The RSTS riddle.

[Jerome H. Fine]

 >On Saturday, May 21st, 2016 at 19:29:11 +0100, Rod Smallwood wrote:

>      Further to my posts this morning I have one last hurdle to jump.
>
> 1.  I  have a  VAX with a TK70 attached and a TQK70 controller.
>
> 2.  The tape drive works just fine.
>
> 3.  Also on the VAX I have the correct tape (.TAP) image file for a 
> RSTS/E V10 install tape.
>
> 4. I would like to copy the .tap file to the tape so as to end up with 
> a bootable install tape.
>
> 5. I then power down the VAX and move the controller to an 11/83. (The 
> drive is external with its own PSU)
>
> 6. Boot the install tape and go from there.
>
> So suggestions please as to how to do  4.

Just a suggestion concerning the use of the PDP-11/83,
or for that matter, any PDP-11 system within either a
BA23 or a BA123 box with either a TK50 and / or a
TK70.

Whenever I used the PDP-11/83 with ESDI hard drives
(I use 3 * Hitachi DK515 600 MB drives which require
a reasonable initial power surge at start-up), I always used
an external power supply in order to minimize the load on
the standard DEC internal power for the boards in the
backplane.  At one point, I also attached the TK70 to that
same power supply.  My experience was MUCH  LESS
than successful.  For reasons which I never bothered to
figure out, the TK70 would function successfully ONLY
when it was connected to the same standard DEC internal
power supply as the boards in the PDP-11/83.

So if you find there are problems, try connecting the TK70
to the standard DEC internal power supply.

Jerome Fine