After spending most of the evening toying with the ethernet ports on the
MV3300, I thought I would reload Ultrix 4.2 over 4.0 on it just in case
there were some minor code differences in ethernet drivers.  Alas, the
TK50 has started to eat tapes.  After pulling/cleaning it and setting
it up on a chair in front of the VAX so I could watch what it was doing,
with the lid off, it appears to be taking up the tape leader correctly,
but then it can't seem to find the start of the tape, and then it
thinks that is an error and rewinds and does the fast red blink bit.
I took special care to clean the tape heads, and the start of tape
hole idiot lights.  It took on one load in 5 maybe, and then errored
out on all the rest.  I sense something is dragging slightly and the
takeup platter is not pulling enough tape to reach the start of tape
hole.  Anyone have any ideas as to what might be happening and what
to do to fix it?  I have a spare TK50 in storage I will try, but it
would be nice to have a spare running TK50, since the things are
not what one would call rock solid tape devices.  Also, rewinding
TK50's by hand is becoming a 5 fisted and tiresome operation...(:+{{...
Are replacement takeup leaders still available?

Thanks

Bob