29 Sep
2003
29 Sep
'03
11:09 a.m.
They are actually Write Permit Rings - ie need to be in place to write to a
tape.
Bulk erasing no problem - there may be a few unusual cases where they could
be used with some form of random access with block headers, but such systems
will have their own specialised formatting software.
Although a few drives may be "picky" about taking certain sizes of 9t 1/2"
tape I would expect almost all to take 600', 1200', and 2400' with no
problems (though autoloaders might not like anything not on the 2400'
reels) - the 3600' (thinner tape on 2400' reels - not very common) might
cause problems with some early drives.
Andy
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctalk-bounces@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of chris
Sent: 29 September 2003 04:26
To: Classic Computers
Subject: 9 track reel tapes
I came across a decent stash of 9 track reel tapes during my clean out.
(4 cases, so maybe 50 or so of them)
A while ago, I sold or gave away (don't remember) a whole bunch of the
write protect rings for them. So I'm wondering, do those rings stop you
from writing, or enable you to write when installed? I want to try
selling the 9 track tapes on ebay, but I want to make sure I specify the
correct status of the rings (that don't exist).
Also, are these safe to bulk erase with an electromagnet? So far none of
them have any data on them that I am worried about erasing, so I'm not
planning to bother... but I want to know if it is safe or not in case I
find one I need to.
And finally, are all 9 track tapes the same? These were used on our
General Automation Zebra machine. So will they work on any machine that
needs 9 track, or only on other Zebras?
-chris
<http://www.mythtech.net>