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PDP 11/34 RL01 Disk Drive Assembly

Anaya

New Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2013
Messages
3
Hello all,

Does anyone know a good website/business where I can purchase a RL01 Disk Drive Assembly? Are there any good replacements for RL01 (a RL01 emulator) that can be used? In the past I have used a SCSI emulator but the vendor is no longer supporting this.

Thanks all.
 
I have a RL-01 drive set with the card that I was planning to use with a 11/34A that I was thinking of patching together, still several cards short on that system and did not want to scavenge parts from my other 11/34 so I may consider parting with that drive. Do you have a driver already and if so what’s wrong with it?
 
The disk drive assembly is not reading the platter properly and drops offline. This has happened in the past and the solution has been to replace the disk drive assembly.
 
Anaya,

Can you tell us where you are (geographically)? Someone here may be near enough to help you directly. The RL01 is a very reliable drive and a number of us have them here and may be able to help you troubleshoot your drive. Also, you might tell us what type of computer you are using it on (pdp-11/VAX/pdp-8).

Lou
 
It’s true, unlike modern drives threes not much that can’t be repaired on one of those old drives. Maybe it’s something stupid just like a clogged head? Or dirt? just by design that’s a easy drive to work on when compared to the RK drives and although they appear easy to work on have had to repair RX floppies and they get to be hairy, but the RL family is big open and somewhat forgiving.
 
It's not the media (floppy disks themselves) that are "hairy", it's alignment of the disk drive itself and the button of felt that holds the non-data side of the disk against the head. I too have found these drives to be quite painful in comparison to the RL01/02. An 8" analog alignment disk is a must have.

It's the embedded servo information that's on every track of an RL01/02 that makes them as robust as they are. There are no stepper motors involved (as in RX drives) or pieces of glass with lines etched on them (like RK05).

Lou
 
Anaya,

Can you tell us where you are (geographically)? Someone here may be near enough to help you directly. The RL01 is a very reliable drive and a number of us have them here and may be able to help you troubleshoot your drive. Also, you might tell us what type of computer you are using it on (pdp-11/VAX/pdp-8).

Lou

Sorry for the long response.

I am located near Raleigh, North Carolina. This is for a PDP 11/34a.

Thanks
 
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