TU77 Magnetic Tape Transport
From Computer History Wiki
| TU77 | |
 TU77 drive | |
| Drive Controller(s): | TM03 |
|---|---|
| Tape density: | 1600 bpi (PE) 800 bpi (NRZI) |
| Tape speed: | 125 ips (forward/reverse) |
| Rewind speed: | 440 ips max |
| Rewind time: | 65 secs (nominal, 2,400') 80 secs (maximum) |
| Power consumption: | 1.9 KVA (standby, maximum) 2.7 KVA (operating, maximum) |
| Size: | 26.5"W x 32"D x 60"H (in cabinet) |
| Weight: | 640 lbs (master) |
| Year Introduced: | 1979 |
The TU77 was an auto-loading high-performance magnetic tape drive from DEC. It required a controller to connect to the MASSBUS on its host machine; it was used with the TM03, which was normally housed in the cabinet of one of the attached TU77 drives (designated as the 'master'). Up to three additional plain TU77 drives (designated as 'slaves') could be connected to that TM03.
It could store 23-46 Mbytes on a 2400' 0.5" wide magnetic tape carried on a standard 10-1/2" reel. The TU77 supported 9-track operation at 800 BPI (using NRZI encoding) and 1600 BPI (using PE). The tape transport utilizes a single capstan, with twin vertical vacuum columns.
External links
- TU77 - documentation at Bitsavers-
- TU77 Magnetic Tape Transport User's Guide (EK-TU77-UG-001)
- TU77 Magnetic Tape Transport Technical Manual - Volume 1 (EK-1TU77-TM-002)- drawings and schematics, no text
- TU77 Magnetic Tape Transport Technical Manual - Volume 2 (EK-2TU77-TM-002)
- TU-77 tape drive - at the CHM, includes images
