Strange audio video device.

[ral-clan]

I have never seen this strange audio / video device before.

I'm not entirely sure, even after reading the description, what it does.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/SOUND-BOX-by-HES-198 ... dZViewItem

It basically seems to be a box that provides female RCA jacks for all the connections, allowing you to route the audio to a stereo as well as the monitor. Also it has an audio input jack for the input of the SID chip on a C64.

[eslapion]

Ho boy! This is truly nothing extraordinary. I owned one many years ago.

Its basically the same as a 5 pin DIN audio video cable but with female jacks in a box instead of a few male connectors going straight.

No special electronics in there at all.

[carlsson]

Hm. I know one who owns one, and I think he just recently bought it.

[gklinger]

I had never seen or heard of that device either until that auction was posted. I did some research and can confirm that it's exactly what eslapion says it is (which is to say, not much). While Googling I also discovered that they can be had for way less than $45. One place had one for $10 although they didn't have a box.

[6502dude]

Back in late 1970s, I saw similar devices, but without box.

Grundig made a limited entry into hi-fi audio market in Canada, but all other their gear had DIN jacks for interconnection of other components.

Thus, DIN to RCA adapters were needed.

I think some of the Phillips open real machines also needed adapters.

Pinout may be slightly different, but same basic concept.

[carlsson]

The benefit with this device would be it is marked which RCA jack contains which signal, as long as it is hooked up to one of the matching computers that follows the minimum standard of composite video, audio and ground on the same pins.