I have managed to read in all 58+ of my TU58 tapes, using a little Linux
program to play the host side: VAX 11/750 console, 11/750 microcode and
diagnostics FE and it looks like customer (CDD01 - CDD04). Also
VMS updates (3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2 4.4), and VMS stand alone backup programs
(3.3, 4.0, 4.1 and 5.0). Finally, a couple of FORTRAN related tapes.
Thanks to Allison for the tip on using rubber hose to replace rubber
rollers gone to "glue". Worked great. I didn't glue mine to the hub,
though I suppose I should -- one did start slipping some after reading in
30 tapes -- the aluminum hub got pretty hot. I also found I could be quite
aggressive with isopropyl alcohol cleaning the heads.
Is there someone who is maintaining an archive of TU58 tape images? If so,
I may have a few to donate... 8^)
Jay Jaeger
At 03:22 PM 1/15/2002 -0800, Ethan Dicks wrote:
>--- "Clint Wolff (VAX collector)" <vaxman_at_qwest.net> wrote:
> > PS If you do get a dump, I'd appreciate a copy. I'm archiving all the
> > TU58s I can find to CD-Rs...
>
>I'm doing the same thing. So far, I have about 20 tapes read in. :-(
>The ones that have no read errors are fine. Most of the tapes take a
>bit of work (lots of head cleaning and retrying). I have a quantity of
>11/750 diagnostic tapes as well as boot tapes/standalone backup tapes.
>Probably nothing horribly rare (except for partial VMS 3.x upgrade sets),
>but you never know. We should trade tape titles sometime.
>
> > On Sun, 21 Oct 2001, Michael Schneider wrote:
> >
> > > Hello to all VAXenfolks,
> > >
> > > i do have a problem with a VAX-11/730...
> > > It is now willing to boot and tries to load it's microcode tape from
> > > the TU-58 drives...
> > > But the TU-58's are so battered that i have not been able to read the
> > > tape.
> > >
> > > I have repaced the rubber rollers, but the read/write-heads look, ummm,
> > > bad!
> > >
> > > I have found somewhere some TU-58 simulator software for DOS which
> > > looks like a promising alternative; i would place a mini-DOS-computer
> > > inside a VT-102 and route some additional cables to the VAX and be
>fine.
>
>That's one way to do it. You could also mount the "mini-DOS" computer in
>the 11/730 where you extracted the TU-58 from (depending on which style
>of VAX you have, it might or might not be easy. If I were going to do
>this (and I just might someday), I'd consider a Linux-based TU-58
>emulator, and stick a tiny 486 in the base of the rack with a serial
>cable going into the VAX (11/730 or 11/750), a spare serial cable
>going to either a port on the VAX or a terminal server or the like, as
>well as an ethernet connection to my LAN, so I could run a shell to
>monitor the TU-58 tape images - manipulate file names, create "blanks"
>for writing, that sort of thing. I'd also consider attaching a 4x20 LCD
>display to the parallel port or a spare serial port, a-la LCDproc, with
>a menu and a switch or two for easy "tape swapping". An old and slow
>laptop might also be a good option. Don't need much horsepower to
>flood a 38400 bps cable with bytes.
>
> > > BUT: How do i get the contents of the microcode tape of the tape, into
> > > a DOS file without access to a working TU-58?
>
>As you say... either someone reads it for you or you get an image from
>someone else of something that's close.
>
> > > Is someone on this list able to read the tape?
>
>Yes.
>
> > > Has someone already made a tape image i could just use?
>
>No. I could make one, but I don't have one at present, just real
>11/730 console tapes.
>
> > > I mean, i have
> > > a original DEC tape, with serial number and all. I might even come up
> > > with a license document, if i search long enough...
>
>Do you have access to another VAX? I used to cut console tapes all the
>time for our 11/730 (k-panda when it was in the UUCP maps) - I still
>have it (and the tapes).
>
>The tape from DEC was sub-optimized. I wrote a quick DCL script to
>write the files in optimal order and sped up boot time to under 3
>minutes. It was not an original idea, but it did work *great* (the
>microprocessor in the TU-58 caches the directory AFAIK, so if you ask
>for the next sequential file on the tape, it doesn't have to seek back
>to the front to locate it - you just spin the tape to read it).
>
> > > Any help would be greatly welcomed. This old lady is just to beautifull
> > > to use it as an electric heater only...
>
>Did you ever get a tape for your machine (this is an old message, after
>all)? If not, this past weekend, I happened to run across the box with
>my old console tapes (which is why I'm writing now). Let me know the
>numbers off of your tape (since there are different revs of the stuff
>on the tape, and something on there might or might not be VMS-version
>dependent).
>
>If you ever did get things running, I know it's possible to build new
>tapes from a running machine. I'd have to find my program on a backup
>tape; I know I don't have it handy, and that 11/730 is in storage.
>
>-ethan
>
>
>
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---
Jay R. Jaeger The Computer Collection
cube1_at_charter.net
Received on Sat Jul 27 2002 - 22:55:23 BST