On 2/7/07 10:50 PM, "Jay Drew" <dreaded@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> The data cell wrote data on what looked like oversized bookmarks. These thick
> mylar strips were stored in cells and were pulled out and wrapped around a
> spindle for spinning, where the read/write function was performed. What I
> never could figure out was how they were able to put the strips back in their
> slots so reliably without crunching them.
Not so reliably, actually. At the University of Waterloo, which had one of
the beasts, virtually everyone in the data centre had an accordion-like
souvenir or two tacked to the wall.
The "restore" mechanism, as I recall: "picker" fingers separated the strips
in the cell on either side of where the strip was to be returned, then the
drum holding the strip was rotated very slowly in the reverse direction and
the strip was supposed to follow guides back to its home. Sadly, some never
made it home.
More trivia. The drum containing the cells (10 of them?) was rotated by
150psi hydraulics, which made rather a mess if there was ever a hydraulic
oil leak. At U of W, the IBM CEs would take the data cell out of service for
a full day every month to strip it down and clean it. I can't begin to
imagine what was done at the insurance companies that used rooms full of
those things.
Michael
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