View Full Version : what is this? (classic computer peripheral)
qbertandernie
07-15-2007, 01:53 PM
didnt know quite where to put this, was going for the 'whats it worth/finds' forum, but figured id get a quicker answer here...
this thing was with my commodore, but when i cleaned it up to sell i noticed the ports on the commodore don't seem to work with the peripheral. i figured it was a modem of some kind...does it go to an atari computer?
the front says 'BLUE STREAK II' 'dayton associates' and their phone number, as well as the different settings, and a switch for "P" and "S"...
the male and female ends are for four pins, but i couldnt get a good pic for anything.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/qbertandernie/DCP_0001.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/qbertandernie/DCP_0003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/qbertandernie/DCP_0004.jpg
digitalpress
07-15-2007, 02:14 PM
It's a Tandy CoCo peripheral but I have no idea what exactly it's for. What are the labels on the dial, my eyes can't get a read on that.
PapaStu
07-15-2007, 02:47 PM
they look to be (top to bottom)
9600
4800
2400
1200
600
300
Mobius
07-15-2007, 02:52 PM
they look to be (top to bottom)
9600
4800
2400
1200
600
300
Baud rates...
The P/S switch might be Parallel/Serial.
lakeflaccid
07-15-2007, 02:56 PM
It looks to be a serial-to-parallel converter to hook up standard PC printers. The numbers on the knob all sound like serial baud rates. I don't know what the P/S switch is for (could stand for parallel/serial, but why?).
http://www.coco3.com/faq_hardware.htm mentions a device called the Blue Streak Ultima which is a serial converter, so I'd guess this is just a slightly different model.
Looks like you've got selectable baud rates (dial) for a switchable parallel/serial (P/S toggle switch) connection, with a Centronics port (usually for printers) on the end of that cable.
Could possibly have connected a printer, EPROM programmer, scanner, or any number of things to whatever uses those 4-pin connectors.
Buyatari
07-15-2007, 03:15 PM
Baud rates...
The P/S switch might be Parallel/Serial.
Thats what I thought, baud rates. Glad those days are over !
qbertandernie
07-15-2007, 03:49 PM
as always, the knowledge of forum members here is awe inspiring, and greatly appreciated!
Kid Ice
07-15-2007, 04:07 PM
That looks familiar...I think I might have seen it in a Commodore magazine.
Buyatari
07-15-2007, 07:44 PM
Just call the number !
robo3355
07-16-2007, 01:12 AM
I'm not exactly sure someone above hit the nail on the head it seems. I had a similar item called G-Whiz for the C64 that used the exact same cabling, and had jumpers instead of a pot-knob for selecting the printer you're connecting. My uncle had used it to connect a PC printer up instead of the regular mps-803.
Flack
07-16-2007, 07:32 AM
Just call the number !
Turns out, they are still around!
http://www.computerhope.com/comp/daycad.htm
And they are a printer-related company!
Pantechnicon
07-16-2007, 07:45 AM
If you do call them up, please share their reactions when you request technical support assistance on what has got to be at least a 20 (maybe 25) -year-old peripheral. It will be entertaining either way, and I'm speaking from personal experience on this one.
lurpak
07-16-2007, 07:49 AM
Its almost definately an printer adapter, the c64 had a serial printer port on the back and had only the CBM MP801 Dot matrix printer or this crappy little 4 pen plotter made for it that was directly compatible.
seems this switches between a parralel or serial printer, and would have printed basic ascii character sets only I suspect.