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Now, Can You Guess where this FULL PCB came from? (If so you could Win an oscilloscope!) [CLOSED]

baldengineer
Now, Can You Guess where this FULL PCB came from? (If so you could Win an oscilloscope!) [CLOSED]

Hey element14 Community, I have a small puzzle for you!

If you can solve it, you could win an Oscilloscope from Multicomp Pro (see link below for terms and conditions.)

The Puzzle Part 1 - Can you guess the device this PCB came from?

I took this PCB out of a consumer electronics device. With just this small clipping, can you identify what the device was and its original model number?

One hint, which should surprise no one that knows me, is that the device was released in the 1980s. Slight smile

Circuit board with several NEC and Hitatchi chips visible. There are also two white single row connectors. And a yellow wire bodge.

Also, not so much a hint, but an important note you should know. There are two modern modifications I did to this device. But they may or may not be visible in this (partial) picture. However, the yellow bodge wires shown here are how they shipped from the factory!

Take a Guess (in order to Win)

I look forward to seeing your guesses. To enter to win the Multicomp Pro Oscilloscope, you need to respond with the device type and its model number.

Feel free to ask me (almost) any questions about the device. (No, I won't tell you the model number.)

Soon I will post another section of the board and ask more questions.

Part 2 Update! - Guess where this FULL PCB came from!

image

With so many similar entries, we're going to do a bit of a run-off, but anyone is free to reply and enter.

  1. What is the name of the product?
  2. Who manufactured it?
  3. What year was it released?
  4. How much RAM did this particular PCB have?
  5. What two "modern" modifications have I made to the device?

See Terms & Conditions | Multicomp Pro Oscilloscope

Update: Congrats

After reviewing the submissions,  correctly answered all of the questions (eventually!) 

Thank you to everyone who participated.

Community Manager Note: Part 2 was originally posted as a secondary blog, we've merged it into this one, please continue to enter the competition and your answers, your previous replies haven't been lost, but we'd appreciate it if you re-posted them onto here -  

Parents

  • A super trip down memory lane!  This PCB is from a TRS-80 Color Computer MC-10, as others have said.  It came out in 1983, when I was 8yrs old, which is the year I started learning to program, also coincidentally on a different model in the same family, the TRS-80 CoCo 2, which used the same video display generator (MC6847) as the one in the contest photo.  I didn't learn about the hardware until much later, but that familiarity is what gave me a headstart in identifying where the contest's PCB came from.  From there, an image search of TRS-80 Color Computer PCBs led me quickly to the answer.

    My dad was a technician who maintained auto-inserter machines at NCR.  He brought his passion for electronics home from work, and I 'caught the bug'.  My fondest memories are of watching him design and build his own primitive computer, which had to be initially programmed by toggle-switches and LEDs to set address and data, and a momentary 'write' switch to strobe the memory-write signal.  He eventually wired it up to a teletype and punch-tape that he rescued from the dumpster at work.  I can still visualize my dad's "lab", a 2x4 and plywoord bench next to the washer and dryer.

    My dad is long gone, but his legacy lives on.  I'm still doing software and hardware today as a freelance contractor.  My lab is definitely a huge upgrade from my dad's 2x4s and plywood in the utility room, but I'll admit I could make good use of a more portable o-scope.  My current scope is a second-hand CRT-based LeCroy from eBay, and weighs so much that it's difficult to pull off the shelf, much less bring to client sites.  I'm super glad to see significant progress in the availability of scopes that hobbyists and freelancers can afford.  The passion lives on!

Comment

  • A super trip down memory lane!  This PCB is from a TRS-80 Color Computer MC-10, as others have said.  It came out in 1983, when I was 8yrs old, which is the year I started learning to program, also coincidentally on a different model in the same family, the TRS-80 CoCo 2, which used the same video display generator (MC6847) as the one in the contest photo.  I didn't learn about the hardware until much later, but that familiarity is what gave me a headstart in identifying where the contest's PCB came from.  From there, an image search of TRS-80 Color Computer PCBs led me quickly to the answer.

    My dad was a technician who maintained auto-inserter machines at NCR.  He brought his passion for electronics home from work, and I 'caught the bug'.  My fondest memories are of watching him design and build his own primitive computer, which had to be initially programmed by toggle-switches and LEDs to set address and data, and a momentary 'write' switch to strobe the memory-write signal.  He eventually wired it up to a teletype and punch-tape that he rescued from the dumpster at work.  I can still visualize my dad's "lab", a 2x4 and plywoord bench next to the washer and dryer.

    My dad is long gone, but his legacy lives on.  I'm still doing software and hardware today as a freelance contractor.  My lab is definitely a huge upgrade from my dad's 2x4s and plywood in the utility room, but I'll admit I could make good use of a more portable o-scope.  My current scope is a second-hand CRT-based LeCroy from eBay, and weighs so much that it's difficult to pull off the shelf, much less bring to client sites.  I'm super glad to see significant progress in the availability of scopes that hobbyists and freelancers can afford.  The passion lives on!

Children