Peripheral Products


7946A

Storage - Magnetic Tape Drives Selection:

Name: 7942A/46A Disc/Tape Drive
Product Number: 7942A 7946A
Introduced: 1985
Division: Disc Memory
Original Price: $8500
Catalog Reference: 1985, page 91

Description:

The 7942A ($8,500) and 7946A ($10,500) were combination hard disc/quarter-inch cartridge tape drives. The 7942A had a 24 MB hard disc and the 7946A had a 55 MB hard disc. Each accepted the same 16-track tapes that were used in the 9144A (maximum capacity of 67 MB). These drives had HP-IB interfaces and used the CS/80 command set.

The hard discs in these products were made by Vertex Peripherals of Milpitas, California. The power supplies were made by Boschert Inc.

Collector's Notes:

The 794X disc drives are fairly unreliable. The controllers seem robust, but the power supply and discs are prone to failure. As of 2013, fewer than 40% of the units we see are fully operational. The power supplies can often be fixed by replacing the five 2200pF metalized capacitors near the AC input plug. These capacitors account for most failures. Fewer than five percent of original tape drives in these units will have working capstan wheels due to degradation of the drive wheel coating. This can be fixed with the same procedure that is used for the 9144A.

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