21 Aug
2016
21 Aug
'16
1:13 p.m.
On 8/21/2016 12:46 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
On 08/21/2016 10:12 AM, js at cimmeri.com wrote:
Chuck,
I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. I do have a
variety of 4mm, 8mm, and DLT tape drives in addition to the
problematic ones discussed earlier. But trying other, novel
mechanisms that contain brilliant design ideas is quite a
bit as fun as well, beyond just the practical concern.
Bet: I think 9 track or DLT will outlast them all, mechanism
longevity included. Specifically, I think my HP 7970E will
likely outlast every other mechanism / media combination I've
got, with the only uncertainty being the longevity of 9 track
media... but there, at least I've got a Mark III tape cleaner.
- John
The final matter is that I'd still like to
get the Teac to function
with some software, just to watch it operate (you have to really
like mechanical things to understand this strange fascination).
Having put some time and $ into the Teac, it'd be nice to get some
reward, even if only then it gets placed on the shelf afterwards.
Back in the day, I wondered if the DDS drives being as complex as they
were, with the skinny less-than-4mm wide tape could even have the
possibility of any longevity.
But the old DDS-1 tapes I recorded more than 20 years ago are still
quite readable as are the DDS-4 tapes I wrote over a decade ago. One
advantage that DDS (and DLT...) has over most of the "QIC" tapes is that
they use a read-after-write system like the big 1/2" tape drives, making
a separate verification pass unnecessary. They also tend to follow the
ANSI sequantial-access SCSI standard more carefully.
You may want to consider DDS or DLT for your DEC gear.
--Chuck