TA79 Magnetic Tape Drive - Revision history

Jnc: Link directly to late TU79 page

2024-04-21T20:22:17Z

Link directly to late TU79 page

Jnc: Link to 'Later TU79' section

2024-04-20T17:26:11Z

Link to 'Later TU79' section

Jnc: Sales brochure speaks of a "TS79 tape formatter"

2024-04-20T17:22:55Z

Sales brochure speaks of a "TS79 tape formatter"

Jnc: Mostly a lone of the TA78 one

2024-04-20T16:53:39Z

Mostly a lone of the TA78 one

New page

{{Infobox Tape drive
| name = TA79
| controller = any [[Hierarchical Storage Controller]]
| interface = [[Standard Tape Interconnect]]
| capacity = 40 Mbytes (PE, 2Kbyte blocks)<br>145 Mbytes (GCR, 8Kbyte blocks)
| tape speed = 125 inch/sec
| tape density = 1600 bpi, 6250 bpi
| transfer rate = 781 Kbytes/sec
| rewind speed = 440 ips
| rewind time = 65 secs (2,400 feet)
| power = 3.7 kVA (max)
| size = 60"H x 26.5"W x 32"D
| weight = 630 lbs
| media = standard half-inch 9-track tape
| manufacturer = [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]]
| year introduced = 1984
}}
The '''TA79 Magnetic Tape Drive''' was a high-performance advanced big [[magnetic tape drive]] from [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]]. It was a [[TU79]] fitted with a [[TS78 tape formatter]] (instead of a [[TM78 Magnetic Tape Formatter|TM78]] formatter), which is a [[Standard Tape Interconnect]] (STI) controller. The TS78 can be mounted in a TU79 to produce a 'TA79 master'; a master can control up to three additional TU79 drives, 'TU79 slaves', or TU78 drives, 'TU78 slaves'. The TS78 is dual-ported, and can be connected to two different [[Hierarchical Storage Controller]]s.

It used 2400' 0.5" wide [[magnetic tape]] on a standard 10-1/2" reel, and supported 9-track operation at 1600 and 6250 BPI. The TA79 supports two data formats: [[Phase Encoding]] (PE) or [[Group Coded Recording]] (GCR). Bit density is 1600 bits per inch for the PE format and 6250 bits per inch for the GCR format. The drive can read data in forward as well as reverse direction. It provides pneumatic (vacuum) tape loading.

{{semi-stub}}

==Further reading==

* ''TA79,TU79 Magnetic Tape Subsystem Service Manual'' (EK-OTA79-SV)
* ''TA79,TU79 Magnetic Tape Subsystem Installation Manual'' (EK-OTA79-IN)
* ''TA79,TU79 Magnetic Tape Subsystem Owner's Manual'' (EK-OTA79-OM)

''None online, apparently''

==External links==

* [http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/magtape/ta79/ TA79] - documentation at [[Bitsavers]]
** [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/magtape/ta79/EK-OTA79-TM-001_Mar88.pdf TA79, TU79, TA78, TU78 Magnetic Tape Subsystem Technical Manual] (EK-OTA79-TM-001)
* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/brochures/DEC-TA79+TA81-MagneticTapeSubsystems.pdf TA79 and TA81 Magnetic Tape Subsystems] - brochure

[[Category: STI Tape Drives]]

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 | year introduced = 1984
 }}
-The '''TA79 Magnetic Tape Drive''' was a high-performance advanced big [[magnetic tape drive]] from [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]]. It was a [[TU79#Later TU79|TU79]] fitted with a [[TS78 tape formatter]] (instead of a [[TM78 Magnetic Tape Formatter|TM78]] formatter), which is a [[Standard Tape Interconnect]] (STI) controller. (The sales brochure, below, speaks of a "TS79 tape formatter", but the Technical Manual (below) does not mention a TS79.) The TS78 can be mounted in a TU79 to produce a 'TA79 master'; a master can control up to three additional TU79 drives, 'TU79 slaves', or TU78 drives, 'TU78 slaves'. The TS78 is dual-ported, and can be connected to two different [[Hierarchical Storage Controller]]s.
+The '''TA79 Magnetic Tape Drive''' was a high-performance advanced large [[magnetic tape drive]] from [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]]. It was a [[TU79 Magnetic Tape Transport|TU79]] fitted with a [[TS78 tape formatter]] (instead of a [[TM78 Magnetic Tape Formatter|TM78]] formatter), which is a [[Standard Tape Interconnect]] (STI) controller. (The sales brochure, below, speaks of a "TS79 tape formatter", but the Technical Manual (below) does not mention a TS79.) The TS78 can be mounted in a TU79 to produce a 'TA79 master'; a master can control up to three additional TU79 drives, 'TU79 slaves', or TU78 drives, 'TU78 slaves'. The TS78 is dual-ported, and can be connected to two different [[Hierarchical Storage Controller]]s.
 It used 2400' 0.5" wide [[magnetic tape]] on a standard 10-1/2" reel, and supported 9-track operation at 1600 and 6250 BPI. The TA79 supports two data formats: [[Phase Encoding]] (PE) or [[Group Coded Recording]] (GCR). Bit density is 1600 bits per inch for the PE format and 6250 bits per inch for the GCR format. The drive can read data in forward as well as reverse direction. It provides pneumatic (vacuum) tape loading.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 | year introduced = 1984
 }}
-The '''TA79 Magnetic Tape Drive''' was a high-performance advanced big [[magnetic tape drive]] from [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]]. It was a [[TU79]] fitted with a [[TS78 tape formatter]] (instead of a [[TM78 Magnetic Tape Formatter|TM78]] formatter), which is a [[Standard Tape Interconnect]] (STI) controller. (The sales brochure, below, speaks of a "TS79 tape formatter", but the Technical Manual (below) does not mention a TS79.) The TS78 can be mounted in a TU79 to produce a 'TA79 master'; a master can control up to three additional TU79 drives, 'TU79 slaves', or TU78 drives, 'TU78 slaves'. The TS78 is dual-ported, and can be connected to two different [[Hierarchical Storage Controller]]s.
+The '''TA79 Magnetic Tape Drive''' was a high-performance advanced big [[magnetic tape drive]] from [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]]. It was a [[TU79#Later TU79|TU79]] fitted with a [[TS78 tape formatter]] (instead of a [[TM78 Magnetic Tape Formatter|TM78]] formatter), which is a [[Standard Tape Interconnect]] (STI) controller. (The sales brochure, below, speaks of a "TS79 tape formatter", but the Technical Manual (below) does not mention a TS79.) The TS78 can be mounted in a TU79 to produce a 'TA79 master'; a master can control up to three additional TU79 drives, 'TU79 slaves', or TU78 drives, 'TU78 slaves'. The TS78 is dual-ported, and can be connected to two different [[Hierarchical Storage Controller]]s.
 It used 2400' 0.5" wide [[magnetic tape]] on a standard 10-1/2" reel, and supported 9-track operation at 1600 and 6250 BPI. The TA79 supports two data formats: [[Phase Encoding]] (PE) or [[Group Coded Recording]] (GCR). Bit density is 1600 bits per inch for the PE format and 6250 bits per inch for the GCR format. The drive can read data in forward as well as reverse direction. It provides pneumatic (vacuum) tape loading.