VOGONS

Help me identify these?

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First post, by Compjake

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Alright, so this is my first post; go easy on me 🤣

I need to identify these two cards, or at least figure out what they were typically used for.
System specs:
P.E.P. Portable Expandable Platform
American Megatrends Super Voyager VBL-III motherboard
33Mhz Intel DX CPU (upgraded to 100Mhz DX4)
8Mb ram 72pin simm unknown specs (upgraded to 24mb)
150ish Mb hard drive (DOA, replaced with 2gb CF card and adaptor)
1.44Mb floppy drive
Cirrus Logic 6420 video card
Aztech AZT2320 soundcard (added as an upgrade from no sound card)

What I'm trying to figure out is, what is the 44pin connector on the video card for? I've looked and looked online, cant find any info on it but have seen ebay listings for the same card.

This computer also came with another card installed I can easily identify and know what it does, but I have no information on what its industrial purpose was. I'd love to find out more about it, hell; I'm open to selling it if anyone here has a use for it because I know I wont. You'll see what I mean when you look at the photos.

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(Link to album of photos just incase)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qLtjbNQUoZSnVaDd8

Reply 1 of 5, by Horun

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That 44pin socket is for output to one or more monitors. see this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/133442471193 or this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/302632462385

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 2 of 5, by Compjake

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Horun wrote on 2022-10-06, 23:41:

That 44pin socket is for output to one or more monitors. see this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/133442471193 or this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/302632462385

Now THAT is cool. I've never seen anything like that this old, closest I recall is those odd Dell ATI cards for office use. Any Idea how it functioned? I assume it didn't allow you to have multiple desktops like dual monitors does now days. Did it just mirror all of the displays?

Reply 3 of 5, by Thermalwrong

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The white connectors on the inner-side edge of the video card, like CN10 / CN11 look like the pins to drive an internal LCD. Probably a DSTN or mono panel I think?
There's a really similar one on here: https://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cpu/item … logic-cl-gd6410
I think the big connector on the back of the video card might potentially also be a parallel LCD connector of some kind, but figuring that out would require reading the CL-GD6420 datasheet and tracing some of the connector's pins. AFAIK though, the GD6xxx was mostly used in laptops

The American Scientific Corp card says its a motor driver, tough to know what it could've been used for since it looks like a general purpose card for driving a bunch of motors.

Reply 4 of 5, by Horun

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I think it was used as a Industrial machine controller, possibly an early type CNC type or a lumber mill. Just a guess ;p

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 5 of 5, by Compjake

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Thermalwrong wrote on 2022-10-07, 01:32:
The white connectors on the inner-side edge of the video card, like CN10 / CN11 look like the pins to drive an internal LCD. Pro […]
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The white connectors on the inner-side edge of the video card, like CN10 / CN11 look like the pins to drive an internal LCD. Probably a DSTN or mono panel I think?
There's a really similar one on here: https://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cpu/item … logic-cl-gd6410
I think the big connector on the back of the video card might potentially also be a parallel LCD connector of some kind, but figuring that out would require reading the CL-GD6420 datasheet and tracing some of the connector's pins. AFAIK though, the GD6xxx was mostly used in laptops

The American Scientific Corp card says its a motor driver, tough to know what it could've been used for since it looks like a general purpose card for driving a bunch of motors.

Yes, those connectors are for driving the monochrome screen on the front of the unit. I guess I should have posted a pic of it. 🤣

IMG_20221003_190846.jpg
Horun wrote on 2022-10-07, 02:25:

I think it was used as a Industrial machine controller, possibly an early type CNC type or a lumber mill. Just a guess ;p

That's literally what I was thinking also. Wish someone here could chime in with a "OMG i used one of those to do...." 🤣

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