• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Help me ID this computer part from the 1950's *Updated 12/17/2016*

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
iroast said:
More on the tubes. http://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_5965.html
Click to expand...

Nice link!

"The 12AT7 is a miniature, high-mu twin triode designed for use as a grounded-grid radio-frequency amplifier or as a combined oscillator and mixer at frequencies below approx 300MHz."

"5965: This industrial tube is close enough to the 12AT7 that audiophiles have started buying them up and commenting on the low noise of this tube. It most likely is because it has a lower gain, a mu of 47 compared to 60 of a 12AT7. It is kind of like using a 5751 in place of a 12AX7–the lower gain being the main difference. These tubes are still plentiful, and are really well made. GE made a fine version of this tube in their “5-Star” broadcast line. A few have an extra mica spacer on top, known as “triple mica” and noted for lower microphonics. There is also a rare Telefunken version of this tube with long plates."

So maybe you have something out of a PA system or a radio.
 
Red Squirrel said:
Sound Blaster 2.
Click to expand...

All jokes aside, vacuum tubes have made a comeback to the audio world for their warm, rich sound that digital equipment just can't duplicate. While usually found on amps, one PC sound card actually included vacuum tubes on board.

Neat stuff. 😀

Here's one on a mainboard:
art4-web.jpg
 
Blue_Max said:
All jokes aside, vacuum tubes have made a comeback to the audio world for their warm, rich sound that digital equipment just can't duplicate. While usually found on amps, one PC sound card actually included vacuum tubes on board.

Neat stuff. 😀

Here's one on a mainboard:
art4-web.jpg
Click to expand...


tfw your sound card needs more power than your gpu.
 
skimple said:
So maybe you have something out of a PA system or a radio.
Click to expand...

That would be hilarious!

Not really hoping to get rich having some rare part, just want to know what it is from. I'll likely mount it in a small case with orange LEDs backlighting the tubes. It's such a cool looking piece of tech.
 
Blue_Max said:
All jokes aside, vacuum tubes have made a comeback to the audio world for their warm, rich sound that digital equipment just can't duplicate. While usually found on amps, one PC sound card actually included vacuum tubes on board.

Neat stuff. 😀

Here's one on a mainboard:
art4-web.jpg
Click to expand...

LOL that is awesome. I want a server board with vacuum tubes now. I just want the warm glow of the tube to protrude from the back air vent grilles. 😀
 
*Update*

So I decided to throw this question on a subreddit to try and take another crack at figuring out what this is. That lead me to start googling a bit more, where I found the DUMBKOPF 1 listed on eBay (be sure to scroll down). It had parts that look exactly like the one I have. Getting excited, I started looking around for anything on this unit but only found a light discussion about it with not a lot of useful info. Then I took a closer look at the control panels on the DUMBKOPF and saw "Phone line Demodulator". I googled that with some other keywords, and that lead me to this document from MIT's archives.

Am I on to something here? I'm trying to get in touch with my grandfather to see if any of this rings some bells. This is starting to get exciting!
 
Extremely wild guess but I'm thinking the DUMBKOPF was a mainframe type computer or part of one (really not finding much on it at all so was probably not very common but it kinda sounds German), and those cards are probably to hook up to phone lines to dial in to it. Essentially it would have been used for a BBS type system or terminal of sorts that is accessible via phone lines. So this would have been some kind of concentrator for phone accessible terminals. There probably would have been a whole separate section that is the actual computer/mainframe. Again totally wild guess here, I could be way off.
 
Well, Dummkopf is a German word for "stupid person". Kopf is German for head, so the spelling "dumbkopf" can be seen as "Dumb head". It may have been a play on words that they came up with for naming the head of a mainframe that all the terminals connect to?
 
Found an album of DUMBKOPF 1 photos that have a couple more shots. I think it's from the same eBay seller. I contacted the seller and pointed them in the direction of my Reddit so they can take a look at the part I have. Hopefully, they can get me some close-up shots of the DUMBKOPF 1 so my grandfather can take a look at it. I'm hoping my grandpa may know what that is and if it was part of a larger machine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top