Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bionet!ames!killer!ltf
From: ltf@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Lance Franklin)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs
Subject: Irwin 310 tape drive info wanted.
Summary: Looking for HW/SW info on Irwin 310 tape drive
Keywords: Irwin, Tape
Message-ID: <7723@killer.Dallas.TX.US>
Date: 1 Apr 89 07:55:52 GMT
Reply-To: ltf@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Lance Franklin)
Organization: The Unix(R) Connection BBS, Dallas, Tx
Lines: 26

I am looking for information on the Irwin Model 310 tape drive, to wit:

   a) Hardware interface...pin-out on connector, how reading/writing/control
      of the drive differs from that of a floppy, etc.

   b) Software interface...does the tape need to be preformatted, how is
      EOT sensed, what is the usual scheme used in formatting the tape
      (fixed "tracks" or variable-length records and formatting while
      writing), whether information can be garnered from the hardware
      during a fast-forward or rewind (such as counting track separators
      to aid in skipping files during a file search, or some similar
      scheme).

Having picked up one of the drives for a fairly low price due to the absence
of software or documentation, I intend to play around with interfacing the
thing to another computer (an Amiga) that has a floppy-disk interface similar,
hardware-wise, to the IBM-PC.  I would also be interested in hearing about
any similar efforts on other machines. 

Lance

-- 
+-------------------------+ +-----------------------------------------------+
| Lance T Franklin        | | I never said that! It must be some kind of a  |
| ltf@killer.DALLAS.TX.US | | forgery...I gotta change that password again. |
+-------------------------+ +-----------------------------------------------+