On Tuesday (09/27/2011 at 06:00AM -0400), allison wrote:
Warning it's slow! And it's only 512 sectors of 512bytes.
The unique option similar to this that I want is
one MS-DOS driver in
SpareTime Gizmos, but to use the TU58 as one MS-DOS storage unit. But, what
I have in mind is similar but different at the same time. I want to manage
the TU-58 contents in DEC native format.
The TU58 has no native format. It's addressed as 512byte blocks.
Any other format is imposed but the host system, for example RT11,
RSX11, VMS (VMboot and VMS).
I'm likely to be writing a Linux app to communicate with the TU58
very soon. I am restoring a TU58 and need a debug tool to talk to it
more conveniently than using one of my PDP-11.
So, in the next couple weeks, I might have something that can chat with the
drive and read/write some blocks.
But, it'll be for Linux. I don't get anywhere near any Microsoft OS.
Also, SPc noted,
* In appeareance the Current flows by the main board of
the device (the RED
led indicates so)
On my unit, the red LED only makes a brief flicker as the unit is being
powered up and down. Scope reveals life-- 8085 CPU is executing stuff.
I see the UART being polled, etc. so I have been believing mine is closer
to life than not.
Is the red LED supposed to come on and stay on? My impression from the
tech manual is that the red LED is a fault indicator of some sort so
I was OK with it being mostly off. If it's supposed to be mostly on,
then I have more debug to do.
I have replaced the capstan rollers in this thing and am really just
beginning the debug/restoration. I'm probably also going to find that
the first tape I put in it is going to break when it starts moving...
of the dozen or so tapes I found with the unit, four of them already
had the drive belt broken inside the tape cartridge.
Could be a lot of effort to get 512, 512-byte blocks ;-) But hey,
it's fun.
Chris
--
Chris Elmquist