Scott Small 🇹🇩Feb 7, 2025

One of the RJ-11 telephone cables in my #VintageMac LocalTalk/PhoneNet setup has been acting real flakey lately. And when I went to replace it, none of the shops in town had a replacement telephone cable that was shorter than 25 feet. 😡 Apparently telephone cables, at least short ones, aren't too common these days...

So instead I decided to upgrade my setup from PhoneNet to #NeitherNet! These adapters, sold by @MuseumJoe are identical to PhoneNet, but with RJ-45 instead of RJ-11 jacks (and they don't need termination)! This allows you to use Ethernet cables to form a LocalTalk network between your vintage Macs.

This is awesome because the average Ethernet cable is much heavier-duty than the average telephone cable. And I've got a ton of Ethernet cables laying around in case one does ever go bad.

You can buy the NeitherNet adapter from here: https://jcm-1.com/product/neithernet-adapter/ in both pre-assembled and build-your-own versions.

#RetroComputing #GlobalTalk

Ethan BlantonJan 13, 2025
In a (recently) rare occurrence, something #retrocomputing worked! It turns out my #NeitherNet adapters work perfectly fine if I just solder the pins. ;-) Witness the Apple #IIgs loading an AppleTalk file share from a Mac SE via NeitherNet!
Ethan BlantonJan 6, 2025
A friend and I tried to get #NeitherNet adapters working between an #AppleII GS and a Mac LC III today, and failed. We were able to use a serial cable between the two without issue, however. I need to spend more time with the adapters to make sure they're both 100% correct, but quick ringing seemed OK. Any ideas from those who have used them what the trouble might have been? (We used a straight-through Ethernet cable between them.) #retrocomputing #AppleTalk #LocalTalk