What is this and what is it used for

[Henrik_Volkers]

---

@Ben wrote:

---

HInts:

1) The numeric labels for the all of the lights knobs and switches should be a clue.

2) Not shown in the picture is an nine pine D-connector.

Ben

---

Looks like an edjucational gizmo... and the driver where not that easy than nowadays, port/byte adresses to read out values??

(and a mic... mh.. what bandwidth? )

[altenbach]

Nine pins does not seem enough, else it could be a tester for a DAQ device.

[Ben]

It ran at 9600 baud.

That icon that looks like a mic is misleading. I tried to find a user manual to clarify what that input was for but it seems that device is older than the internet (smiley-wink). So just ignore that icon.

Ben

[altenbach]

---

@Ben wrote:

That icon that looks like a mic is misleading.

---

To me it looks like a light bulb. Since it in an analog input, I guess that yellowish dot next to it is a light sensor?

(EDIT: oh, you are probably talking about the one below it. Looked like a spoon at first glance... :D)

[Ben]

---

@altenbach wrote:

---

@Ben wrote:

That icon that looks like a mic is misleading.

---

To me it looks like a light bulb. Since it in an analog input, I guess that yellowish dot next to it is a light sensor?

(EDIT: oh, you are probably talking about the one below it. Looked like a spoon at first glance... :D)

---

You have that right Christian.

Some more worthless clues...

My old boss (he was CLA #5) used to carry one in his car in the event he needed to demo for a customer. It was also used for an NI course on an NI software product that was named becuase the development team was on the side of the NI building that could see the nightly flight of the bats. People that used that software product often looked down on LabVIEW as a toy (at least that was the case when I attended LV basic I)

Ben

[altenbach]

---

@Ben wrote:

 It was also used for an NI course on an NI software product that was named becuase the development team was on the side of the NI building that could see the nightly flight of the bats.

---

Hmm, is that like skunk^H^H^H^H^Hbatworks?

[Ben]

---

@altenbach wrote:

---

@Ben wrote:

 It was also used for an NI course on an NI software product that was named becuase the development team was on the side of the NI building that could see the nightly flight of the bats.

---

Hmm, is that like skunk^H^H^H^H^Hbatworks?

---

Nice try Christian!

I have been dragging this out too long for fun.

The gizmo is actually a Modbus Demo Box. It was used to simulate a PLC that supported Modbus. The numbers on the various I/O points were the tag addresses. It was used as part of the connectiviy course OR BridgeVIEW. BridgeVIEW was a variation on LabVIEW that had support for OPC (OLE for Process Control ?). The team that developed BridgeVIEW was on the side of the NI building that had a clear view of the bridge where the bats live in Austin.

BridgeVIEW was rolled into LabVIEW-DSC.

Re: users looked down on LV...

LV lacked ActiveX support up unitl ... LV 6i ?

Take care,

Ben

[altenbach]

---

Ben wrote:

The gizmo is actually a Modbus Demo Box.

---

 Yes, I remember BridgeVIEW, but never used it.

The size of the NI logo and of the words "National Instruments" (covering a significant part of the panel!) clearly screamed demo.

The absence of any blue is interesting. I guess that was back in the time when LEDs were always red, so they tried to match the frame colors.

[Ben]

Yes the lack of blue is something that slipped past me.

Now I realize I have been rather agressive pushing challenges so I will back off for now uless someone wants to try another round.

It can be readers choice in that I can post a challenge that;

I know exactly what it is,

and another where I can only guess and it would be a group project to riddle it and we may never settle it.

In the meantime, thanks for the fun!

Ben

[Henrik_Volkers]

Tool time 🙂

A bit rusty ... and it is not an ancient arrowhead.  

Hint:

Spoiler

All metrics are SI 😄