We just received an Archive 5945L Tape Drive and hooked it up to our MightyFrame.
Using a blank tape, for the first time, we see more than the PROM announcement line on my terminal emulator when powering on the machine.
See http://bit.ly/19TN1rB
we are using a blank tape so far, because that is all that we have.
This tape drive is new-old stock, so we are the first to use it since its factory testing 25 years ago or so. http://bit.ly/1jMQzgb
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While we are searching for the proper MightyFrame CTIX install tapes, we have decided to build our own interface to the Archive 5945L Tape Drive, so we can potentially at least access tape files on a modern computer, and analyze them.
It is our understanding that, unlike hard drives, floppy disks or modern flash media, which is formatted to specifically work with a particular operating system, that streaming data tape has no OS formatting. Therefore, "a file is just a file", so to speak, and any system that can read the tape on the model of drive that wrote it, can read the same file, regardless of system or OS, provided that it can actually interface and control the tape drive.
Are we correct about this? We welcome feedback from those of you who are FAR more knowledgeable about this subject than we are...as we are newbies to to this vintage and fascinating technology.
To help us on this venture, we have dug up an operating manual for the Archive 5945L:
http://bit.ly/1eGHmqg
September 6, 2014:
"True" was able to help identify data on similar boards:
The FCC ID of the ISA Archive controller board is EAX6GP-SC400S
http://artofhacking.com/th99/z/c_a.htm
September 20, 2014:
Al Kossow provides a nice article here:
How to quickly install a DC300 tension band
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