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Member's Forum Powers of Deduction - What is this a picture of?
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  • State Verified Answer
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Powers of Deduction - What is this a picture of?

dougw
dougw over 2 years ago

The forum has been a bit spotty lately, so I thought I would try injecting a little fun quiz to keep our brains ticking.

Can you identify what the picture is of? Can you identify all the components?

I wouldn't go nuts with Google searches just yet. Clue number one is that it was made before the Internet existed, so Google may not work.

You can treat it more like the game 20 questions. I will answer one or more questions per day, from any speculation that appears in the comments below, until the answer reveals itself.

image

If you recognize it right away, please indicate how you came by this info.

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Top Replies

  • Jan Cumps
    Jan Cumps over 2 years ago in reply to dougw +9 verified
    It's a Kidzmo !!!
  • Jan Cumps
    Jan Cumps over 2 years ago in reply to dougw +7
    definitely an upgrade.
  • javagoza
    javagoza over 2 years ago +5
    A gadget to use a pc sound card as a basic phone line modem.
  • dougw
    0 dougw over 2 years ago in reply to Gough Lui

    Some clever deductions, but the cigar still eludes.

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  • dougw
    0 dougw over 2 years ago in reply to scottiebabe

    This thing had an oddly prominent place on one of my shelves where I had placed it years ago. But when I recently took a look at it, I realized I had no clue what it was, and I had the benefit of seeing all the labels - all the jacks are clearly labelled.

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  • Gough Lui
    0 Gough Lui over 2 years ago in reply to dougw

    Hmm. That's a tricky one ... could it be a telephone-line to headset adapter? An internal intercom system? *scratches head

    - Gough

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  • scottiebabe
    0 scottiebabe over 2 years ago in reply to dougw

    It is quite an intriguing puzzle! When I start to look at some of the components I get more confused lol I see 2 diodes, the one near the 9V battery makes sense. What makes this even more difficult is that RJ11 connectors and cables have been used/misused on so many products, so it may not actually connect to a telephone line....

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  • dougw
    0 dougw over 2 years ago in reply to Gough Lui

    It is kind of interesting from my perspective - watching the wheels turn.

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  • dougw
    0 dougw over 2 years ago in reply to scottiebabe

    I can definitely remember systems where RS232 was run through RJ connectors. My fume extractor remote switch still uses an RJ11.

    Lots of generic components may be easy to recognize - but that only makes it tougher.

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  • dougw
    0 dougw over 2 years ago in reply to wolfgangfriedrich

    I am not sure how you would pick a winner. I expect this one will be a collaboration - building on ideas.

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  • Andrew J
    0 Andrew J over 2 years ago

    I was thinking that it is a line tester.  The battery is routing back to the DC in port which presumably disconnects the battery when a wall wart is plugged in.  9v to the transformer(?) - not sure about that as regulators have been around for ever.  Looks like a ‘push to test’ button along with a on/off switch.  Anything under the mezzanine board?  You weren’t a closet phreaker back in the day were you?

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  • dougw
    0 dougw over 2 years ago in reply to Andrew J

    S1 is the power switch - I think - I haven't tested it.

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  • BigG
    0 BigG over 2 years ago

    are those RCA sockets on the right?

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