INTV System III with a phone jack

[nohup]

I just purchased an INTV System III and collection of games on eBay and upon opening the package I noticed the system has a phone jack on the left side. Any idea what this is for? I can't find a reference anywhere including in the manual that came with the system.

[+BBWW]

Photos? Please!!

[mr_me]

Its likely not stock. Maybe someone rigged up an external controller port. Pop off the top of the case and have a look. It would need at least six wires to be usefull.

Edited February 7, 2017 by mr_me

[nohup]

Here is a picture of the phone jack

 

And an image with the phone jack cover removed

[Rev]

Open console and see where the wires go.

[Jinks]

Super rare. Was used to command skynet..so obvious by the picture.

[Rev]

I wonder if this had anything to do with playcable? Playcable used coax though didn't it?

[Rev]

Its likely not stock. Maybe someone rigged up an external controller port. Pop off the top of the case and have a look. It would need at least six wires to be usefull.

Why 6? Modern day Data cat5 internet/ethernet uses 4 pair (8 conducter or wires)

 

Back in the day a normal phone line used two conducters for dial tone only.

 

Really need to see what the wires go to inside. Likely nothing. Its weird that its mounted on the side. I can't see it having a modem or something similar inside.

[mr_me]

As a controller port, six wires give you four directions, fire, and ground. It looks like its only four [or less] wires which could do left, right, fire, and ground. Old Atari joysticks had six wires.

Edited February 7, 2017 by mr_me

[Rev]

As a controller port, six wires give you four directions, fire, and ground. It looks like its only four [or less] wires which could do left, right, fire, and ground. Old Atari joysticks had six wires.

Ah ok. I wasn't thinking of a controller. I was thinking if they somehow were trying to connect it to a phone line. :-)

 

But this does give me an idea.

 

How long of wire could work on an Intellivision controller until signal is lost?

[SiLic0ne t0aD]

FWIW, I've been using 12ft of cable for some time now.. an Inty arcade stick with 6ft cable connected to a 6ft extension cable. I use high quality cables, a salvaged Sega Genesis cable on the controller itself and Super Cable brand extension cable. Same with my Coleco setup, it's all Super Cable.. Nice and thick. No problems whatsoever.

Edited February 7, 2017 by SiLic0ne t0aD85

[0078265317]

I looks like it was part of a office and sommebody just put a stick on coupler on the side.

[mthompson]

Ah ok. I wasn't thinking of a controller. I was thinking if they somehow were trying to connect it to a phone line. :-)

 

Or an answering machine

[+Lathe26]

I saw this one up for sale on eBay and messaged the seller. They had no idea what the phone connector was for either.

[Byte Knight]

That must be an older model - my original Intellivision came with a broadband connector...

[Intymike]

That must be an older model - my original Intellivision came with a broadband connector...

 

 

You mean the model shortly before they switched to wifi?

[nohup]

Ok opened the case and it looks like there are three wires from the phone jack:

 

 

They are soldered here

 

[mr_me]

Thats a controller port. I think the first one on top is ground. So wires on pins 1,7,9? Unless I have it backwards it looks like its wired for the top side action button. Its good for sharp shot.

[+save2600]

yeah, sumguy's "rapid fire" mod or something going on here.

[SiLic0ne t0aD]

That's pretty strange! ;p

[townparkradio]

That's one of those TV POWW units. You'd yell into a phone that would hit the fire button.

[First Spear]

?

[TandyVision]

That's one of those TV POWW units. You'd yell into a phone that would hit the fire button.

 

So that's how they did that! I always thought there was just some dork sitting there pressing the button pretending it actually worked. lol

[mr_me]

 

So that's how they did that! I always thought there was just some dork sitting there pressing the button pretending it actually worked. lol

I also heard it was a technician on the other end of the phone pressing the button manually. I suppose a local station could have rigged this up, they still have to have a voice activated switch. But most tv powwws were in the early 1980s and the INTV Systems were only in the later 1980s.

[townparkradio]

 

So that's how they did that! I always thought there was just some dork sitting there pressing the button pretending it actually worked. lol

 

In some markets that's exactly what happened. Honestly that was the better way to do it, have someone trying to anticipate what the player would do: there's liek a 7 second delay to live TV.