The sound a TK50 makes when running is quite complex and wouldn’t be surprised if it had been used in some kind of sci fi sound effect.
Mark M5TEA <https://www.qrz.com/db/M5TEA> ADIF Processor <https://bit.ly/adifproc> On Fri, 4 Sep 2026 at 03:22, Chris Zach via cctalk <[email protected]> wrote: > Hm, that's honestly not a bad idea. The encoder wheel is pretty far down > the axle on the rear one so as long as you're careful that will probably > re-melt and re-combine the oil/clay/whatever that grease is. > > Always several ways to solve a problem. And listening to the TK70 > merrily streaming along and backing up the ESDI disk is kind of nice. > > Chris > > On 9/3/26 19:29, Jacob Ritorto wrote: > > Good stuff Chris, thank you. > > > > I should chime in that, due partly to fear and partly to laziness, I > have sidestepped Chri’s much better “take apart and re lubricate” method by > very carefully heating the axles of the capstans using an RF soldering > station and spinning the capstans by hand (while quite warm) until they > “feel” smooth again. Effective Relube without the risk of disassembly. No > new chemicals. > > > > This has worked on all three tk50s I’ve tried it on and they continue to > work after, I think, nearly two years. I try to use them often so they > don’t sludge up again. > > > > —Jake > > > > > >> On Sep 3, 2026, at 19:04, Chris Zach via cctalk <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > >> TK50's and TK70's have a bad rap for this. The key problem is twofold: > >> > >> 1) Tapes stored in dungeons tend to be crap and shed stuff > >> > >> 2) The capstans on the TK50 are very important and need to be lubricated > >> > >> For the first, I go with good quality tapes and before I put a tape > into my collection I clean the heads, then run the tape through a backup or > two then check the heads. If dirty I pitch the tape and clean. If clean I > clean the heads again and put it in service. Same process you should go > through with any new magnetic media (RL02, RX01, etc....) > >> > >> For the second you really need to take the drive apart, remove the > bolts on the front and rear capstans (marking the bolt's orientation and > how many turns to take off) and lubricate the bearings with fine watch oil. > They should spin easily the whole problem is the oil dries out and since > they use tape friction to turn and the rear one is connected to a > tachometer having them drag will drive the tape unit insane and lead to > unspooled tapes, read problems, all sorts of insanity. > >> > >> Remember they don't have tension arms, the capstans are how they figure > everything out. > >> > >> Aside from that, fine. I use mine as backups with no issues. Just never > introduce a new tape without checking the heads, otherwise the crap will > get on your good tapes like an STD. > >> > >> C > >> > >>> On 9/3/26 17:55, Rob Jarratt via cctalk wrote: > >>> Be very careful when reading them, they will shed and stick to the > rollers. You may need to bake the tapes. See this account: > https://www.magneticscrolls.com/blog/tk50-tape-baking > >>> > >>> Regards > >>> > >>> Rpb > >>> > >>>> On 03/09/2026 10:05, hlep via cctalk wrote: > >>>> Hi Rod, > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> Do you have any external TK 50 or TK 70 tape drives? > >>>> > >>>> I'm working at an archive in Germany and we've got some TK-50 tapes > and we've been looking for some hardware to access them with. > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> Best, > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> Josh > >>>> > >>>> On 2026-09-03 08:37, Rod Smallwood via cctalk wrote: > >>>>> Hi Guys > >>>>> > >>>>> My DEC Collection needs downsizing. > >>>>> > >>>>> Im in the UK so for the US only the small stuff would be worth > shipping > >>>>> > >>>>> If you need anything PDP8, PDP11 or VAX please indicate item > you might want > >>>>> > >>>>> Rod > >>>>> > >>>>> >
