16 Mar
2000
16 Mar
'00
1:22 a.m.
--- John Wilson <wilson(a)dbit.dbit.com> wrote:
On Thu, Mar 16, 2000 at 07:36:53AM +0100, Maciej S
Szymanski wrote:
AFAIK, it is _not_ a regular cassette but the drive mechanism is based on
regular cassette transport hardware. The media is coated for low friction
to extend media life and reduce head wear, among other things. One minor
feature of the cassettes themselves is a plastic flippy write-protect tab.
Not essential but a nice touch.
As has already been pointed out, the cassettes have a notch in the middle
of the top and there's a finger or a block or something at the corresponding
location on the drive preventing you from mounting an audio tape.
I used to use tapes by the crate on my PET way back when. A regular speed
tape drive mixed with cheap Rat-Shack tapes was a dangerous combination. I
wouldn't want to use consumer grade tapes with a high-performance mechanism.
It makes me think of the nickname of the TS-11 - the "Tape Stretcher 11",
maybe a "Tape Annihilator 60"? :-)
-ethan
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I'm trying to put back in service PDP-11/05
used to controll aircraft
structural test sytem. I's equiped with DECcassete drive (it looks like
normal audio cassete).
Is there any replacement for them ? I mean using good audio casset or
so.
Replacement for which, the media, or the whole drive?
DEC claimed that you couldn't use regular audio cassettes with the TU60
because they couldn't handle the high tension used by the drive. Sounds like
it could be hype but you never know. I mean, what's the point of building a
peripheral that uses regular audio cassettes, except that it *doesn't* use
regular audio cassettes? Worst of both worlds. 
16 Mar
16 Mar
4:09 p.m.
-> AFAIK, it is _not_ a regular cassette but the drive mechanism is based on
-> regular cassette transport hardware. The media is coated for
-> low friction
-> to extend media life and reduce head wear, among other things. One minor
-> feature of the cassettes themselves is a plastic flippy
-> write-protect tab.
-> Not essential but a nice touch.
->
-> As has already been pointed out, the cassettes have a notch in the middle
-> of the top and there's a finger or a block or something at the
-> corresponding
-> location on the drive preventing you from mounting an audio tape.
Well, now I know what all these "computer grade" cassettes I've had laying
around for almost 20 years went to. Being somewhat of a packrat by nature,
when they were offered to me by someone who "upgraded" to a Microdata
Reality system, I took them, peeled off the original labels, put generic
Radio Shack cassette labels on them, and just overwrote whatever was on some
of them. I'd totally forgotten that they were DEC. So now I don't have a
clue what is on the ones that I didn't reuse since I replaced the labels
shortly after I got them d8^(
I do know which ones I didn't reuse. The new labels aren't written on.
I always thought the little write protect tab was a nice feature. If Maciej
S Szymanski will contact me off list, I'm sure we can work something out, as
I don't have much use for the ones I didn't use for SWTPC program storage.
I imagine DEC stuff must still be on them.
Bill
whdawson(a)mlynk.com
9047
days inactive
9048
days old
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