Hi

> 
> This is not directly NetBSD-related, but anyway.. How to load a tape
> in a TU80? I tried to follow the instructions on a sticker located
> underneath the hatch, but every time I pushed "Load" button, the drive
> rotated both spindles for a while, then filled it's internals with
> tape and gave an error code on the front panel display. Because I
> received my unit without any manuals, I have no idea about how to load
> the tape past the magnetic heads. Other information about the drive is
> welcomed, too.
> 


Try trimming the end of the tape.  I had a SCSI based DEC drive that
was a front loader (and had a cute Z-80 based controller) that was 
extremely picky about tape hygeine.  Also check the light sensors
along the tape path.  These detect the tape movement through the 
transport.  A good cleaning never hurts.

I think somehow the earlier manual drives were better in this 
regard, though had other short-comings.  We had TU16's on a PDP-11
where I worked and the 'TU' part of the name became 'Totally Useless'.

Good luck!



Andy Sporner