TU80 Tape Transport
From Computer History Wiki
| TU80 | |
| Manufacturer: | DEC (vendor) CDC (contractor) |
|---|---|
| Drive Controller(s): | M7454 (or other Pertec controllers certified for the TU80) |
| Interface Type: | Pertec tape interface |
| Media: | standard half-inch tape, 2400 ft. maximum |
| Tape density: | 1600 bpi |
| Tape speed: | 100 inch/sec (streaming) or 25 inch/sec (start/stop) |
The TU80 was a manually-loaded nine-track magnetic tape drive sold by DEC for the PDP-11 and VAX computers using the Pertec tape interface.
It was manufactured for DEC by Computer Peripherals, Inc. (CPI) of Morristown, Pennsylvania. CPI was a subsidiary of Control Data Corporation (CDC), which besides being a computer manufacturer themselves also provided peripherals and storage components for other vendors.
The TU80 appears to have been controlled by a Motorola 6802 processor, a variant of the 6800 with 128 bytes of internal RAM and an internal clock oscillator. There were also five 6821 Parallel Interface Adapter chips for interfacing to the various parts of the bus and operator panel etc. The firmware was stored in an 8KB ROM chip.
