A neighbor and friend of mine gave me a plastic bag full of "wires and cables" he can't use for anything. I accepted the bag, but didn't look inside to see what treasures and trash it contained. Well, first off was a couple dozen old land-line telephone cables that I tossed, as I've still a few of my own should I ever need them for something. The next things I pulled after extracting the huge bundle of phone cords were some Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer controllers. An interesting tidbit is the RS mouse has a metal ball with no rubber coating and it's heavy.The joysticks are non-centering analog, like the ill-fated 5200 controller sticks. But then I came across a few cables that I'm not sure what they are for. I believe the first set may be MIDI cables that go to mono headphone style jacks, but then one of them is a 9-pin Atari controller port style too. One might be an Atari ST floppy drive cable? I think I have one already to verify that. Can anyone verify or correct me on what these are? Next up are some probes. I think for an Oscilloscope but not like any I've used or owned, so they are of no use to me either. I actually bought a new set when I got my Techtronics 5103N I have yet to repair and restore.
I love these "bag of bones" discoveries or donations. Bev's dad (being an ex-electrician) often hands over bags of assorted cables, PSUs, leads, transformers and god knows what else in terms of electronic components. Some of it I;ve passed on to Richie/mates elsewhere. Some of it goes in the garage for "a rainy day" and some of it I flog for a few quid on Gumtree to go in the cat's/hedgehog's moneybox. Every now and again though, a curiosity or two shows up - just like in your bag, Matt, and you think.... what the devil was that used for? The weirdest thing/lead I ever found was with a French Oric and I'm sure I've posted it on here before - it looks like a dildo (it's a white, bulbous medical-looking probe) with a DIN plug on the end.... now I know Oric users are a strange brew but really, is this how they get their rocks off...!? Never mind, when I clock it next (it's buried in bollocks up in the loft) I'll re-post here. As to your queries, well I'm not at all sure but reckon you'll be right with the Atari ST disk cable and the Midi cable theories. I love the old TRS RS controllers - they are my personal pick of the bunch there and would probably make me set-off on some insane and irrational hunt for a machine to go with them! Haha.
Here's Baz's box o' bollocks... Some reet "custom" leads ere, fellas: ABOVE: Item1 - This is my nomination for the longest DIN > 3.5mm jack tape loading lead in Yaarkshire. I reckon that back in the Eighties, before the t'internet, it used to transfer Oric data across the channel. It's long enough. ABOVE: Item 2 - Oric DIN lead "probe" - answers on a postcard for this one, fellas. FINALLY - Item 3 - What devilish conundrum of apparatus got together to require the needs of these leads, plugs and connectoids? Like Matt's collection - and I bet you have one too - it's like a freak show of the weird and wonderful. Don't be shy lads - we've shown you ours - let's have a shufty in your secret heap.
I forgot to mention I also got a few tape-deck microphones. I'll put at least one to use with my portable cassette recorder I got for making Atari Rambit tapes before I had my stereo system up and running with proper tape recorders. One has a normal headphone style jack but the other two have dual jacks that I've never seen before. Also, a Norelco foot peddle for something. The plugs look too advanced for a sewing machine I think. Maybe for musical equipment? Unfortunately I can't find what I did with the RCA cables to show, but they have stuff like alligator clips or multi-meter probes, etc. on one end. I'm sure I can thing of something to use them for with my Atari and Atarilab Interfaces and my new ports, work on robot, etc.Which also reminds me there were a few other RCA leads that will be perfect for using with the Atarilab Interfaces!
The mind boggles, mate. You've a great collection of leads, cables and "stuff", Matt and you get my vote for most eclectic collection shown on here so far... unless the rest of the lads know otherwise... (Yep, I'm looking at you Graham and Richie!) Aye, it will be great to see what can be connected via these wires and the AtariLab interface box. My bet is that Matt will be the first to send a surface rover robot to the moon all controlled by his humble Atari 8bit (and film it) on the back of one of these... Matt's main mission control computer showing his earlier 1986 science experiment closing in on Halley's Comet: Remember, you heard it first here on Atari Owner, fellas!
Andy, I'm pretty sure that last device you pictured is the infamous "Oric Uno Masseur". It plugs into your Oric and then you can use it to massage muscles while you wait on games loading. Or something like that.
