tape streamers question

[John Plocher]

In article <1516 at bebux.UUCP> henk at bebux.UUCP (Henk Dijkstra) writes:
>I've just received the new documentation for the Microport R3V3.0e release
>which states there is now support for the Everex 830,833 and 811-B controllers.
>                                             I have not any clue in what
>all those controller numbers mean. Is there anybody willing to help me out?

You will be safe in asking for a system which is:

		A) Everex or Archive or Wangtek (Not Colorado Memory Systems,
			Irwin, Mountain etc...)
		B) 60 Megabyte or 120 Megabyte  (Not 20 or 40 Mb)
		C) DC600A Cartridge (Not Cassette or DC2000)

The differences between the above controllers is the layout of the three things
which make up a tape system:
		1) Host Interface
		2) Formatter board
		3) Drive Unit

(QIC-24 is a tape format standard, QIC-36 and QIC-02 are Hardware
interface standards.  You only need QIC-24 to exchange tapes)

QIC-36 Systems (830, 831) are full length cards with both the host
	interface and the formatter on the PC card:
				     __             _________________
	+----------------------------|              |   __________  |
	| Formatter and Host Adapter |==============|  |          | |
	|			     |==============|  +----------+ |
        |			     |              |Tape Drive Unit|
	|_________________          _|		    |               |
			 |||||||||||		    |---------------|


QIC-02 (811-B) systems have the host adaptor as a half card, and the formatter
	is mounted on the drive unit:
						    |---------------|
	              +--------------|              |   __________  |
	              | Host Adapter |==============|  |          | |
		      |		     |==============|  +----------+ |
        	      |		     |              |Tape Drive Unit|
	              |___          _|		    | and formatter |
			 |||||||||||		    |---------------|

    The cost for all three things is almost the same; the difference
    comes in when you wish to buy more than one.  With QIC-36 you
    get an "expensive" card with a "low cost" drive.  QIC-02 gives
    you "cheap" cards with an "expensive" drive.  If you buy 10 cards
    and one drive to cart between systems, which would you buy? :-)

    John Plocher
    Microport Systems