What is this card?

[Filingo]

I was told it's an old network card, but it looks like a telephone socket or 6P6C and not 8P8C.

I saw the computer photo - it's really old. A replacement is needed because this card died:

 

 

ty

[BiotechBen]

Yeah, that would be used for dial-up internet seeing as it's a telephone jack. What is the system that this was in? It's possible that a newer network card could be used.

[Filingo]

3 minutes ago, BiotechBen said:

Yeah, that would be used for dial-up internet seeing as it's a telephone jack. What is the system that this was in? It's possible that a newer network card could be used.

I dont have more details as well, will check and update, ty

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

8 hours ago, BiotechBen said:

Yeah, that would be used for dial-up internet seeing as it's a telephone jack. What is the system that this was in? It's possible that a newer network card could be used.

I wouldn't make any assumptions, nothing else on that card implies modem to me, its quite an odd looking thing.

 

8 hours ago, Filingo said:

 

ty

Would help to see what it connects to.  I'm also confused, how do you know its died if you don't know what it is?  What is it used for?

[BiotechBen]

3 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

I wouldn't make any assumptions, nothing else on that card implies modem to me, its quite an odd looking thing.

 

Would help to see what it connects to.  I'm also confused, how do you know its died if you don't know what it is?  What is it used for?

It's a network card likely based on the seemingly old age of it, it has the telephone jack for dial up, as well as a USB 1.0 port, and connects via serial, if the board that it was attached to has a PCI bus, it might make sense to connect to that. otherwise, a serial to network adapter may be an option.

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 hour ago, BiotechBen said:

It's a network card likely based on the seemingly old age of it, it has the telephone jack for dial up, as well as a USB 1.0 port, and connects via serial, if the board that it was attached to has a PCI bus, it might make sense to connect to that. otherwise, a serial to network adapter may be an option.

 

Dialup modems need a LOT more components than that as they have to convert the high-voltage of the phone line down to something that wont blow up your PC.  I've also never seen an internal modem that connects over serial, they always either were software based (later ones, once CPUs were fast enough to cut down on dedicated hardware on the card) over the PCI or ISA bus, or include the serial port IO hardware on the card itself.

Internal serial port connectors would also be a motherboard header, not a full-blown socket like that.  That looks like something entirely proprietary to me and what those ports are for may also be.  There's is no rule saying RJ11 is always for a phone line or a USB socket can't be used for some other purpose, its just bad practice as mistakes can occur.

Even on todays technology, a software modem needs this many components.

Also see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softmodem

[Robchil]

the internal port looks more like a DB-15 male connector. 

 

[BiotechBen]

1 hour ago, Robchil said:

the internal port looks more like a DB-15 male connector. 

 

Yeah, it looks like an RS232 connection, and based on that full sized connector and the odd combination of RJ11 and USB with no PCI or ISA bus makes me think this is for a specialized machine potentially. Also @Alex Atkin UK what would you suggest the RJ11 would be used for in this case if not network/telephone connection?

[Robchil]

4 hours ago, BiotechBen said:

Yeah, it looks like an RS232 connection, and based on that full sized connector and the odd combination of RJ11 and USB with no PCI or ISA bus makes me think this is for a specialized machine potentially. Also @Alex Atkin UK what would you suggest the RJ11 would be used for in this case if not network/telephone connection?

no.. an DB-15.. 15 not 9 pin.. more like the old joystick port, those where also used for Digital signal processor and sound cards had them, for joystick and midi. 

On 3/27/2022 at 7:52 PM, Filingo said:

I dont have more details as well, will check and update, ty

 

what was connected behind this card since it's not usable in itself.. 

 

[BiotechBen]

12 minutes ago, Robchil said:

no.. an DB-15.. 15 not 9 pin.. more like the old joystick port, those where also used for Digital signal processor and sound cards had them, for joystick and midi. 

what was connected behind this card since it's not usable in itself.. 

 

Based on the number of traces traces it looks like 12 contacts? Then there is also a female 4 pin and a female 3 pin connector on the bottom which I don't even wanna guess at, and two solder contacts for 5v and gnd, and a button that says Keyboard v1 under it...... This is looking super proprietary to me.

