What is this? Post Photos of Mystery Items Here (vintage computers only)

[roberttx]

Here's the insides. The label on the IC reads OEM8A/32B and the only other markings that I can see on the PCB read "509-009 Rev 1.1"

Googling tells me that the CH Products Pro Pedals contain a PCB marked "509-009 Rev 5.0", so I'm going to suggest that we're leaning away from a third party mod and towards one done by CH themselves.

Whether or not it's a prototype, I can't be sure. I've left a voicemail with tech support at CH, to ask whether they can tell me any more about it.

Searching google for "CH Products" "Mach IV" "USB" -ebay produces fewer than 20 hits and no evidence at all that they ever marketed such a thing. Changing "Mach IV" to "Mach V" doesn't help either.

So, I'm thinking either a prototype or a short run custom product that they made for a government or industrial customer.

I'll report back if I learn anything further.

usbjoystick2.jpg

[g4ugm]

If it is USB why not plug it in and see what IDs it reports? Then search on those..

[roberttx]

Tried that this morning. I got to the set up USB game controllers screen and it identifies as a CH 8 Axis 32 Input Control. This corresponds with the label on the IC on the 509-009 Rev 1.1 PCB, which reads "OEM 8A/32B". This appears to be an early version of the CH 8 axis 32 button controller that's in several of their products.

What's interesting is, where we would expect to see CH Products molded into the plastic of the case there is just a rectangle of smooth plastic, with no branding whatsoever. That's why I'm thinking prototype...

[falter]

Anyone ever heard of these?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F312184427081

The closest info I can find mentions a computer made a few years earlier called the Nobus. But nothing I can find ties the two together or offers any info or instructions on this.

[glitch]

Looks like an industrial control board.

[Chuck(G)]

Tried that this morning. I got to the set up USB game controllers screen and it identifies as a CH 8 Axis 32 Input Control. This corresponds with the label on the IC on the 509-009 Rev 1.1 PCB, which reads "OEM 8A/32B". This appears to be an early version of the CH 8 axis 32 button controller that's in several of their products.

What's interesting is, where we would expect to see CH Products molded into the plastic of the case there is just a rectangle of smooth plastic, with no branding whatsoever. That's why I'm thinking prototype...

That's CH's standard practice. My CH "Trackball Pro" units have all of the information, including the back-of-the-box, printed on stickum labels and inserted into the molded recesses.

[roberttx]

That's CH's standard practice. My CH "Trackball Pro" units have all of the information, including the back-of-the-box, printed on stickum labels and inserted into the molded recesses.

However, if you look at this Mach IV, the info is clearly molded into the plastic: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-CH-...-/222946625972

[Chuck(G)]

All that we can conclude is that C-H was inconsistent in their practice. Just pointing out that what you have is likely not a prototype, given C-H's manufacturing practices. It could be, like their trackballs, intended for OEM use, in which case branding would not be desirable.

[roberttx]

All that we can conclude is that C-H was inconsistent in their practice. Just pointing out that what you have is likely not a prototype, given C-H's manufacturing practices. It could be, like their trackballs, intended for OEM use, in which case branding would not be desirable.

It turns out that you are correct. I've been exchanging emails with a chap at APEM, which bought CH Products many years ago. There's nobody from those days still working there, so there's an element of guesswork in this, but he managed to find a scan of an ancient industrial joysticks catalog page.

It appears to show that, 15 to 20 years ago (based on the revision # of the PCB) CH offered industrial joysticks in a range of housings. One, the FJ, looks identical to the Mach IV. It seems plausible that the molds did not have any info in them, but rather had a blank space for a sticker, as you describe.

He did not know whether that configuration had ever been marketed by them as a USB Mach IV and, based on the lack of evidence from my searches, I suspect that it never was. I do think it fair to say that it is functionally a USB Mach IV, even though it may never have been formally called that.

[Chuck(G)]

Okay, I'll join in--what is this?





I believe that I know--I'm pretty sure that it dates from the very early 1960s. The transistors are interesting--2N404 PNP germanium and 2N1132 PNP silicon. I'll give my guess after folks have had a chance to check in. Please be as specific as possible, including function and manufacturer. Note that this board comes from a time before plated vias--the ones you see are soldered eyelets.