15 Dec
2009
15 Dec
'09
3:43 p.m.
Anyone have any information for this early QIC drive? Model DCD3-
30/90. The controller board is pretty simple--just some 7400 series
TTL, made by Solid State Systems. The most complex IC is an AM27S21
1Kbit bipolar PROM. There's a 220/330 terminator pack near the 50
position header, if that's any help.
Is this a QIC-36 interface drive (50 pin header on the controller
board)?
Thanks,
Chuck
16 Dec
16 Dec
11:59 a.m.
Anyone have any information for this early QIC drive? Model DCD3-
30/90. The controller board is pretty simple--just some 7400 series
TTL, made by Solid State Systems. The most complex IC is an AM27S21
1Kbit bipolar PROM. There's a 220/330 terminator pack near the 50
position header, if that's any help.
Is this a QIC-36 interface drive (50 pin header on the controller
board)?
If byu 'controller board' you mean the thign that plugs into the host
computer (such as into an ISA slot), then I would think it's more likely
to be QIC-02. That's also a 50 pin interface, but is a 'formatted'
interface and needs very little logic on the host side. All the
trasnlation between 8-=bit bytes and the data stream to the head is
carried out in the drive. The drive is probably wuite complicated with at
least one microcontorller and some buffer RAM to handle this data conversion.
Originally (I am thinking back to the Archive Sidewinder here, a QIC-11
format drive in an 8" floppy form factor), the basic drive had a QIC-36
interface, there was then a controller (2 stacked boards that connected
ot this and had a QIC02 interface back to the host. I've seen a later
drive (5.25" form factoer) that did much the same thing
-tony
1:06 p.m.
On 16 Dec 2009 at 19:59, Tony Duell wrote:
If byu 'controller board' you mean the thign
that plugs into the host
computer (such as into an ISA slot), then I would think it's more
likely to be QIC-02.
No--I'm referring to the board labeled "Tape Controller Board" that
sits in the last slot of the card cage on this thing. There are
three cards--the front-most seems to have all of the power-handling
circuitry on it for handling the capstan motor, and head position.
The second has a mixed bag of discrete components, a few DIPs and a
number of TO-100 ICs. The third card is labeled as the controller
and has what I stated before--and it uses 7400 TTL logic, not LS.
I'm familiar with QIC-02 and QIC-36 both; I have Wangtek and Caliper
QIC-36 drives as well as several (mostly Tandberg) QIC-02 drive.
There is *no* intelligence on this drive. It's quite large--fits in
a 6U rackmount panel and is powered by a separate +5, +/-15v Lambda
power supply mounted on its own 3U section.
Given the age of this drive, I'm a bit concerned that the 50-
conductor interface might be proprietary, and not anything familiar,
such as QIC-36.
The only mention on the web that I can find of this drive is from a
paper from 1976 saying that it was used to create the NBS (now NIST)
quarter-inch tape calibration standard.
The branding on the front is 3M Mincom.
I've got an old Adic drive that's similar in size, but it takes the
old Iomat pre-formatted tapes and has a 6502 on the controller board
(again, one of three) with an EPROM bearing a 3M copyright sticker.
--Chuck
17 Dec
17 Dec
11 a.m.
On 16 Dec 2009 at 19:59, Tony Duell wrote:
Oh, OK...
If byu 'controller board' you mean the
thign that plugs into the host
computer (such as into an ISA slot), then I would think it's more
likely to be QIC-02.
No--I'm referring to the board labeled "Tape Controller Board" that
sits in the last slot of the card cage on this thing. There are three cards--the front-most seems to have all of the
power-handling
circuitry on it for handling the capstan motor, and head position.
The second has a mixed bag of discrete components, a few DIPs and a
number of TO-100 ICs. The third card is labeled as the controller
That sounds mostly analoge (there are very few digital ICs in circular
metal cans -- I said 'few' rather than none, because I am old enough to
remember at least one RTL series in such cans :-))( Possible the head
amplifiers, etc?
and has what I stated before--and it uses 7400 TTL
logic, not LS.
I'm familiar with QIC-02 and QIC-36 both; I have Wangtek and Caliper
QIC-36 drives as well as several (mostly Tandberg) QIC-02 drive.
Right, The resistor pack you found (termination, I'll bet) sounds possile
for QIC-36, but it's possible for a lot of other things too. Do you have
a QIC-36 pinout (if not, I must have it somewhere...) You could at least
see if inputs nad outputs match up, and maybe trace a few of the signals
to see if they go to sane places.
-tony
3:03 p.m.
On 17 Dec 2009 at 19:00, Tony Duell wrote:
That sounds mostly analoge (there are very few digital
ICs in circular
metal cans -- I said 'few' rather than none, because I am old enough
to remember at least one RTL series in such cans :-))( Possible the
head amplifiers, etc?
I recall that DTL (and early ECL) came in TO-100s. Somewhere, I've
still got a few Fairchild 8-bit addressable memories in TO-100. I
believe that the Motoroal HEP mWRTL kit came in TO-100 packages.
The second card is labeled "READ/WRITE AMPL. 30 IPS, 4TRK". The TO-
100's are MC1710G (differential voltage comparator). There are 4
uA709 op-amps on the thing.
The frontmost PCB is labeled "SERVO CONTROL, 30 IPS." and has 4 uA741
op amps on it, a couple of LM321H (TO-100) preamps, a couple of TO-3
darlingtons (MJ900, MJ1000) and an LM308 op-amp. But there are 6
trimpots, with no labeling other than "R9, R10, etc." which might be
a problem if adjustment were called for.
Comparing the interface connections with QIC-36 shows that it's not
QIC-36 (e.g. Drive select address lines connected to 74368 outputs,
etc.).
I thought the drive electronics looked a little to dumb to be a QIC-
36 interface.
Any other ideas?
Thanks,
Chuck
18 Dec
18 Dec
11:22 a.m.
The second card is labeled "READ/WRITE AMPL. 30
IPS, 4TRK". The TO-
FWIW, the original QIC11 format was a 4-track serpentine (the 9 track
formats just interleaved new tracks with the original 4). And 30 ips was
one of the standard speeds (the otuer standard one was 90 ips IIRC). My
guess is this thing uses a stnadard tape format even if the interface is
custom.
100's are MC1710G (differential voltage
comparator). There are 4
uA709 op-amps on the thing.
The frontmost PCB is labeled "SERVO CONTROL, 30 IPS." and has 4 uA741
op amps on it, a couple of LM321H (TO-100) preamps, a couple of TO-3
darlingtons (MJ900, MJ1000) and an LM308 op-amp. But there are 6
trimpots, with no labeling other than "R9, R10, etc." which might be
a problem if adjustment were called for.
Do not tweak :-)
-tony
7:42 p.m.
New subject: ISO: Manual or information on 3M DCD3-30 tape unit
I recall that DTL (and early ECL) came in TO-100s.
?Somewhere, I've
still got a few Fairchild 8-bit addressable memories in TO-100. ? I
believe that the Motoroal HEP mWRTL kit came in TO-100 packages.
RCS has a very interesting Fabritek scope - sort of a statistical
analyzer - crammed with MECL I in cans.
--
Will
2:12 a.m.
On Thu, 17 Dec 2009, Tony Duell wrote:
That sounds mostly analoge (there are very few digital
ICs in circular
metal cans -- I said 'few' rather than none, because I am old enough to
remember at least one RTL series in such cans :-))( Possible the head
amplifiers, etc?
Old shift-registers are in metal cans, too.
Christian
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