DavidMil Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 I know that this has been answered before, so please excuse my tired old brain and tell me again what that white stuff on old SIO cable is... DavidMil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 White stuff? What white stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+gnusto Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 Some possibilities: - I know in the old days some cables had talcum powder in them, which made them more flexible (reduced friction between internal cables). Is it spotted/powdery? - Some kind of fungus maybe? Some of those cables are actual rubber instead of plastic compounds, and fungus can eat rubber. - Maybe a dumb suggestion but if the cable was assembled at some point manually, it could have white stripe paint for positive line indication? FWIW I have original era SIO cables and none of them have white stuff on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+kheller2 Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 Sometimes the styrofoam from the box gets stuck on them…. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMil Posted September 1, 2021 Author Share Posted September 1, 2021 I've added a couple of pictures. These pics doesn't show it very well as I have already cleaned the cable with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol. But you can see how it has disfigured the surface of the cable and left it rough and slightly scared. I've seen this many times and it is more common on power cords. DavidMil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 Can't say that I've ever seen that on any cords that I've ever used, of any brand or type. That's odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGB1718 Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 Possibly remnants of adhesive tape glue ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrathchild Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 or infamous Atari parties 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 59 minutes ago, Wrathchild said: or infamous Atari parties Start snorting those cables.....Probably past it's 'Best by' date tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentarian Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 9 hours ago, kheller2 said: Sometimes the styrofoam from the box gets stuck on them…. Most definitely. I have pulled cables out of styrofoam that had melted around them. One of many reasons not store our Ataris in the attic.or storage shed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 5 hours ago, Brentarian said: Most definitely. I have pulled cables out of styrofoam that had melted around them. One of many reasons not store our Ataris in the attic.or storage shed. I got a 600XL that had been stored in the original styrofoam with a vinyl cover laid on top. The foam had melted against the vinyl - took me hours to get it all cleaned/picked off the cover, and some spots have a bit of that same whitening. Back to David’s original question, it looks to me like styrofoam or something else has partially melted against the vinyl insulation of the SIO cable, discoloring it a bit in spots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsCool Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 13 hours ago, DavidMil said: I've added a couple of pictures. These pics doesn't show it very well as I have already cleaned the cable with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol. But you can see how it has disfigured the surface of the cable and left it rough and slightly scared. I've seen this many times and it is more common on power cords. In my opinion there's no point asking about the origin of mysterious stains, too many times we then wish we never asked afterwards lol More seriously, however, that looks like some sort of chemical reaction, maybe from the surface it touched. If cleaning up did not remove it all, then, so be it, the cable still works regardless, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oo7 Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 Original cables from a bbs express for p0rn4ub… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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