rmfowler@texrex.uucp (Rex Fowler) (02/22/91)
I just purchased a tape drive and controller for my 3b1. When I run the tape diagnostics, the 3 tests for the controller pass but then it says the tape drive isn't ready. The tape drive is plugged in, connected to the board, and a tape is inserted and the retension phase seems to work ok. Latch is closed also(pointing up). The green light never comes on. Since the controller seems to be ok, does anybody know where I can check for problems in the drive. I already made sure the ribbon cable was connected ok. I noticed there were some jumpers in there too. However, these should be ok since this tape drive was on a unix-pc before I bought it. I believe someone mentioned in the past that the controller was the expensive/difficult to find item. How much does the AT&T drive cost? Could I buy a cheaper similar one? I tried booting and accessing the tape drive but I get the errors still. I loaded the driver but this is moot since it gives the error when running the diagnostic diskette. Any help? I have the worst freakin luck with this machine. Thanks -- Rex Fowler <rmfowler%texrex@cirr.com> UUCP: egsner!texrex!rmfowler
dnichols@ceilidh.beartrack.com (DoN Nichols) (02/24/91)
In article <1991Feb22.062723.333@texrex.uucp> rmfowler%texrex@cirr.com writes: > >I just purchased a tape drive and controller for my 3b1. When >I run the tape diagnostics, the 3 tests for the controller pass but >then it says the tape drive isn't ready. The tape drive is plugged >in, connected to the board, and a tape is inserted and the retension >phase seems to work ok. Latch is closed also(pointing up). It won't be ready until retension is complete. > >The green light never comes on. The light should come on when the controller has the tape locked in the drive. If the light doesn't come on, the drive may not be getting the control signal from the controller, but it normally isnt' sent that signal until it says that it is ready. One possiblity is that the edge connector on the back of the drive may be upside down. (It should be keyed, so that could not happen, but it also normally doesn't have a ribbon cable going to the computer.) The cable from the back of the controller card to the back of the drive housing is DB-37 at each end, with round cable connecting the two. If this has been replaced by ribbon cable, all pins should be connected except the three closest to the pin-1 end of the DB-37. Make sure that the ribbon cable has not been flipped over. The edge with the stripe (wire 1) should be at the same end of both connectors. The run from the DB-37 at the back of the drive chassis to the drive should have the edge of the cable that is NEAR the pin-1 end of the DB-37 connected to pin 1 on the drive. If things are reversed ANYWHERE, you won't have proper communications with your drive. (of course, TWO reversals could work out right, if you are lucky. > >Since the controller seems to be ok, does anybody know where I can >check for problems in the drive. I already made sure the ribbon >cable was connected ok. I noticed there were some jumpers in there too. >However, these should be ok since this tape drive was on a unix-pc >before I bought it. Did you get everything in a single purchase? (Tape drive, housing, cable, controller, etc?) >I believe someone mentioned in the past that the controller was the >expensive/difficult to find item. How much does the AT&T drive cost? >Could I buy a cheaper similar one? The hamfest season is getting started (at least here in the Washington D.C. area, Vienna VA has its "Winterfest" tomorrow, Sunday the 24th). Hamfests are good places to look for something like this. I have picked up several similar drives for very little money in the past year. What I need is more controllers. :-) >I tried booting and accessing the tape drive but I get the errors >still. I loaded the driver but this is moot since it gives the error >when running the diagnostic diskette. > >Any help? I have the worst freakin luck with this machine. You don't give any idea of your physical location. If you are nearby, maybe we can get together and test the parts against my system. >Thanks You're welcome. DoN. -- Donald Nichols (DoN.) | Voice (Days): (703) 664-1585 D&D Data | Voice (Eves): (703) 938-4564 Disclaimer: from here - None | Email: <dnichols@ceilidh.beartrack.com> --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---
jdc@naucse.cse.nau.edu (John Campbell) (02/26/91)
From article <1991Feb22.062723.333@texrex.uucp>, by rmfowler@texrex.uucp (Rex Fowler): > > I just purchased a tape drive and controller for my 3b1. When > I run the tape diagnostics, the 3 tests for the controller pass but > then it says the tape drive isn't ready. The tape drive is plugged > in, connected to the board, and a tape is inserted and the retension > phase seems to work ok. Latch is closed also(pointing up). > > The green light never comes on. > Let me add my experience and ask for the tape experts to jump in here on the net. I have one tape controller/tape drive and a 7300 converted to a 3b1 (machine A) as well as a real 3b1 (machine B). A friend has a 3b1 also, with the hardware patches to run a second disk (machine C). Now on machines A and C the floppy tape works just fine. It runs through the diagnostics on both and does all tape functions just fine (tapecpio, formatting from diagnostics, etc.) On machine B the tape drive behaves as described by Rex above. In other words, the same controller, tape drive and cable that works fine in two machines fails in my third machine! I've even changed out the CPU and ROMS between machine A and machine B with no luck. Machine B, by the way, passes all standard diagnostics but fails the floppy tape diagnostics. Again, the machine that fails will pass the controller diagnostics and then tell me that tape drive is not ready. I'm sure both Rex and I are wondering what signal is used to tell the 3b1 that the tape drive is ready and what possible explanation there would be that could explain the above situation. Rex, it may be that there is nothing wrong with your cable, tape drive or controller board. Know anyone nearby who would let you use your floppy tape on their machine? -- John Campbell jdc@naucse.cse.nau.edu CAMPBELL@NAUVAX.bitnet unix? Sure send me a dozen, all different colors.
