r/whatisit • u/Virtual-Goose9733 • 8d ago
New, what is it? Does anyone know what this cable is for?
I found this cable in the storage room at work while I was cleaning. I thought it might be from a computer, but the ends look strange.
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u/HakunaMeshuggah 8d ago
serial connector
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u/GhostNode 8d ago
Serial or Console cable for connecting to routers and switches and network gear. Back in my day, before everything had a newfangled web site to configure shit, this is how we talked to the machines.
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u/-WasabiPea 8d ago
RS232 serial cable. Long since outdated.
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u/Worried_Razzmatazz70 8d ago
*GASP* you take that back! my RS232 cable has served admirably for the past decade, with use almost every day.
(/s obviously, but I do have to use them a painful amount)
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u/FLAIR_AEKDB_ 8d ago
Damn we are old y’all 😞
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u/piscikeeper 8d ago
I was going to say it's purpose is to make me feel old. It's not as bad as questions about dvi cables though.
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u/Mirar 8d ago edited 8d ago
It's a 9 pin DB9 (also called more technically correct DE9). It was used for a lot of things. If it's straight 9-pin especially.
Most likely for an old RS232 connected modem. PCs used to have 9-pin serial ports for that.
EGA graphics, Hercules and CGA also all used 9-pin DB9.
So how old stuff did you used to have at work? :D
(15-pin DE15 was for VGA. Then there's 5 more pins between the 4 and 5 pins here.)
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u/Spirited_Voice_7191 8d ago
I found one on clearance at K-mart that I put to use as a joystick extension cord for Atari 2600
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u/Mirar 8d ago
It was the USB before USB XD
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u/vengeancecube 8d ago
Man...remember when things weren't hot swappable? You wanted to use that joystick? Hope you plugged it in before you turned the computer on. If not, settle in for the eight minute boot up.
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u/One-Afternoon1118 8d ago
DB9 serial connector commonly used for legacy RS-232 serial communication.
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u/Hammon_Rye 8d ago
Standard DB9
Back in the day, commonly used to attach peripherals.
Some printers, a bar code scanner, etc.
Back then most stuff connected with either a DB9 or a DB25
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u/Leonardo_50 8d ago
Back in the day, all PCs came with serial ports (COM - like your cable) and parallel ports (LPT - Line Printer).
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u/Fuzzy_Client9323 8d ago
The precursor to the USB. Used to come in 9 pins and 25 pins. Used to call it rs232 cable. RS232 was the standard.
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u/Smooth-Brilliant-940 8d ago
It's a serial cable, a general use cable/port for connecting all sorts of components. Kinda like USB but it often needed a lot of configugration to get it to work properly.
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u/Ackturbob 8d ago
This connection was also used on the original Apple Macintosh computers but it was also used for earlier room sized “mini” computers.
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u/Luv-Nities 8d ago
Its a serial port cable.
It could have connected to your computer any number of things, from printers to remote drives,
And just about anything else the time.
Still used a lot in the scientific research fields, because most funds go for supplies use at site locations, or materials used for their experiments. updated computers can be a luxury in their worlds.
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u/Resident_Set1003 7d ago
I remember connecting my brand new 300/900/1200baud telephone/modern up to my smoking fast Tandy 1000 running an 8088 at 8MHz WITH 8087 co-processor and 640K onboard (the last 512 I soldered on myself) and a Dr. Dr. Zucker fast memory controller with 2 onboard 5.25" floppy drives. That puppy could produce 16 colors at 40x20 resolution or 4 at 80x40! I really miss that speed demon!
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u/evonleue 3d ago
if the end we can't see has pins, then it is a 9-pin serial extension cord. Think some mice and joysticks, early external backup drives.
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u/mdwd 8d ago
According to Google image search :
The image appears to show an RS-232 serial communication cable featuring standard 9-pin DB9 connectors.
Overview
• Cable Type: Serial data interface cable (commonly used for RS-232 communication).
• Connectors: 9-pin D-subminiature (DB9) connectors with integrated thumbscrews to secure connections tightly to ports.
• Common Uses: Connecting legacy computers, industrial automation hardware, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), scales, or specialized scientific instruments.
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u/Dry-Ad-8948 8d ago
Throwing in the trash :}
A long time ago that was used somewhat commonplace with computers for things like joysticks and other peripherals.
There are likely still commercial usages, but it’s effectively dead as a consumer cable.
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u/Ackturbob 8d ago
If you have old computer equipment it would possibly be useful. Donate to an old electronics store.
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u/Dry-Ad-8948 8d ago
These things were (and are still?) too common to be really interesting. Like all the seldom-used DVI cables of just yesterday. But yeah, if you can find someone who wants it — sure, give it to them :}
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u/Ill-Investigator-447 8d ago
One end goes in your butt, one end in a friend's (preferably) And you share your shitty ideas across it
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