On Wed, 19 Apr 2000, Andy Sporner wrote:

> 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.

The TU80 isn't front loaded. It's a top-loading model, and it isn't
autothreading either. The light sensor don't detect movement, but detects
EOT.

> 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'.

The TU16 isn't *that* bad, try a TU45...

	Johnny

Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                  ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt@update.uu.se           ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol