debugging a tu58? blank tapes or bad read channel?

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Wed Mar 31 18:09:19 2004

>
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions about debugging a TU58?
>
> This is a dual TU58 from a vax 730. The symptom is that when I try to
> boot from it the tape rewinds a bunch of times and then reads off the
> end of the tape.
>
> I removed it and poked all around with a scope and the schematics. The
> motor control is fine as well as the tachometer. The read channel shows
> no activity, even when I put a tape in and move the tape. The micro
> seems happy.

I asusme both drives behave identically. That would suggest that the
heads were both OK (it's unlikely they've both failed at the same time).

>
> I connected it to "tu58ctl" and I can talk to it and send/receive
> commands. But when I try to position the tape I get a "motor stopped"
> error.
>
> I'm begining to wonder if the 3 TU58 carts I have have been bulk erased.
> I have no "known goods" and I've never read these tapes. I made the
> assumption they were good but that might be a mistake.

That, alas, is the most likely explanation, I think...


>
> (wish I had those mythical proms which can write carts :-)
>
> I put a scope on the signal from the read heads and I see nothing when
> the tape spins by. I find that very odd. I would think I'd see pulses
> even if the blocks where all zeros... So nothing makes me think the
> tapes have been bulk erased.

Do you have any other tapes of the same form factor (say an HP85, or an
HP9825, tape)? If so, try those and look at the head signal with a 'scope
(it'll be in the millivolt range, of course). If you get something with
those tapes, but not with the TU58s, it's a fair bet they've been bulk
erased.


>
> Is there any way I can test the read channel without having a good tape?

Do you have a tape head demagnetiser? If so, use it to _carefully_ inject
a 50/60Hz field into the head. Look at the output of the head with a
'scope. You might be able to see the signal at the output of the
amplifier stages too, it depends on what, if any, filtering is present.

-tony
Received on Wed Mar 31 2004 - 18:09:19 BST