2 Aug
2026
2 Aug
'26
9:17 a.m.
On Aug 1, 2026, at 8:42 PM, David Gesswein via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
...
As I recall, LINCtape has 4 bit mark track codes rather than 6 bit. I had to sort this
out at one time to write a Python program to recover data from LINCtape captures.
Don't remember where I found the documentation... I assume those were captures you
did.
Hard to imagine how even an "agnostic" DECtape controller can cope with tapes
that have 4 bit mark track codewords...
paul
Did he use read-all mode to read the raw tape
structure? Or is this something
lower level still, without using a TC11 controller?
I have used my TD8E PDP-8 controller to read tapes. I tried
inverting the timing track for reading LINCtapes with the PDP8 but it was hit
or miss so I created the analog digitizer with software decode.
It hooks directly to the head cable.