I was having to clean the drive after every three tape passes.
To do that I had the drive sticking out the front of the machine
and sitting on a small stool, with the lid off the drive so I could
lift up the tape head and pass some rubbing alcohol on a clean
swab, across it.  Then it got to two passes, and then to one
pass.  Then the tapes started to just crumble and dust all over
the drive.  At that point it was obvious the tapes were in a state
of decomposition.  So much for TK50.....(:+{{.....

The HD controllers I have don't support tape, unless I can find
an eprom update for one of them.  The other does not at all.
So... off to find a tape card.....of some sort.....

I have all the tapes backed up, and clone boot drives till I am
blue in the face.  But, it still would be nice to be able to boot
tape, in an emergency.  I am sensing that tapes are going
the way of the dodo bird, at least in TK50 land.

I found some cards on the net, but those supplies want to
cut your XXXX off to part with a card.  800 bucks and more.
OUCH!  Surely someone may have one on the list, gathering
dust that they might part with at something a bit resembling
reasonable.   (:+\\.....

Bob