I have a kennedy 9100 with an unformatted pertec interface that I would love to use for imaging tapes from my AS/400
It seems like strapping a logic analyzer to the read connector, and an arduino on the command connector, may be fairly easily done? Has anyone done that? -Eric On Wed, Nov 30, 2022, 10:46 AM Jon Elson via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > On 11/30/22 10:41, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote: > > On 11/30/22 01:30, Christian Corti via cctalk wrote: > >> On Sun, 27 Nov 2022, Chuck Guzis wrote: > >>> If anyone cares, I've been working on a Pertec tape controller design. > >>> The initial version worked remarkably well with only a few bodge wires. > >>> I'm assembling the respin of the design and do not anticipate any > issues. > >> > >> I could really use some "Unformatted to Pertec" tape controllers. I have > >> a bunch of ½" drives but no separate formatter. So ATM they are quite > >> useless. > > > > It's not impossible, but was there a universal standard for the > > unformatted side of the affair? There are small differences between > > the formatted side between vendors as-is. > > > > I use an MCU as a formatter.controller on my HP7970 drive. But that's > > just an NRZI model, so it's pretty easy. > > > > --Chuck > > > > > NRZI is fairly simple, there is logic in the drive that > produces a strobe approximately at the center of the > character. For writing, there is a write gate that enables > the erase head, and a data strobe. > > For PE, you just get the transitions from the read amps. > Some drives have squelch that turns off the read signal > until the amplitude exceeds a threshold. > > So, unformatted Pertec is as close to the signals on the > tape as you can get in a digital format. > Jon >
