Data General magnetic tape drive

http://74s181.blogspot.com/
First test of a Data General 6021/6023 vaccuum column tape drive after repair. Year of manufacture: 1978. Connected to a Nova 3/12.
What you see: Loading and INIT to RDOS, DUMP of several files to tape, RELEASE and rewind.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• vintage
• computer
• nova
• data general
• magnetic tape

[TheQuindecillion]

Who provided the programming?  Was it up to the client, or did Data General offer some assistance?

[vcnova]

@TheQuindecillion DG provided operating systems, libraries, applications and likely also programming services. There were also lots of other companies offering software and plug-in compatible hardware. At least one of these companies ist still allive and supports DG legacy systems (Wild Hare Computer Systems, Inc.).

[TheQuindecillion]

@vcnova I just read "The soul of a New Machine," about DG's creation of the Eclipse & its 32-bit processor. It was pretty good. That was an exciting time, the transition from the hulking mainframes to the minis, & the micros shortly after. I'm feeling nostalgic for that period of computer development. I never noticed it while it was happening;it's only with the benefit of hindsight that I can truly appreciate the technologic revolution it truly was. A lot of genius embodied in those machines.

[vcnova]

@TheQuindecillion When this Nova was built there were no computers in my surrounding (I wasn't even in school). I started with 80s home computers, that was my experience of computing that time. I never worked with the "big irons". It's great fun to own and explore a computer that comes from another era. These big, old computers had already some amazing features.

[HoneycombAgent]

This is reel-to-reel tape. Do you think this is capable of storing music?

[vcnova]

@HoneycombAgent Yes, but the electronic is made for recording digital data. Replace it with audio amplifiers and modify the motor control and you have a 9 track audio tape recorder. As far as I remember Jeri Ellsworth recorded analog audio even on a floppy disk.

Maybe I'll connect an mp3 decoder chip to the Nova one day to create the biggest mp3 player I've seen so far.

[kreplachS]

I remember repairing these along with the Zebra drives attached to the C350 as well.. Many of these serial tape drives were used for backup storage of system processes. They were all part of the C350 Eclipse system. The mainframe we had was for a robotical diazo card data retrieval system made by Odetics/Infodetisc attached to the C350. I miss working on these old machines, and some are still in use by the US government military design systems for tanks. In the Quad cities area.

[Garganzuul]

@vcnova Might I suggest crossing it with a modern tape drive instead? Those things easily go up to 80GB. :)

[TeamDriftKings]

@vcnova lol better off sticking with a regular 3.5 inch hdd XD old school tech is awesome

[vcnova]

@2Lophophora

There is indeed a Nova 3/12 and a 6045 below the tape drive and a 6053 to the right. The Nova is equipped with a DCU/50, if someone has the documentation...

I would love to have an MV. I'm living in germany, just in case someone nearby has one left.