6 Nov
2000
6 Nov
'00
1:56 a.m.
I've got about 20 TK50 tapes that are available for no cost. The catch is
that they are in Sunnyvale CA and if you can't come pick them up then
you'll need to pay postage to your address. These tapes have been bulk
erased and can be used in either the TK50 (95MB) or the TK70 (295MB) tape
drive, the caveat is that if you initialize one on a TK50 drive, then the
TK70 will read it but not write it, if you initialize it on the TK70 drive
then the TK50 won't be able to read it. I refer you back to the archives to
refresh your memory that magnetically the specs for CompacTape I and
CompacTape II are identical.
--Chuck
6 Nov
6 Nov
5:06 a.m.
I've got about 20 TK50 tapes that are available for
no cost. The
catch is that they are in Sunnyvale CA and if you can't come pick
them up then you'll need to pay postage to your address. These tapes
have been bulk erased and can be used in either the TK50 (95MB) or
the TK70 (295MB) tape drive, the caveat is that if you initialize
one on a TK50 drive, then the TK70 will read it but not write it, if
you initialize it on the TK70 drive then the TK50 won't be able to
read it. I refer you back to the archives to refresh your memory
that magnetically the specs for CompacTape I and CompacTape II are
identical.
--Chuck
What would shipping cost to the chicago area (zip 60190)?
thanks.
-Bob
Bob Brown
Saved by grace
Intranet Sysadmin Page: http://info1.harper.cc.il.us/~bbrown
2:46 p.m.
TK50 tape carts weigh 8 oz each. So priority mail its about $3.20 for 4,
$4.30 for 6.
--Chuck
At 01:06 PM 11/6/00 -0600, you wrote:
I've got
about 20 TK50 tapes that are available for no cost. The catch is
that they are in Sunnyvale CA and if you can't come pick them up then
you'll need to pay postage to your address. These tapes have been bulk
erased and can be used in either the TK50 (95MB) or the TK70 (295MB) tape
drive, the caveat is that if you initialize one on a TK50 drive, then the
TK70 will read it but not write it, if you initialize it on the TK70
drive then the TK50 won't be able to read it. I refer you back to the
archives to refresh your memory that magnetically the specs for
CompacTape I and CompacTape II are identical.
--Chuck
What would shipping cost to the chicago area (zip 60190)?
thanks.
-Bob
Bob Brown
Saved by grace
Intranet Sysadmin Page: http://info1.harper.cc.il.us/~bbrown 
9:40 a.m.
Chuck McManis wrote:
I've got about 20 TK50 tapes that are available
for no cost. The catch is
that they are in Sunnyvale CA and if you can't come pick them up then
you'll need to pay postage to your address. These tapes have been bulk
erased and can be used in either the TK50 (95MB) or the TK70 (295MB) tape
drive, the caveat is that if you initialize one on a TK50 drive, then the
TK70 will read it but not write it, if you initialize it on the TK70 drive
then the TK50 won't be able to read it. I refer you back to the archives to
refresh your memory that magnetically the specs for CompacTape I and
CompacTape II are identical.
Jerome Fine replies:
About a year ago, I acquired a number of TK50 tapes which I also bulk
erased so that I could use them as TK70 tapes. I am pleased to say that
the experience has been positive, although I have not had occasion to
use the tapes as much as I had hoped. So much for future plans.
Also, a few of the tapes I acquired were totally blank, so I was immediately
able to use them in a TK70. So much for DEC saying that the TK70
must use a CompacTape II - OK, DEC never actually said that, they
just say that such and such is the only media they sell for the TK70.
However, while we are on this same topic, I thought I might ask?
If a tape is used in the TK70 for writing - which means that the TK50 will
not be able to read the data - is it still possible to put the tape in a TK50
drive and start using it as a TK50 tape? Namely, does the TK50 drive
object to using a tape that has been written upon in a TK70 drive?
I will try it out myself, but if I know what to expect (namely that some
TK50 drives can't do it - or perhaps all of them), then I will not keep
messing up good TK70 tapes which now also can't be used in a TK50.
Sincerely yours,
Jerome Fine
8:16 a.m.
At 06:40 PM 11/6/2000 -0500, you wrote:
If a tape is used in the TK70 for writing - which means
that the TK50 will
not be able to read the data - is it still possible to put the tape in a TK50
drive and start using it as a TK50 tape? Namely, does the TK50 drive
object to using a tape that has been written upon in a TK70 drive?
Once written by a TK70 it stays that way until its bulk erased. I was told
that just inserting a blank tape into the drive would cause it to write a
"header" that identified it as a TKxx tape. This I don't know but I have
done the experiment you propose and the only way to get the TK50 to talk to
it was to bulk erase it.
--Chuck
12:40 p.m.
Chuck McManis wrote:
If a tape is
used in the TK70 for writing - which means that the TK50 will
not be able to read the data - is it still possible to put the tape in a TK50
drive and start using it as a TK50 tape? Namely, does the TK50 drive
object to using a tape that has been written upon in a TK70 drive?
Once written by
a TK70 it stays that way until its bulk erased. I was told
that just inserting a blank tape into the drive would cause it to write a
"header" that identified it as a TKxx tape. This I don't know but I have
done the experiment you propose and the only way to get the TK50 to talk to
it was to bulk erase it. 
11:47 a.m.
I have this Everex tape drive... EMAC 60T. SCSI. It looks like it
might take a tape similar to a TK 50. Does anyone know if this is
true? (HP Datacassette?)
I'm open for suggestions (and if it will help, I can take a pic of the
mechanism and put it up somewhere you can look it over.) I'd really
like to make it work!
TIA.
Jim Arnott
8764
days inactive
8764
days old
6 comments
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participants (4)
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bbrown＠harper.cc.il.us -
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