Hardware overview¶
This section describes the hardware Tapewyrm talks to: the Greaseweazle v4.1 board, the floppy-interface tape drives, and the cartridges they read. Use it to pick a drive profile, to check what a drive has done on the bench, and to identify a cartridge before you dump it.
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Greaseweazle v4.1 | The board, the 34-pin lines Tapewyrm uses for QIC-117, the USB link limits, and what the Tapewyrm firmware adds to stock Greaseweazle firmware. |
| Drives | Every drive profile, which drives have been tested, and the formats and rates each one reads. |
| Cartridges | Cartridge types, lengths and recording formats, how the drive reports them, and cleaning cartridges. |
The hardware chain¶
A tape is read through four pieces of hardware, each with its own failure modes:
host (tw) --USB--> Greaseweazle v4.1 --34-pin cable--> tape drive --> cartridge
(Tapewyrm firmware) (12 V + 5 V from a PSU)
- The host runs
tw, which owns every decision: which commands to send, when to capture, and what the captured flux means. - The Greaseweazle sends QIC-117 command pulses, clocks back report bits, and streams raw flux. It does not interpret anything it reads.
- The drive speaks QIC-117 on the floppy control lines and puts MFM data on the read-data line while the tape moves.
- The cartridge holds the recording. Its length, coercivity and width decide which drives can read it.
Warning
Floppy-tape drives need 12 V for the capstan motor. Power the drive from a separate supply, not from the Greaseweazle's 5 V header. See Wire up a drive.