17 Apr
2012
17 Apr
'12
1:04 p.m.
Probably not--at least not using parts for
"backup". I've got a
similar drive in my collection by 3M. Basic dumb drive--has the
drivers for the motion, and read/write amplifiers, but otherwise no
intelligence whatsoever.
There were basically 2 classies of interfaces to such drives. 'Raw
interfces, like QIC36 and QIC44, had not data procesisng in the drive.
What yo get at the interface connector are the flux transitions on the
tape (well, you know what I mean :-)).
Foramtted itnerfaces liek QIC02 and SCSI had electronics to pack the data
on the tape into nice bytes, buffer that data, and so on. A number of the
drive manufactueres made fomatter PCBs that were often designed to mount
under the drive to connect a formatted controlelr to an unformatted
drive. Later on, the functionality was incldued in the drive itself.
Be warned that a 50 pin connector, even if it's a formatted interface,
may not be SCIS (or SASI). It is quite likely to be QIC-02.
You could possibly cobble up an interface circuit using an MCU (did
someone mention Arduino?), but I've not tried that.
Modern MCUs are probalby fast enough for this, but the older formatters
that I've worked with typically had a microprocesosr (8085 was common as
was 8048). buffer RAM and either a custom tape controller IC or a _lot_
of TTL and PLLs for the drive interface. The oldest formatter I have is 2
staked PCBS full of TTL and an 8048, it fits behaind the drive, the whole
thing is the same forma factor as an 8" floppy drive.
-tony