History (1977): DEC TE16 Magtape Drive

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DEC TE16 magtape drive

The TE16 is a classic big magnetic tape drive from DEC; it is an updated version of the TU16, with detail improvements to the electronics and mechanicals.

Improvements include:

Electronics
- Improved G066 head read amplifier card
- New logic and write module, with auto-load
- New power and servo module with support for dynamic braking and auto-load
- New voltage regulator module with increased power output
Mechanical
- Various tape path improvements, including another roller guide
- Fixed take-up reel
- Snap-lock lower hub

It is able to store 5-46MB on a 2,400-feet 0.5-inch wide tape, on a standard 10.5-inch reel. It supports 7-track operation at 200, 556, and 800bpi, and 9-track operation 800 and 1,600bpi. The tape transport utilizes a single capstan, with vacuum columns.

On-board electronics
The TU16 drive contains a fair amount of electronics, in the form of several boards in a 4-slot hex-high backplane:

G066 – Read Amplifier (compatible with the earlier G056)
M8916 – Logic and Write
M8911-YB (M8931 in later models, required for TM03) – Slave Clock, Motion Delay
M8912 – Slave Test Function Generator

The G066 and M8916 are hex cards; the others are dual. In addition, that backplane normally also contains three dual-high cards which interface to the drive bus:

M8913 – Data driver
M9001 – Bus Connector
M9001-YA – Bus Connector

This set of three cards was later replaced with M9039. On the last drive on the bus, these cards are replaced with:

M8913-YA – Data driver
M9001-YB – Bus Connector
M9001-YC – Bus Connector

Controllers and Drive Variants
To connect to UNIBUS PDP-11’s, one of three controller types can be used.

The TE16 is normally used with a TM02 or TM03 controller, which is a MASSBUS controller; a TM02/03 can handle up to eight TE16 drives.

The TE16/TM02 with an RH11 MASSBUS interface is denominated as a TJE16; with the RH70 MASSBUS interface of the PDP-11/70, it is denominated as a TWE16.

The TE16 can also be used with one of the TM11 series of magtape controllers.

To connect to these controllers, in the first drive, the three dual-high bus interface cards (above) are replaced by an M8926 interface board; this produces a so-called TE10W ‘Master’ drive.

Additional TE10W ‘Slave’ drives (essentially a plain TE16 drive), up to seven of them, may be connected to the TE10W Master drive.

Replacing the three dual-high bus interface cards with an M8927 interface board creates a TE10N negative bus ‘Slave’ drive; this drive can replace a TU10 Slave drive, and may be used any place a TU10 Slave would be (e.g. with a negative bus controller such as a TC58 OMNIBUS controller or TM10 controller).

Again, additional TE10W Slave drives (up to a total of 8 drives, including TU10 drives) may be connected to the TE10N Slave drive.

TE16 specs: