Reading 9-track tapes in Linux

[der Mouse]

> However, the termination is something that I've been concerned with.
> Howard used it with a short (~3ft) SCSI cable.  I'm using it with a
> longer (~6ft) cable.  The tape drive has two 50-pin IDC connectors on
> the back.  There's a ribbon cable coming out of one of the connectors
> with two amphenol connectors on the end.  One amphenol connector is
> terminated, and the other is connected to my SCSI cable, which is
> then connected to my SCSI interface on the PC.  The other 50-pin IDC
> connector is just open.  I mentioned to Howard that this didn't look
> right but he said it always worked for him.

...on what hardware?

It's not right.  You might be able to get away with the exceptions for
stubs to devices if the wires from the terminator to the device and the
open connector are short enough, but that seems unlikely to me,
especially since I think the maximum stub length for that exception is
something like three inches.

I would, though, suggest using an old slow host interface to drive it.
A modern peecee SCSI card will probably try to run it at fairly high
speeds, at which rates the transmission-line effects of the wiring
botch can cause trouble; at slow data rates such as are typical of
pre-sync SCSI, it may well work fine.

And, yes, as whoever it was (Curt, I think?) said, terminate it, even
if it means hooking up another device.

Oh, and-- use an active terminator, if you can.

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