> I was given a MicroVax II over the weekend...looks like it'll be
>something really interesting to work with once I get it running. :-)
> It's got a TK50 drive in it with a tape in the drive that won't come
>out. From what I remember of the TK50s, you push the red button in,
>wait for the green light to come on, and then pull the lever under the
>tape upwards to eject it. Unfortunately, I don't hear any tape noises
>at all from the unit, and the red light flashes very quickly. Green
>light never comes on. Any ideas on getting the tape out of the drive?
>Did I remember correctly how to eject the thing?
A blinking red light means that something is very wrong with the
tape drive. There are several possibilities, including electronic
failure and power supply failure, but the most likely case is that
the take-up leader has come unhooked. You'll have to remove the
drive from the enclosure and look inside the drive to figure out
where to go from here.
Some questions whose answers will determine what you'll have to do
to fix this:
1. Is there much tape wound around the
take-up reel? (You can remove the metal cover over the takeup reel
by taking off three screws.)
2. If the answer to "1" is "No", trace out the plastic leader
from the take-up hub and figure out where it's going (or not
going!) Replacement leaders are only a buck from DECDirect.
3. If the answer to "1" is "Yes", apply power to the drive and see if
any tape motion takes place. If you're lucky, it'll rewind the tape
back into the cartridge. If you're not lucky, you'll have manually
wind the tape back in (or just pull it out and trash the tape.)
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa_at_trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
Received on Mon Sep 06 1999 - 12:47:12 BST