new, inbox 9825

[sleibson]

There's a fast test for the tape capstan. Put your index finger into the tape slot and push on the capstan. If it's OK, no harm done. If it's gone soft, the capstan will fell like chewed gum, it will deform, and your finger will come out black. I too have a Larry Atherton conversion. In fact, I wrote the "QIC and the Dead" story cited in this thread. There are two reasons for getting Larry to convert your drive. One is to get it fixed. The other is to make it compatible with tapes newer than a quarter century old. Both are excellent reasons, in my opinion.