[NTLK] Grey Interconnect Dongles

[Grant Hutchinson]

Hi y’all.

I’m doing a bit of research for the Newton FAQ on Newton Serial Adapters (otherwise known as those infamous Interconnect dongles).

Based on the dongles in my collection, there are four variations:

Black, stamped “Taiwan N 1”
Grey, stamped “Taiwan N 2”
Black, stamped “China N 1”
Black, stamped “China N 2”

Each are shown (left to right) in these photos:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qh103xgvfkfh5ts/AACIMcrhVDu_oJwwZj8mqPkxa?dl=0

Note that the “N” in the stamped text is actually a box with a diagonal line, not a true “N” as commonly thought. The FAQ erroneously presumed that the “N 2” on the dongle referred to the “N2” code name of the MessagePad 2000.

https://newtonglossary.com/terms/n2

It’s highly likely that it’s just a coincidence, since there are “N 1” dongles as well.

So, does anyone else have a grey version of the dongle?

They were made specifically for the Developer Verification Test (DVT) prototypes of the MessagePad 2000. I have one and am trying to verify a couple of details (such as which country stamped into the casing) that make the grey dongles different from the black versions that would sold to the public. I believe that all prototype and test versions of the dongle were manufactured in Taiwan, whereas the consumer versions were manufactured in China.

Thanks in advance.

g.

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Grant Hutchinson
NewtonTalk List Dad & Web Custodian