🚀 go-pugleaf

Jack Campin <jack@purr.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> What's the most cost-effective way to network a few low-end Macintoshes
> together?  Last time checked the prices, Apple's own cabling was much
> more expensive than it needed to be (and I do not wish to patronize the
> Edinburgh Scotsys fuckwits to get it).  Is there a cheaper alternative,
> preferably something I can buy in Edinburgh?
> 
> None of the machines has Ethernet capability, and it isn't worth adding
> it, so I'm not after that kind of solution.  AppleTalk/LocalTalk will do
> fine.  Is there a brew-it-yourself website somewhere?
> 
> (The distances and bandwidths involved are within the capability of two
> cocoa tins and a tight string, but I suspect you can only get cocoa-tin
> transducers for PCs).

You need Phonenet style connectors and then you can use basic telephone
cable from Maplin Electronics...100 metres for not very much money. I
actually ended up using standard phone sockets on the wall to connect
from the Macs/Phonenet boxes since I was cabling to different rooms.
It's obviously necessary to clearly mark them as computer network
connections otherwise someone will plug a phone into them sooner or
later! The best option would be to use RJ11 wall-mount boxes if you can
get them since these are the plugs which are already on the Phonenet
connector cables. If the Macs are all in the same room then this issue
doesn't arise anyway; there may be enough cable on the connectors as
they are.

Adrian