I've got both beige and black drives of this type. They were used in the
Maynard line of tape drives, and are really quite widely used, though
almost no PC-software supports them for "real" backups. Most of the
software I've seen for '95 is limited to floppy tapes and SCSI-II or later
drives. That's a shame, since the GOV went to this format after they
learned that one little 8 mm tape will hold what it takes a pickup truck of
the old open reel 6250 bpi tapes to hold. The button and lamp locations
were quite varied, since exabyte purchased the mechanisms from SONY and
they could be varied a bit.
Dick
----------
> From: Chuck McManis <cmcmanis(a)mcmanis.com>
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: interesting, interesting.
> Date: Sunday, February 28, 1999 4:59 PM
>
> That's it!
>
> At 11:45 PM 2/28/99 +0000, you wrote:
> >for starters. There's quite a good line drawing halfway down
> >
> > http://www.exabyte.com/suppserv/techsupp/8mm/fullhigh/in0111.html
>
> On this page at step 5 is a drawing of my tape drive. Waaay cool!
> --CHuck
>
On Feb 28, 13:34, Chuck McManis wrote:
> At 01:04 PM 2/28/99 +0000, Pete Turnbull wrote:
> >Both of my ExaByte 8200's have black faceplates. However, the LEDs are
> >side-by-side about 1.25" from the left side of the drive, and the button
is
> >on the right.
>
> This describes my drive as well, two LEDs side by side on the left,
button
> on the right.
>
> >When the drive is powered up, what do the LEDs do?
>
> Stay on solid until the CPU counts down to 5 (could be 4) then they go
off.
Sounds similar to my ExaBytes...
> > If you press the button, does the front open to allow you to insert a
tape,
> > like a miniature VHS machine?
>
> Wouldn't say a VHS machine (I've got an 8mm cam corder) but certainly the
> door opens and there is space in it to drop in the tape and then
presumably
> close the door.
Hmmm... ExaBytes 8200's take an 8mm tape cartridge like a Video8 cartridge.
> > Or does it just have an open slot to slide a cartridge into?
>
> Nope, the 4MM DAT drive on my Sun is like that. This is not one of those.
I wasn't thinking of DAT, so much as the old DC300-type cartridges, which
are much bigger. No matter, it's obviously neither DAT nor QIC.
It sounds like an 8mm ExaByte to me. If it looks like it's 5.25"
full-height, probably an 8200, maybe an 8500; if half-height, probably
8205, possibly 8505. I'd suggest you take a look at ExaByte's web pages
and see if it matches one of their pictures. Try
http://www.exabyte.com/suppserv/techsupp/8mm/fullhigh/
for starters. There's quite a good line drawing halfway down
http://www.exabyte.com/suppserv/techsupp/8mm/fullhigh/in0111.html
I've just noticed Zane mentioned camcorder tapes; they do work, but in my
experience they're don't have quite the same long-term reliability. Oh,
and they're a slightly different length. But they'd be OK for testing.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
On Feb 28, 13:34, Chuck McManis wrote:
> Subject: Re: interesting, interesting.
> Now we're getting somewhere!
I just discovered that ExaByte have a useful web page called "Identifying
Exabyte Tape Drives" at
http://www.exabyte.com/suppserv/techsupp/8mm/misc/in0059.html
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
Does anyone have any information on the KA630 CNF board? It is used
both with KA630s and KA650s to configure them for coprocessor mode.
Since I have never actually seen the board (which plugs into the
KA630/650 directory), I'd specifically like to know what pins I
need to connect to establish the processor as the first, second and
third coprocessor...
Megan Gentry
Former RT-11 Developer
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com |
| Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com |
| Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' |
| 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ |
| Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler |
| (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
Does anyone here have any 30-pin SIMMs as often found in i386 computers
that are more than 1 megabyte? I have 1-mb SIMMs but I've never seen
bigger ones
--Max Eskin (max82(a)surfree.com)
I got the NEC to seek the floppy. Sort of....
Does the APC III Use a special version of DOS? If so, what version? I
tried 5.0, and it won't work.
ThAnX,
--
-Jason Willgruber
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#: 1730318
<http://members.tripod.com/general_1>
At 01:45 PM 2/27/99 -0800, you wrote:
>>If it looks like a PC-clone (vertical metal strips for the expansion
>>slots at the back), then it's either a boring PC-clone or one of the
>>_very_ interesting Whitechapel machines :-)...
>
>It could also be one of the nice big-box Amiga's, though I think only the
>A2000's match that specific description. Not sure about the layout of a
>A4000.
>
Of course, since _all_ Amigas have either a "Commodore Amiga" or "Amiga"
nameplate on the front, that shouldn't cause too much confusion :v)
(except of course for one that my friend owned that had a VAXstation label
... ).
Cheers.
Mark
There are 7 (seven) shares left in the Teledisk group buy. We now have 43
total interested.
Approximate share price is now down to $7.05/person.
More updates as we get closer to closing the second run.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies
http://www.bluefeathertech.com
Amateur Radio:(WD6EOS) E-mail: kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com
SysOp: The Dragon's Cave (Fido 1:343/272, 253-639-9905)
"Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own
human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
Max Eskin wrote:
>Nooo...imagine a 3.5" floppy disk chopped in half and you'd be getting the
>idea.
I may have one of these somewhere. If it's the one I'm thinking of, they
were used on some of the old Amstrad CPC and PCW's. Are they black in
colour?
--
Gareth Knight
Amiga Interactive Guide | ICQ No. 24185856
http://welcome.to/aig | "Shine on your star"
As of 10:18, Sunday, Feb. 28th, another one's joined the group.
We now have 11 shares left. Total cost per share, given the current group,
is now $7.77 (oooh, a lucky number!) ;-)
It only goes down from here, folks. If you want in, speak up.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies
http://www.bluefeathertech.com
Amateur Radio:(WD6EOS) E-mail: kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com
SysOp: The Dragon's Cave (Fido 1:343/272, 253-639-9905)
"Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own
human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
