Outrider wrote on 2022-04-17, 22:38:

Hello friends, […]
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Hello friends,

was hoping you could help identfity this expansion card. I've been all over google and ebay trying to find information and have come up short. I couldn't even really find any information on "Kasten Chase". Just some vague information that it was a "data communications solutions" company that is now defunct. Their website no longer exists.

I think it's an ISA card, that's about as far back as my knowledge goes and it looks similar. So apologies if I got that wrong.

It has a 26-pin D-SUB Connector. And what appears to be some expandable memory on the card.

-David

Photos:

IMG_5106.JPGIMG_5100.JPGIMG_5099.JPGIMG_5098.JPG

Some sort of high speed serial interface / data comms card - https://www.ebay.com/itm/TIL-Systems-50236-02 … l-/200957117287

Did you check their webiste on archive.org?

Outrider wrote on 2022-04-17, 22:38:

I think it's an ISA card, that's about as far back as my knowledge goes and it looks similar. So apologies if I got that wrong.

It has a 26-pin D-SUB Connector. And what appears to be some expandable memory on the card.

It is an AT ISA card. On this card, the second (smaller) connector is not used for 16-bit data transfer (thus it is questionable to call this card a "16-bit ISA card"), but just to get access to the new IRQ lines IRQ10, IRQ11 and IRQ15. The ZIP ("zigzag inline package") chips on the left are extremely likely expandable memory. The SIMM-like module on the right on the other hand are "CIM"s, as the silk screen calls it. That's likely "communication interface module", and the equipped ones are labelled "V.24", which is a different name for the RS232 standard. So the output levels on the card are compatible to standard COM ports. I'm quite confident that another option would be 20mA current loop CIMs, a competing standard to V.24 for serial data transfer that lost against V.24 in consumer and office environments, but lived for a long time in industrial enviroments due to higher noise immunity.

It seems they merged the pins of two COM ports into the DB26 connector.

Interesting riddle.

Kasten Chase apparently specialized in secure data connection, which incorporated special modems, it seems:
https://www.computerworld.com/article/2787831 … s-belly-up.html
https://www.darkreading.com/risk/end-of-the-r … or-kasten-chase

There is a military surplus dude in Germany who sells something that clearly looks like some kind of modem or close to that:
https://bw-schmitti.de/produkt/kasten-chase-a … mod-emucom-1900

That had been used by a Luftwaffe training facility, so most likely to download nude GIFs and play pong against the Infantry.
The device has a db25 connector, yet of the 12+13 LPT type.

I'd guess, that card was some kind of proprietary high end interface, possibly with encryption.

Edit: That chip that says Zilog Z-80 is not a Zilog Z-80 CPU.

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-18, 07:48:

I would like you all to appreciate the fact that it includes a Zilog Z-80 CPU.

That part number is a red herring. The Z80C30 is a serial communications controller (they print "SCC" in the line below). The actual CPU on that card is the Motorola 6809 above the SCC.

mkarcher wrote on 2022-04-18, 08:38:

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-18, 07:48:

I would like you all to appreciate the fact that it includes a Zilog Z-80 CPU.

That part number is a red herring. The Z80C30 is a serial communications controller (they print "SCC" in the line below). The actual CPU on that card is the Motorola 6809 above the SCC.

I see. Those misleading bastards! 😁

DA-26 :p

maxtherabbit wrote on 2022-04-18, 13:27:

DA-26 :p

Thank you, Prof. Frink.
The point is, it's a completely generic d-subminiature that could be any kind of connection.

Sorry about the extremely late reply. Thank you so much for your input.