31 Dec
2014
31 Dec
'14
11:30 a.m.
Based on some boxes of stuff I unpacked today...
How could you quickly distinguish an RK05F spare head from a normal RK05 spare head?
-tony
31 Dec
31 Dec
1:58 p.m.
As a guess, something is either twice as small, or there twice as many of them.
Either way, I could really use both -:)
On Dec 31, 2014, at 1:30 PM, tony duell <ard at
p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
Based on some boxes of stuff I unpacked today...
How could you quickly distinguish an RK05F spare head from a normal RK05 spare head?
-tony
10:02 p.m.
As a guess, something is either twice as small, or
there twice as many of them.
The RK05F has a pair of heads like an RK05. It has twice as many cylinders, which are
logically addressed as
2 physical drives. So the optical scale in the linear positioner (which is not part of the
head) is different, and
there are some minor differences to the drive logic boards.
The heads look very similar. The mounting arms/springs are the same. The head
'buttons' are similar-looking
white ceramic disks. Yes, if you compare them, the core width for the -F is narrower, but
to recognise the
heads like that you either know them very well or have a pile to sort through and can see
both types next
to each other.
There are no obvious coloured dots on the springs, or part numbers, or anything like
that.
But there is one thing that is different.
OK, I'll give a hint. There is no reason it has to be different, it is done for
identification. And it is a
colour.
Either way, I could really use both -:)
Heads or drives?
-tony
3:36 p.m.
On 2014-12-31 20:30, tony duell wrote:
Based on some boxes of stuff I unpacked today...
How could you quickly distinguish an RK05F spare head from a normal RK05 spare head?
I wasn't even aware that there were any differences. But I guess there
are, as you ask.
It's been close to 30 years since I touched an RK05F...
But the disk being fixed was the thing I knew. Is the optical thingy
that tells the head movement a part of the head?
Johnny
--
Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus
|| on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se || Reading murder books
pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
8 p.m.
The differences are the door, which doesn't really mater, the heads, the
linear positional, and reformat the pack. most regular packs can be
reformatted. There are 2 boards from the A which are interchangeable with
the F (most of the newer drives have them), and they have a few dip
switches that need to be changed.
Another neat option which i don't remember the part #, if the RK05 front
panel with the TU56 type rotary switches to change the drive ID # on the
fly. I think I kept a few for myself.
On Wed, Dec 31, 2014 at 5:36 PM, Johnny Billquist <bqt at update.uu.se> wrote:
On 2014-12-31 20:30, tony duell wrote:
Based on some boxes of stuff I unpacked today...
How could you quickly distinguish an RK05F spare head from a normal RK05
spare head?
I wasn't even aware that there were any differences. But I guess there
are, as you ask.
It's been close to 30 years since I touched an RK05F...
But the disk being fixed was the thing I knew. Is the optical thingy that
tells the head movement a part of the head?
Johnny
--
Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus
|| on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se || Reading murder books
pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
1 Jan
1 Jan
7:07 a.m.
On 2015-01-01 05:00, Paul Anderson wrote:
The differences are the door, which doesn't really
mater, the heads, the
linear positional, and reformat the pack. most regular packs can be
reformatted. There are 2 boards from the A which are interchangeable with
the F (most of the newer drives have them), and they have a few dip
switches that need to be changed.
I might be misremembering, but I seem to remember the RK05F that I
played with had the same door, except it had been fixed in place.
Another neat option which i don't remember the
part #, if the RK05 front
panel with the TU56 type rotary switches to change the drive ID # on the
fly. I think I kept a few for myself.
I have one. The front side identifies it as a RK05J if I remember right.
But I don't know what part # for the conversion.
Johnny
On Wed, Dec 31, 2014 at 5:36 PM, Johnny Billquist <bqt at update.uu.se> wrote:
> On 2014-12-31 20:30, tony duell wrote:
>
>> Based on some boxes of stuff I unpacked today...
>>
>> How could you quickly distinguish an RK05F spare head from a normal RK05
>> spare head?
>>
>
> I wasn't even aware that there were any differences. But I guess there
> are, as you ask.
> It's been close to 30 years since I touched an RK05F...
>
> But the disk being fixed was the thing I knew. Is the optical thingy that
> tells the head movement a part of the head?
>
> Johnny
>
> --
> Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus
> || on a psychedelic trip
> email: bqt at softjar.se || Reading murder books
> pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
>
--
Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus
|| on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se || Reading murder books
pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
7:35 a.m.
On 1/1/15 7:07 AM, Johnny Billquist wrote:
I have one. The front side identifies it as a RK05J if
I remember right. But I don't know what part # for the conversion.
RK05-H
bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/disc/RK05-H_EngrDrws_Apr77
7:37 a.m.
On 2015-01-01 16:35, Al Kossow wrote:
On 1/1/15 7:07 AM, Johnny Billquist wrote:
Path was missing a rk05 in there, but I noticed there are also RK05J
drawings from 78 in there. Seems more likely I have that version. :-)
Johnny
--
Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus
|| on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se || Reading murder books
pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
I have one. The front side identifies it as a
RK05J if I remember
right. But I don't know what part # for the conversion.
RK05-H
bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/disc/RK05-H_EngrDrws_Apr77 
1:10 a.m.
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
From: Johnny Billquist
Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2015 12:36 AM
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: RK05 classic computing trivia question
On 2014-12-31 20:30, tony duell wrote:
Based on some boxes of stuff I unpacked today...
How could you quickly distinguish an RK05F spare head from a normal RK05
spare head?
I wasn't even aware that there were any differences. But I guess there
are, as you ask.
It's been close to 30 years since I touched an RK05F...
But the disk being fixed was the thing I knew. Is the optical thingy
that tells the head movement a part of the head?
ISTR that the doubling of the number of tracks was already reached
by fixing the cartridge on those pins and that the positioning sensor
(glass with lines) already had sufficient precision.
Are the 05/f heads recognized by a different color of the connector
housing or is that the case for RL01 / RL02 heads?
- Henk, PA8PDP
10:54 a.m.
Are the 05/f heads recognized by a different color of
the connector
housing or is that the case for RL01 / RL02 heads?
You got it. RK05F heads have blue connrector housings, normal RK05 heads have white. This
seems to follow an unwritten (?) DEC convention that 'blue' means 'higher
density' -- think of
the handles on RL02 and RK07 packs.
-tony
3411
days inactive
3412
days old
12 comments
8 participants
participants (8)
-
aek＠bitsavers.org -
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
bqt＠update.uu.se -
cisin＠xenosoft.com -
henk.gooijen＠hotmail.com -
jules.richardson99＠gmail.com -
roeapeterson＠gmail.com -
useddec＠gmail.com