[Robchil]

4 minutes ago, BiotechBen said:

Based on the number of traces traces it looks like 12 contacts? Then there is also a female 4 pin and a female 3 pin connector on the bottom which I don't even wanna guess at, and two solder contacts for 5v and gnd, and a button that says Keyboard v1 under it...... This is looking super proprietary to me.

true dat..

 

[BiotechBen]

56 minutes ago, Robchil said:

true dat..

 

Add on top of that what looks to maybe be a floppy connector on top? 

[An0maly_76]

With a D-sub connector, this is a LAN interface to something else, be it the motherboard or some sort of storage array controller. What this means is that without this card, whatever it interfaced with is useless unless a replacement can be found, and this card is useless without whatever connected on the other end. Since the machine it came from is "very old" (no real clues as to vintage), I poked around a bit and did find an adapter for serial 9-pin to EtherNet, which I suspect is something along the lines of the purpose for this card. I hate to say it, but without a manufacturer, model # or part # on the card, you may be out of luck. If there were some clue as to machine model, perhaps a salvageable unit could be sourced.

 

I searched this image through Google and got this:

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised

[Robchil]

48 minutes ago, BiotechBen said:

Add on top of that what looks to maybe be a floppy connector on top? 

are those 5 pins?.. i thought they where only 4 pin like the bottom one.. the 3 pin looks like a fan connector tho... both actually. 

 

[Robchil]

3 minutes ago, An0maly_76 said:

With a D-sub connector, this is a LAN interface to something else, be it the motherboard or some sort of storage array controller. What this means is that without this card, whatever it interfaced with is useless unless a replacement can be found, and this card is useless without whatever connected on the other end. Since the machine it came from is "very old" (no real clues as to vintage), I poked around a bit and did find an adapter for serial 9-pin to EtherNet, which I suspect is something along the lines of the purpose for this card. I hate to say it, but without a manufacturer, model # or part # on the card, you may be out of luck. If there were some clue as to machine model, perhaps a salvageable unit could be sourced.

 

I searched this image through Google and got this:

 

yeah.. i said D-15 port.. or d-sub as you say.. probably go to a Digital signal processor that can use this card as modem.. or static link. 

 

[An0maly_76]

OP, is there ANY identifying information on the other side of this card?

 

One other thing, folks -- long shot here, but this wouldn't happen to be a reset switch, would it?

 

 

I'm starting to think this is not a network card, but part of a USB-based EPROM or ISP programming system..

(image below link)

https://www.amazon.com/Programmer-Rt809f-Serial-24-25-93-Rtd2120/dp/B00HKSHQQ6

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised, more info

[Alex Atkin UK]

Can we stop calling it "very old", you're making me feel very very old seeing as I had a PC before USB was invented.

[Blue4130]

6 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Can we stop calling it "very old", you're making me feel very very old seeing as I had a PC before USB was invented.

Haha I had that same thought. "it can't be that old, it has usb..." 

 

The I looked up when usb was released. I cried a little. 

[BiotechBen]

3 hours ago, Blue4130 said:

Haha I had that same thought. "it can't be that old, it has usb..." 

 

The I looked up when usb was released. I cried a little. 

I grew up playing on a P2, had 1 USB on board technically, and then a 2 port expansion card and an AGP Riva 128

[Blue4130]

4 hours ago, BiotechBen said:

I grew up playing on a P2, had 1 USB on board technically, and then a 2 port expansion card and an AGP Riva 128

 

My first machine that I bought for myself was a 486 dlc40. No usb to be found. But it had some sweet serial ports. 

[BiotechBen]

@Filingo any extra information about the system that this card came out of would greatly help in trying to figure out what the card is. Also some pictures of different angles that include the interfaces for the internal connectors. and the other side of the PCB might be good too.

[Robchil]

On 3/29/2022 at 7:21 PM, BiotechBen said:

I grew up playing on a P2, had 1 USB on board technically, and then a 2 port expansion card and an AGP Riva 128

OMG.. i remember i had squirrel SCSI PCMCIA card for my amiga 1200 to connect my ZIP drive

only 9 pin serial back then...  

commodor 64 had serial same size as paralellports.. just female. 

 

[Filingo]

I am trying to get more information as well, but looks like they abandoned the idea of trying to fix it -_- none the less thanks everyone for all the help, if I do get an update I will come here