History (1977): DEC TE16 Magtape Drive
Stores 5MB-46MB on 2,400-feet half-inch wide tape
This is a Press Release edited by StorageNewsletter.com on February 22, 2019 at 2:16 pmThis article was published by Computer History Wiki.
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:
- Media: half-inch, 10.5-inch reel
- Tape density: 800bpi (NRZI), 1,600bpi (PE)
- Tape speed: 45ips (Forward/Reverse), 150 ips (Rewind)
- Size: 19″W x 25″D x 26″H
- Weight: 150lbs