[Info-vax] TK50 - this is annoying...

[JF Mezei]

On 12-10-05 23:56, Craig Ruff wrote:

> Except when the drive refuses to perform the unload at all and just ends up
> adding more tape to the take up reel, as I found out much to my annoyance a
> couple of weeks ago.


I used this once to my advantage last century.  Somehow, the TK50 was
allowed out before it had rewound. So as I took the casette out, tape
from inner reel unspooled onto the floor :-)

When you plug the unit in with a tape in, it has an autonomic responce
to try to load the tape until it sees the start of tape or some time
out. (or something akin to this).

In my case, the tape was already on the spool. So I plysically unplugged
the drive (controller and power) and then plugged just power and was
able to carefully guide the loose tape on floor back onto the unit. May
have required a few time to get all the tape in, I don't recall.

Eventually managed to get the TK50 inside. Then plugged the drive back
in with both controller and power and got VMS to rewind it. And that worked.


Details are fuzzy since it has been many decades since that incident
(for which I am quite happy my boss didn't see :-)