Kennedy 9600 9-track w/DQ132 on mVAX-II??

[jim stephens]

Chuck Guzis wrote:

>Pertec interface is very simple.  
>
You might try using 800bpi tapes as well as a simple test (or blank 
might work,
since this isn't a Cipher).

The reason is that 1600 and 3200 tapes have a PE burst at the beginning 
of the tape
that causes the formatted interface to put out a bit of nonsense when 
starting up that
is not there when you use the 800BPI tape, which is NRZI and has no such 
detect
burst.

I don't have the specifics, but did run into such a problem with 800 vs 
1600 on
a Microdata system formatted tape interface eons ago.

I know that the problems of the Microdata interface probably were unique 
to that
system, but think it is worth mentioning.  I did see problems on other 
systems
when using a blank tape vs recorded, and I suspected it was the lack of the
PE burst that caused them, due to the way the system worked.  That was in
using the drives with Overland controllers.

Jim