What the heck is this mysterious electronic box I found?

[glasshand]

Found this in the basement today. No labels or anything. I'm guessing it just makes the LEDs flash, but nothing happens when I attach a 9V battery to (what I assume are) the battery connectors. The workmanship is very idiosyncratic...somebody clearly knew what they wanted and put a bit of time into this, but it's a bit of a mess.

[tlarson58]

From an airplane? ha.

[mozz]

What's on the other end? Just a switch? It may need something different than 9v.

[mickey]

In picture 1 --- Are those F-Type Coax or BNC connectors????

[BatUtilityBelt]

I have no clue what it is. @mickey those are LEDs in the 1st picture. I'm just going to guess this box was used to store enough juice to start something big. I'm basing that on seeing what looks like an array of 4 600V DC capacitors. So maybe it got a big electric motor turning. I wouldn't short those capacitors...

[glasshand]

Those connectors appear to just be regular old 9V snap connectors, but they seemed a little larger than usual, and why would they be separated like that? So maybe @mozz is correct in guessing it was for something other than 9V.

@mickey BatUtilityBelt is correct, those are LEDs. Six yellow (three each on the outer rows), one red in the middle row, flanked by white ones.

On the back of the box is just a slide switch.

Inside there are nine capacitors and ten resistors. All of the capacitors appear to be identical; they say

CHERRY
OIL TUBULAR CAPACITOR
JCP-TNN-R
0.1 µF/x
W V 600 VDC
JAPAN

Cherry was apparently a cheap Japanese mass-producer; see https://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=403053. They look a lot like the ones at this Ebay listing, other than the value: https://www.ebay.com/itm/275363047962

The resistors are of three different kinds:
* four 6.8M Ohm
* four 3.3M Ohm
* one 10M Ohm

Mostly, each resistor appears to run in parallel with a capacitor. I'm still trying to figure out why there are nine LEDs and nine capacitors but ten resistors - the wiring is "creative", shall we say... I've attached a picture showing a partial diagram, from what I can figure out. Mostly it's just resistors attached at the hot wire, feeding a capacitor and LED in parallel.

circuit.png (3.05 KiB) Viewed 1507 times

[toomanycats]

My guess: It's a time machine!

[Tonray's Ghost]

Every 108 minutes the box must be plugged into an effects loop..or your playing will suffer

[glasshand]

My guess: It's a time machine!


tumblr_3a56bc743097e7c2ad3723573e4fbd4d_b608de3a_2048.jpg

I wish I could find the comic now, but I remember seeing one in which this guy is sitting at home watching TV, when suddenly a portal appears, and another version of himself and a mysterious guardian type step out, and the guardian says, "...and this is what could become of you!" The portal-guy says, "No, no! I see the error of my ways! I'll be better!" and they disappear. ...leaving only the guy sitting on his couch saying, "hey, wtf"

[tobijohn]

My guess: It's a time machine!

I'm afraid the theory of time travel has been thoroughly debunked.

However, a very real possibility is that it could be a device that allows for instantaneous travel throughout the universe...

[Tonray's Ghost]

My guess: It's a time machine!

I'm afraid the theory time travel has been thoroughly debunked.

However, a very real possibility is that it could be a device that allows for instantaneous travel throughout the universe...

It all makes sense now. Guitar Center is actually a Stargate of sorts, where the playing of Stairway to Heaven opens a portal when this box is connected to the Amplifier being used. Which is why the song is banned inside the stores.

[mozz]

Yes, there are batteries that take a clipon like a 9v just bigger. Maybe the caps just charge up and the led lights, after a certain long time. So a timer of sorts? Posted this to diystompboxes.com, you'll get a answer.

Edit: i posted the pics, will tell you what it is when the reply's come in.

[mozz]

Could they possibly be neon lamps?


"From the 1950s or the 2010s? If it has the Dust Of Ages in it (the Japan caps do suggest 1960s; also the square-cast sharp-edge resistors) then:

Yes, neons. Nine R-C-Neon oscillators. Will want at least 90V, maybe 135V battery. These used to be common for large beach and farm radios.

In these schemes the lamps tended to self-synchronize, flash pulses interacting.

There used to be "electronic dice" but that would be a pushbutton and six dots? This is probably just mystery lights for your sci-fi movie, Halloween, or for contemplation.
"

[mozz]

Some sort of counter or timer, probably 90v battery.

[Tonray's Ghost]

Some sort of counter or timer, probably 90v battery.
neonherbfriedman9-cleancrude2.jpg

Countdown timer to Armageddon. Don't plug in those batteries !!!!!

[andrewsrea]

Not a clue. Someone's basic electronics project? Fun with lights?

[BatUtilityBelt]

It just reminded me of something I did as a dumb kid once. I had a calculator (I think was a TI-30) that ran off a 9 volt battery. Not mature enough to worry about any potential consequences, I crimped an 1/8" microphone cable across the battery leads, and plugged that into a Panasonic cassette recorder. It actually made a pretty cool synthy sound every time I ran a calculation. It sounded like an 8 bit video game type sound. Happily, this was low enough current that it just worked fine, and no blue smoke anywhere. But I can still remember the sound of that calculator working. I'm not suggesting the same here, because this is not a little 9V thing, just a fun memory.

[Tonray's Ghost]

It just reminded me of something I did as a dumb kid once. I had a calculator (I think was a TI-30) that ran off a 9 volt battery. Not mature enough to worry about any potential consequences, I crimped an 1/8" microphone cable across the battery leads, and plugged that into a Panasonic cassette recorder. It actually made a pretty cool synthy sound every time I ran a calculation. It sounded like an 8 bit video game type sound. Happily, this was low enough current that it just worked fine, and no blue smoke anywhere. But I can still remember the sound of that calculator working. I'm not suggesting the same here, because this is not a little 9V thing, just a fun memory.

You don't even want to know the 'dumb assed' kid things I did. Nearly fatal outcomes had fate made other plans for me. 3 distinct occasions where I could have easily bought the farm, once with an electric socket a 2 pronged lamp cord and a bar magnet, once with a .22 caliber bullet and an air rifle , and once with a jack stand made of bricks and a wood shim. No way I should be alive today.

[BatUtilityBelt]

You don't even want to know the 'dumb assed' kid things I did. Nearly fatal outcomes had fate made other plans for me. 3 distinct occasions where I could have easily bought the farm, once with an electric socket a 2 pronged lamp cord and a bar magnet, once with a .22 caliber bullet and an air rifle , and once with a jack stand made of bricks and a wood shim. No way I should be alive today.

Same here. When I was 4, they wondered why the power was flickering all over the house, then found me dropping coins onto a 2 prong outlet to watch the sparks and see the damage to the coins. I didn't even notice I was blackening the outlet and wall behind it.

[Tonray's Ghost]

You don't even want to know the 'dumb assed' kid things I did. Nearly fatal outcomes had fate made other plans for me. 3 distinct occasions where I could have easily bought the farm, once with an electric socket a 2 pronged lamp cord and a bar magnet, once with a .22 caliber bullet and an air rifle , and once with a jack stand made of bricks and a wood shim. No way I should be alive today.

Same here. When I was 4, they wondered why the power was flickering all over the house, then found me dropping coins onto a 2 prong outlet to watch the sparks and see the damage to the coins. I didn't even notice I was blackening the outlet and wall behind it.

I was actually trying to make a super ...too many comic books. Yeah I blackened that outlet pretty good and while I didn't make a stronger magnet, I believe I created the first electromagnetic rail gun.