What is this mystery electronic part?
March 2, 2008 8:21 PM Subscribe
What sort of electronic device did this thing come from? More pics here, here and here. It was lying on my bedroom floor, and I have no idea where it came from. What is it, and were did it come from? Any ideas?
Best answer: Those four gold patterns on the back are where rubber control buttons (like on a TV remote) make their contact, so whatever it was had four buttons arranged in a square as per those pads on the circuit board.
I can't make out the text on the chip (top right, first pic), but looking up the function of that chip would be the next clue.
posted by -harlequin- at 8:28 PM on March 2, 2008
I can't make out the text on the chip (top right, first pic), but looking up the function of that chip would be the next clue.
posted by -harlequin- at 8:28 PM on March 2, 2008
Best answer: The simple circuitry, Hitachi logo and the 4 "contact" traces in the second link would make me guess that this is from some kind of remote control for a household appliance or something.
posted by melorama at 8:29 PM on March 2, 2008
posted by melorama at 8:29 PM on March 2, 2008
Response by poster: Mystery solved, all of you were right (KenManiac particularly so): it came from the remote starter of my mother-in-law's car. She didn't tell me it wasn't working until just now. Thanks, all of you.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:37 PM on March 2, 2008
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:37 PM on March 2, 2008
Adding to the "remote" hypothesis, there is a long circuit trace on the back that is only connected at one end. That suggests it's an antenna, which in turn suggests a remote that is radio-based rather than IR.
posted by -harlequin- at 8:40 PM on March 2, 2008
posted by -harlequin- at 8:40 PM on March 2, 2008
oops, it's no-longer a hypothesis :-)
posted by -harlequin- at 8:41 PM on March 2, 2008
posted by -harlequin- at 8:41 PM on March 2, 2008
looks like a controller board for x,y,a,b buttons on a third party ps2 or xbox controller. Here's a link to something similar.
http://wrongcrowd.com/arcade//pics/cont_pcb.jpg
sometimes the traces are gold in older controllers, and are actually separate boards for d-pad and buttons. thus, you could be looking at a board for just a d-pad or buttons. looks ancient from the size of the traces, as well as the lack of carbon coating over the gold. cant find a pic of individual boards, but they do look like that. Bare minimum, the interlocking gold teeth that form four squares on the back are for a big fat button to mash down and complete a circuit, so you are looking at a 4 button command input board.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:43 PM on March 2, 2008
http://wrongcrowd.com/arcade//pics/cont_pcb.jpg
sometimes the traces are gold in older controllers, and are actually separate boards for d-pad and buttons. thus, you could be looking at a board for just a d-pad or buttons. looks ancient from the size of the traces, as well as the lack of carbon coating over the gold. cant find a pic of individual boards, but they do look like that. Bare minimum, the interlocking gold teeth that form four squares on the back are for a big fat button to mash down and complete a circuit, so you are looking at a 4 button command input board.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:43 PM on March 2, 2008
heh, didnt see the posts above. sorry!
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:44 PM on March 2, 2008
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:44 PM on March 2, 2008
So why was a piece from your mother-in-law's remote starter lying on your bedroom floor?
posted by Joleta at 8:48 PM on March 2, 2008
posted by Joleta at 8:48 PM on March 2, 2008
Also you may want to add an NSFW tag/disclaimer, some of those ads are entirely unrelated to remote control starters if you take my meaning.
posted by Skorgu at 5:17 AM on March 3, 2008
posted by Skorgu at 5:17 AM on March 3, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
or some beeping dollar store thing
posted by KenManiac at 8:25 PM on March 2, 2008