[sci.electronics] Identify device please?

rbrink@hubcap.clemson.edu (Rick Brink) (09/22/90)

I have a "black box" I picked up at a yard sale for a buck.  It's about
1"x3"x6", manufacturer: Hayes Microcomputer Products inc. and labeled:
microcoupler....off hook.  It has an RJ14 jack (4 wires), and a din 10 plug 
with a 5inch multicolor riboncable terminating in a db25 (mounted in a box
.75"x.75"x2.5" with flanges that look like they should fit a pc card opening.)

I called hayes, and they could not identify it.  The construction is pretty    
simple. 5 chips (GE 4n33 146; P137/DM7405N;2 x P8147B+/LM324N; CA30809E/RCA
- 145; )diods, a magnetic relay, a small matching transformer and a small
coil (microtran T8410.

Curiosity.  I grabbed it thinking it was a simple modem.  I didn't look closely
at it then, and now I don't know what it is.

Drop me a line if you have any ideas.

rbrink@hubcap.clemson.edu please, I don't get to long on often, but I read
mail daily.

thanks....

ropg@ooc.uva.nl (Rop Gonggrijp) (09/23/90)

rbrink@hubcap.clemson.edu (Rick Brink) writes:


>I have a "black box" I picked up at a yard sale for a buck.  It's about
>1"x3"x6", manufacturer: Hayes Microcomputer Products inc. and labeled:
>microcoupler....off hook.  It has an RJ14 jack (4 wires), and a din 10 plug 
>with a 5inch multicolor riboncable terminating in a db25 (mounted in a box
>.75"x.75"x2.5" with flanges that look like they should fit a pc card
> opening.

From looking at you description I get the impression that this might be a
very simple device that can take the phone off the hook from a command on
the serial port. (Either a control wire or data). Could be handy when the
receiver is always in an acoustic coupler.... No guarantees, just a sugges-
tion.....

esmith@goofy.apple.com (Eric Smith) (09/23/90)

In article <10566@hubcap.clemson.edu> rbrink@hubcap.clemson.edu (Rick Brink) writes:

   I have a "black box" I picked up at a yard sale for a buck.  It's about
   1"x3"x6", manufacturer: Hayes Microcomputer Products inc. and labeled:
   microcoupler....off hook.  It has an RJ14 jack (4 wires), and a din 10 plug 
   with a 5inch multicolor riboncable terminating in a db25 (mounted in a box
   .75"x.75"x2.5" with flanges that look like they should fit a pc card opening.)

The Microcoupler was used with 300 baud modems Hayes made for the Apple II
and the S100 bus.

It is a DAA (data access arangement), a holdover from the days when you
couldn't connect just anything to your phone line.  It is basically just
a telephone line interface.  As someone else suggested, it will allow you
to take the phone on and off hook (which can also be used for pulse dialing).

I believe it also contains the 2 to 4 wire hybrid, so it has audio in
and out for a separate modem.  It may also give a ring indication.


--
Eric L. Smith      Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those
esmith@apple.com   of my employer, friends, family, computer, or even me!  :-)