looking for a 7-track reel tape controller

[Michael Thompson]

The same is true with the TU20.

> On Aug 7, 2019, at 10:06 PM, Paul Anderson <useddec at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I think you could change heads in a TU10 and add or take out a few boards. I've worked on 7 and 9 track versions in the day.
> 
>> On Wed, Aug 7, 2019 at 6:43 PM Michael Thompson via cctech <cctech at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>> >
>> > thanks a lot for your hint to the DEC controller. I wasn't aware that the
>> > TM11, TMA11 and TMB11 controllers can handle 9-track as well as 7-track
>> > NRZI-encoded tape drives. However, all these controllers seem to be very
>> > rare in the public out there. Not too surprising considering that DEC TU
>> > and TS tape drives themselves are rare and that 7-track tape drives were
>> > soon replaced by 9-track tape technology in the early days.
>> >
>> > With best regards,
>> > Pierre
>> >
>> 
>> The TC58 Magnetic Tape Controller for the PDP-8 and the TC59 for the PDP-9
>> can be connected to both 7-track and 9-track drives. The TU20 drive on the
>> PDP-9 at the RICM is a 7-track drive. The only difference between the
>> 7-track and 9-track versions of the TU20 is the tape head. All of the tape
>> drive electronics is the same for both versions.
>> 
>> -- 
>> Michael Thompson