rmfowler@texrex.uucp (Rex Fowler) (02/26/91)
In article <3402@naucse.cse.nau.edu> jdc@naucse.cse.nau.edu (John Campbell) writes: >From article <1991Feb22.062723.333@texrex.uucp>, by rmfowler@texrex.uucp (Rex Fowler): >> >> I run the tape diagnostics, the 3 tests for the controller pass but >> then it says the tape drive isn't ready. The tape drive is plugged >> in, connected to the board, and a tape is inserted and the retension >> phase seems to work ok. Latch is closed also(pointing up). > >Let me add my experience and ask for the tape experts to jump in here on >the net. > >etc.) > >On machine B the tape drive behaves as described by Rex above. In other words, >the same controller, tape drive and cable that works fine in two machines >fails in my third machine! I've even changed out the CPU and ROMS between >machine A and machine B with no luck. Machine B, by the way, passes all >standard diagnostics but fails the floppy tape diagnostics. > >Again, the machine that fails will pass the controller diagnostics and then >tell me that tape drive is not ready. I'm sure both Rex and I are wondering >what signal is used to tell the 3b1 that the tape drive is ready and what >possible explanation there would be that could explain the above situation. > >Rex, it may be that there is nothing wrong with your cable, tape drive >or controller board. Know anyone nearby who would let you use your floppy >tape on their machine? >-- > John Campbell jdc@naucse.cse.nau.edu > CAMPBELL@NAUVAX.bitnet > unix? Sure send me a dozen, all different colors. This seems very weird but I'm coming to expect it. I think I know someone who will let me test it on his system. I was playing around with it tonight and i stuck another tape in, waited for the retensioning phase to complete and then THIS time the light came on and the latch locked. I still wasn't able to access the tape, I got the same error icon at the top of the screen telling me the drive wasn't ready. I was hopeful there for a second but no luck. Computer Horizons (Thanks Little David!!) offered to have a look at it but I will try to do some testing locally first. P.S. John, I've been trying to reach you via email on another topic, I used the address in your sig but I haven't heard from you yet. The mail didn't bounce. Have you received it? -- Rex Fowler <rmfowler%texrex@cirr.com> UUCP: egsner!texrex!rmfowler
merv@gpstwr.UUCP (Merv Graham) (03/01/91)
rmfowler@texrex.uucp (Rex Fowler) writes: >I just purchased a tape drive and controller for my 3b1. When >I run the tape diagnostics, the 3 tests for the controller pass but >then it says the tape drive isn't ready. The tape drive is plugged >in, connected to the board, and a tape is inserted and the retension >phase seems to work ok. Latch is closed also(pointing up). I'm not sure this is the same problem as I had, BUT I had the same symptoms when I tried to use a tape cartridge other than the one (and only one) recommended by AT&T. I forget the cartridge number recomended ( I'm on another machine now). The system appears to check the tape size during the retensioning phase and if it doesn't match it quits with an irrelevant error message. Hope this helps. Merv Graham -- Merv Graham | gpstwr!merv@gvgpsa.gvg.tek.com Graham-Patten Systems, Inc. | or: tektronix!gvgpsa.gvg.tek.com!gpstwr!merv P.O. Box 1960 | Grass Valley, CA 95945 | Ph: 916-273-8412 FAX: 916-273-7458
jdc@naucse.cse.nau.edu (John Campbell) (03/01/91)
From article <1991Feb26.030455.6985@ceilidh.beartrack.com>, by dnichols@ceilidh.beartrack.com (DoN Nichols): > In article <3402@naucse.cse.nau.edu> jdc@naucse.cse.nau.edu (John Campbell) writes: > > Did you check the power supply voltages on machine B? What are the > different machines' rev levels on the cpu boards? Rex, how about yours? > I swapped power supplies between the two machines as well as setting each about a month prior to swapping. I don't have the high quality VOM I used to set them back then, that's why I swapped the power supplies. As near I can tell, with my cheap analog VOM, the voltages look as I set them (5.2 and 12.4). Rex has asked me to open my machine "one more time" and share with him the rev levels. (Remember, I swapped the ROMS and CPU between the working machines last time I opened the case). I'll do that and let Rex summarize the rev levels. Should we go private with this discussion or is the rest of comp.sys.3b1 interested in hearing about the problem? Thanks, by the way, for the signals on the ribbon cable. I'm fairly certain, however, that they are asserted--else how could the other two machines use the same controller, cable and drive successfully? > Sounds like my situation, where the ethernet card works fine in my > 7300, and one of the two 3b1s, but gives frequent kernal painics (I know I > mispelled panic, it was a typo, but I'll leave it, it seems so apt :-) (Does > that quailfy as a Freudian typo? :-) > As Rex put it, "these machines can be SO picky." > Good luck with your machines Thanks! -- John Campbell jdc@naucse.cse.nau.edu CAMPBELL@NAUVAX.bitnet unix? Sure send me a dozen, all different colors.
thad@btr.BTR.COM (Thaddeus P. Floryan) (03/01/91)
In article <724@gpstwr.UUCP> merv@gpstwr.UUCP (Merv Graham) writes: >rmfowler@texrex.uucp (Rex Fowler) writes: >[...] >I'm not sure this is the same problem as I had, BUT I had the same >symptoms when I tried to use a tape cartridge other than the one >(and only one) recommended by AT&T. I forget the cartridge number >recomended ( I'm on another machine now). The system appears to check >the tape size during the retensioning phase and if it doesn't match it >quits with an irrelevant error message. The specific, recommended tape is a 3M DC-600A. The Sony QD-600A also works fine, but Sony chintzes and supplies only 600' of tape on the spools whereas 3M places 620' on the spools. If you attempt to use a brand different from either of the foregoing, be sure the tape is certified for 12,500 ftpi and 550 oersteds. If the tape manufacturer doesn't supply that information for the tape of interest, don't use that tape. Thad Floryan [ thad@btr.com (OR) {decwrl, mips, fernwood}!btr!thad ]