice of the other two) were connected to the UPS board via a cable. That connector on the card will be a standard 3mm phono jack.

Later, UPS with RS232 outputs (usually with relay contacts as well) started appearing. Of course, then you didn't a card like this one (unless all your serial ports were taken).
 
Sharkonwheels said:
I dunno - doesn't the 2nd card look an awful lot like the keycard?
Click to expand...
Looks like the card might have both key card and UPS monitoring functionality. I found the following on the Internet.

To provide the hardware interface to basic UPS monitoring, Novell offered a number of options for hardware connection points to the server. First, Novell offered a UPS monitoring connector on a special card used by SFT NetWare called a DCB (Disk Coprocessor Board) card. Then, Novell added UPS monitoring to a plug in card called a "key" card which was part of Novell's copy protection system. When the PS/2 was introduced with it incompatible bus structure, the key card approach to copy protection became unwieldy for Novell, and the key card was discontinued. At this time, a special UPS monitoring board for ISA bus computers was introduced, and Novell used the PS/2 mouseport as the monitoring signal input on PS/2 computers. When Novell began to leave the hardware business, APC developed its own compatible version of the monitoring card to eliminate the market shortage of UPS monitoring cards.
 
Whew, I think we have those 2 cards done! The whole world loves a mystery and we really love them.
 
Thanks guys, I think you're right on about the second card. Still would like to know what bus/computer the first one is for...although I've got a feeling it's probably some obscure proprietary thing long forgotten.
 
OK, time for the guy who thinks he knows everything to step in :razz:

I dunno a thing about the second card. But the first one caught my eyes. The large portion is obviously where the card would hook to the 8-bit section of the slot. After a medium amount of comparioson, the little nub looks lije ut would line up right with the 16-bit proprietary of the AT&T 6300. Then, next to the nub where it is just plastic, I think that is just a guide for it(nub) to connect to the 16-bit portion. The card looks ALOT like my AT&T 6300 memory expansion board, but his is deprived of chips(which I have alot of). I never took out my AT&T expansion board(16-bit) but mine probably has a nub with "filler" too. Wish I would have read this thread 2 hours ago, I just has my 6300 open when I installed an external hard drive....Tonight I suppose I will check.

--Ryan

EDIT

/Guns down own theory

Nope. The placing is right, but on mine there is no dip-switches, different labeling, made in italy, and only half the board is socketed. Oh, well.
 
Last edited:
It's a good guess, but that card isn't a match. The large and small edge connectors are reversed on that card, and the small one has just 6 leads rather than 10.
 
Ok, how about some more pictures of the first card then ;o) Yeah it's buggin me since I've seen similar cards with some expansion slot at the very end but I'm trying to remember what type of system they were in. Plus can't quite tell if I'm looking at missing chips or solder joins for sockets for the memory on board.

Obviously it does look like a memory expansion board but you'd think we'd get it with the 40 finger slot but I can't find it. Also sometimes the gap between the metal plate and first pin clue you in. I'm trying to remember if I saw one like this in an older server from IBM or Compaq or something. Could also make sense if it was from an old server since they loved to make proprietary boards for all your cards to go into (like the IBM 5363).. although the 5363 accepted ISA since I remember putting a video card in there and to the surprise of the person who sold it to me it actually did display it's memory count to the screen.

Quite an interesting puzzle though.
- John
 
I recall seeing similar boards in a number of computers from that era, including Zeos, AST, even GW2K. Microntics(?) made the boards for a lot of those systems, so when I see one, that's what comes to mind. Are there no other markings on the mainboard?

--T
 
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