Hardware What is this strange Parallel Port to Ether Net thing?

[Kayot]

I found these weird things at my work in an envelope. I tried to google them, but I haven't found anything. I'm guessing they were used as a network interface once upon a time.

Any ideas?

 

[Clanver]

i guess it could be used to connect to a printer/printserver via ethernet?

Like something like this:
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/cat-4759_TL-PS110P.html

 

[emmanu888]

Aren't those meant for devices that can use a serial connection for maintenance?

 

[finkmac]

Looks like a few RS232 serial to RJ-45 serial adapters.

http://cnc-specialty-store.com/rs23...-rs232?zenid=08627eb49ccfebb805456d9faa5f1932

 

[FAST6191]

I see various things like that when I deal with embedded devices and industrial machinery. I forgot which brand but one of the car brand diagnostics and programming tools favours one much like that.
That said that one looks like a coupler/adapter so people can use a long run of CAT cable rather than try to pull off long serial connections (and it probably is serial/rs232 in DB25-- http://www.lammertbies.nl/comm/cable/RS-232.html rather than parallel -- http://pinouts.ru/ParallelPorts/ParallelPC_pinout.shtml ).

So yeah probably some kind of plotter, device programmer, air conditioning or older CNC type setup. They are not especially rare or valuable but if you can find something it goes with then a place will probably offer you a token sum so they have a spare (not rare or valuable but occasionally a wait of longer than might be nice to get one in from China).

 

[Kayot]

Thank you for the information. I have twenty of each and was thinking about tossing them. I'll probably just toss them up on ebay and see what happens.

 

[FAST6191]

Oh if you have 20 of them then definitely stick them up on ebay if you want to deal individually with them or speak to an industrial/electronics equipment seller of some form if you want to sell them as a lot, especially if they are all as clean as that. They are not likely to be of much use to the average computer shop but a chat with industrial/test equipment type sellers will probably net you enough to get a drink or three.