Help identify this Olympus accessory

[Walton Rowell]

OK film forum fans... while going through a box of miscellaneous S8 editing and splicing supplies, I found this unfamiliar object, and I'm trying to identify it.

It seems to be some kind of controller or accessory. Obviously, it's branded Olympus, but there is no model or part number information anywhere on the inside or outside, just a "made in Japan" stamp.

The sleeve is vinyl, and the rectangular "controller" it contains is approximately 11cm long x 4 wide x 2 deep. There is a little silver switch on the bottom that allows the panel to be removed exposing a wound-up two-conductor cable terminating in a mini-plug-looking connector. The connector is broken, but I still have the pin tip, which is 15x2mm with a bulbous end. The controller also has a white button on one side marked "R" and a red sliding button on the opposite side, both to either side of that little rectangular window on the left side of the image. Inside of that window is a split field, one side red, and the other silver, with the word "full" on the silver side. It looks like there's a small needle hovering over the red side.

I've never owned any Olympus cameras, sound recorders or projectors, and neither did my Dad, to my knowledge. The device seems to be vintage 1960's or 70's design. It has no "input" or "output" beside the mini-plug, and no batteries. I'm guessing it's some kind of trigger or remote control.

Any ideas what this is? I'm tempted to toss it, but I have a nagging feeling it might be some kind of precious and rare accessory that someone else is hunting on eBay for, and I'd hate to waste it.

[Maurice Leakey]

Walton
Let me start by saying that I am just as mystified as you! Let's look at the facts:-

1) A white case
2) Has a vinyl pouch
3) No batteries
4) Coiled up twin lead with broken plug
5) Two buttons. One red sliding and a white one marked R
6) Window with two coloured positions, red and silver. The latter marked FULL. There also appears to a hovering needle.

1) Being white it probably goes with something white, possibly the small PEN camera
2) Probably designed to be carried around
3) Doesn't supply power to control anything
4) Connects to something
5) Red sliding button could be ON/OFF. R could mean READ
6) A meter to indicate when a battery (?) is full

Conclusion:- It reads the state of a battery on another item

Suggestions:- 1) Put on Ebay at a very low starting price
2) As it's broken, junk it


Maurice

[Douglas Meltzer]

I'm stumped! Occasionally I find a piece of equipment in a box that totally bewilders me....

[Walton Rowell]

Thanks, Maurice and Douglas, for chiming in, and your deductions.

Yes, I think I will junk it soon unless someone else can ID it; I've also texted pics to my Dad to see if this strikes a memory in him. He's 88, but his memory is amazing!

[Steve Klare]

It does seem like a remote control.

I'm guessing it is a remote involving strobes for still photography and while that meter's needle is still down in the red the capacitors for the strobe(s) are still charging and the user needs to be patient for a few more seconds.

Other than that, all I can think of is a remote for something with rechargeable batteries.

(...that's all I got!)

[Maurice Leakey]

Walton

Well, I'm only 85, but I've had many Olympus 35mm SLRs and currently have the little delightful Olympus Trip. But with 70 years of photography (and cine) I've never come across your little gadget!


Maurice

[Joe Taffis]

My guess is it may be some kind of light meter for a camera...

[Tom Dennis]

Just showed the picture to my youngest son and his partner and they have seen these before. They have recognised it as a remote control from an OLYMPUS dictating machine.
Bear in mind that the photographic arm of most of the Japanese was the poor relation, The big bucks were in office/scientific/industrial/medical equipment.

[Joe Taffis]

Wow, I was way off! Thanks for that info Tom. Was that dictating machine a reel to reel tape recorder?

[Steve Klare]

Yes,

I guess if you throw a piece of hardware in front of a film collector crowd, you will get a camera/projector answer!

-Once I saw a "projector" out to the curb on garbage day and grabbed it....Sewing Machine!

Then again, a visitor saw a bunch of yellow boxes in our fridge....."Cheese"!

[David Roberts]

I do remember the Olympus dictating machine.It was tiny,and used a micro cassette much smaller than the compact cassette .
This would have been around 1975.

[Maurice Leakey]

It was tiny, and around 1975.

As David says it was tiny I assume this is why the accessary mentioned in the first posting was introduced. It was quite probably to monitor the state of the batteries before they let down a user.
I had a similar unit at that time called a Dictaphone, the only warning about the state of the batteries was when they failed to work. I always carried spare batteries with me!


Maurice

[Walton Rowell]

Just showed the picture to my youngest son and his partner and they have seen these before. They have recognised it as a remote control from an OLYMPUS dictating machine.
Bear in mind that the photographic arm of most of the Japanese was the poor relation, The big bucks were in office/scientific/industrial/medical equipment.

Fascinating stuff! I'll have to mention this to my Dad; maybe he can remember owning a dictating machine. He was an architect, so I'd be curious how he could have encountered one of those. Nonetheless, thanks!