On Feb 13, 8:46, Clint Wolff (VAX collector) wrote:
> On Sat, 12 Feb 2000, Chuck McManis wrote:
>
> > 1) Does the Red Light/Button on the right hand side in the "out"
position
> > mean "unload" ?
Yes, but watch the LEDS.
> Off means unlocked (you can lift the handle and remove the tape)
> Off also means no power (you can't lift the handle and remove the tape)
> On steady means tape loaded
> Flashing means rewinding or unloading or error (Grrrr)
>
> > 2) When does the green light come on (except on power up when it is
> > unloaded.) ?
>
> When the tape is loaded and ready
You really need to look at both LEDs together. Here's the table from the
User's Guide:
Green Red Drive state
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Off Off power off
Off On 1. After power-on, this condition occurs for 5-15s while
the drive is initializing. (Red goes off and green
comes on after initialization.)
2. Indicates handle is up, following cartridge insertion.
3. Indicates tape has almost completeed rewinding, and is
approaching the unload point. Red stays on during this
sequence (8-10s).
On Off OK to lift handle
NOTE: Only under this condition is it safe to lift the
handle. Under any other condition, lifting the handle may
damage the unit or cause a fault.
On On Tape is at BOT and drive ready to accept system commands.
Flash On Indicates tape motion during normal system operation.
Flash Flash Tape is rewinding to BOT.
Flash Fast Indicates a fault condition. See Chapter 5, Solving
Flash Problems. Pushing the LOAD/UNLOAD switch FOUR times
may clear the fault.
Chapter 5 suggests trying the four-presses two or three times. If that
doesn't work, power off and then on (it says to do this only once,
actually). If that doesn't work, it suggests calling your system
administrator, Field Service, or removing the drive to send to a Service
Centre. Not very informative or helpful, really. The only chapter that's
shorter is Chapter 4, "Uses For The TK50".
The load sequence is:
If the power is off, make sure the LOAD/UNLOAD button is in the OUT
(unload) position, and power up the drive.
Let the drive initialise: the red LED should be on for between 5 and 15
seconds, and then the green LED comes on and the red one goes off.
When the green LED is on and the red is off, lift the handle. "Caution:
never lift the handle if the red LED is on or blinking."
"Smoothly and completely insert the cartridge." [the manual doesn't say
where, but I'd be tempted to find the nearest convenient member of the TK50
design team, and ask them to turn round...] When it locks in place, the
red LED should go on and the green LED off.
Lower the handle. After several seconds, the green LED should come on
steady, and the red LED should go off. At this point, it's safe to operate
the handle again to remove the cartridge, or continue to load the tape.
Push in the LOAD/UNLOAD switch (the LOAD position is IN). The tape shuold
go through the load process, taking 5-8 seconds. Both LEDs come on steady
when it reaches BOT.
To unload a cartridge:
Set the LOAD/UNLOAD switch to OUT (UNLOAD position). If the tape isn't
already at BOT, both LEDs will flash *slowly* while it rewinds. If the
tape was very cose to BOT, you might not see them flash.
The red LED comes on while the tape is unloading from BOT. This should
take 8-10 seconds, then the red LED should go off and the green should come
on.
When the red LED is off and the green is on, left the handle, which
partially ejects the cartridge.
-----
The manual has some diagrams showing how the tape leader in the cartridge
should look, and how the take-up leader in the drive should be. From what
you wrote, I don't think you have any problems here, but for the sake of
completeness... I'm not going to attempt ASCII art for this, and I'm
afraid I can't get at a scanner ATM, so I'll try to describe them:
Cartridge:
Looking at it right-side-up, with the edge with the door towards you and
the hinge at the right, you should be able to release the door lock by
lifting up the release. Swing open the door; you should see the leader on
the left, with *nearly* all of the eye in the leader showing.
Drive:
With the handle down, looking into the cartridge slot, you should see the
take-up leader, with its notch roughly in the middle of the slot. To the
left of that notch, the take-up leader should be a little less than 1/2"
wide; to the right of the notch it narrows to a fraction of that (maybe an
1/8"), with a sort of fat arrow-head on the end.
A little hook on an arm behind the takeup leader (called the buckling link)
should be hooked through the notch. Just at the back of the hook, on the
buckling link, are a couple of vertical pins which prevent the takeup
leader sliding too far back up the buckling link.
The narrow part of the takeup leader should all be in front of the link,
and straight; it should not be displaced above the link, nor tangled in it,
nor unhooked.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
Received on Sun Feb 13 2000 - 12:00:25 GMT