Just wondering if anyone here can help with some high-level information about hooking up Pertec T8640A Tape Transports to a QBUS (or UNIBUS) PDP-11. I have searched these Forums without much success.
I have 3 x T8640A Tape Transports. Each one has 3 x 36-pin edge connectors on them.
One T8640A has an Emulex cable kit attached to it. This connects the 3 x 36-pin connectors through to 2 x 40-pin (not 50-pin) header connectors via two lengths of twisted-pair ribbon cable. But it's not clear to me how these two 40-pin headers are supposed to connect to a QBUS system. I assume this Tape Transport was once attached to a QBUS system, as it is mounted in an otherwise almost complete QBUS rack.
I have another T8640A that has 3 grey ribbon cables leading from the 36-way connectors to a small PCB that has a 100-pin (S-100 style) female edge connector. This presumably connected to an external Pertec Tape Formatter (such as an F8x9 series, which I also have). But this Tape Formatter then has another 100-pin edge connector that connects to the "Tape Controller". I am not sure whether there was a QBUS or UNIBUS board that worked with these drives.
Any information you have as to how to connect either of these T8640A's to a PDP-11 system would be appreciated.
Here's a link to a page with more photos and information about this system -> Pertec T8640A Tape Transport
t8640a-front-cropped.jpg
I have 3 x T8640A Tape Transports. Each one has 3 x 36-pin edge connectors on them.
One T8640A has an Emulex cable kit attached to it. This connects the 3 x 36-pin connectors through to 2 x 40-pin (not 50-pin) header connectors via two lengths of twisted-pair ribbon cable. But it's not clear to me how these two 40-pin headers are supposed to connect to a QBUS system. I assume this Tape Transport was once attached to a QBUS system, as it is mounted in an otherwise almost complete QBUS rack.
I have another T8640A that has 3 grey ribbon cables leading from the 36-way connectors to a small PCB that has a 100-pin (S-100 style) female edge connector. This presumably connected to an external Pertec Tape Formatter (such as an F8x9 series, which I also have). But this Tape Formatter then has another 100-pin edge connector that connects to the "Tape Controller". I am not sure whether there was a QBUS or UNIBUS board that worked with these drives.
Any information you have as to how to connect either of these T8640A's to a PDP-11 system would be appreciated.
Here's a link to a page with more photos and information about this system -> Pertec T8640A Tape Transport
t8640a-front-cropped.jpg