Paul
Thanks, I had found this ad a while ago but thought it was ?-inch. Upon careful reading
all the notes I found, "Errors per roll based on recording 7 tracks on rolls ?"
x 2500'. "
It looks like 3M may have called their computer tapes "Instrumentation" tape
until the late 60s
Tom
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Koning [mailto:paulkoning at
comcast.net]
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2020 5:15 PM
To: Chuck Guzis; cctalk at
classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Early 3M Computer Tape Type Numbers
On Jun 25, 2020, at 5:14 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 6/25/20 1:55 PM, Tom Gardner via cctalk wrote:
I'm trying to figure out what were the
earliest Type numbers for 3M
-inch reel-to-reel computer tape
As best I can find, 3M began marketing a Type 777 computer tape about 1967. The Type 700
appears to be somewhat later. But 3M sold computer tape directly to at least government
customers (e.g. NSA, Social Security) in the 1950s. The also notably OEMed tape to IBM
who rebranded it under an IBM label until the late 1960s at which point with the help of
Sony IBM began manufacturing its own computer tape.
Anyone have any idea of the Type number for 3M computer tapes earlier than Type 777?
There might be a place for some of these older Types at the CHM if anyone knows of any
still in existence.
Tom
PS: There is a lot of information on 3M audio tape Type numbers as
at
http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/3mtape/aorprod-cust.pdf but computer
tape seems to be an orphan
I probably do--but I'm going to have to look
through my logs. Old 3M
tape is terrible for binder that sticks to everything. Before
processing the stuff, I have to lubricate it.
Except for DECtape, of course. That's 3M 340 or 341, the spec (from Nov 1966) is
here:
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/dectape/3M_DECtape_Spec_Nov66.pdf
paul