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Conference atlant::pdp_home_companion

Title:Early Digital RISC architectures
Notice:So early, we didn't *KNOW* they were RISCy!
Moderator:ATLANT::SCHMIDT
Created:Tue Feb 27 1990
Last Modified:Fri May 09 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:210
Total number of notes:1350

208.0. "A working DECtape drive?" by CSTMSO::SUPNIK () Mon Mar 10 1997 21:42

    I've gotten a PDP-15 DECtape with the Advanced Monitor System on it. 
    Does anyone have a clue about where or how I could read it?  I think
    18b DECtapes could only be read on other 18b or 36b systems, not on 12b
    or 16b systems; but the real issue is, does anyone still have a working
    DECtape drive?
    
    Thanks /Bob Supnik
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
208.1ATLANT::SCHMIDTSee http://atlant2.zko.dec.com/Tue Mar 11 1997 19:5213
Bob:

  There was a utility in OS-8 to allow it to read PDP-10 DECtapes.
  I don't recall if it required a TC08/TC8E; I *THINK* it could
  run on the later TD8E as well but I never tried it.

  I don't think a TC11 (PDP-11 DECtape controller) could read
  these 18-bit-oriented DECtapes.

  None of that, of course, answers your main question as to
  who still has a working TU55/TU56 DECtape drive.

                                   Atlant
208.2RUSURE::GENTRYEnjoying the view from open windowsWed Mar 12 1997 17:036
The RT-11 utility, FILEX, allowed (at least) reading of 18-bit
DEC-10 dectapes.  It didn't use the DT handler in order to do it,
it operates the CSRs directly in order to get those extra 2 bits.

					Megan
208.3Found, but...CSTMSO::SUPNIKFri Mar 14 1997 16:106
    John Wilson has a working TC11 and was able to read the tape, but now
    there's a question about whether we have to do bit swizzling to
    properly recover the data.  The tape is clearly an 18b or 36b tape, but
    the data doesn't make sense as either PDP-15 or PDP-10 data.
    
    /Bob