I'm not near a drive now, but I think F5 was a hardware error of the type
"door not closed".  Having used the old 7970's a lot, I have a tendency to
push the load button before closing the door and the 7974 doesn't like
that.  If it is the "door not closed" error, you must close the door and
press "reset" before trying again.  It may also be that the door switch is
going bad.  The Navy uses duct tape to keep some of its 7974s and 7978s
operational by using the duct tape to keep the door from vibrating open in
mid-reel.

Also, I think my 7974 has a little plate inside the door listing the common
errors.  I seem to remember it being rather small and on the inside of the
door, so check your door.  I don't have a manual, but if I have anything
with F5 on it, I'll pass it along.

John


At 10/14/99 12:28 AM , Aaron Christopher Finney wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>Frustration! I just got around to trying to install the OS tapes for my
>HP3K...and the drive doesn't want to load anymore. I had originally tested
>it after assembling the HP-IB interface boards with a blank tape, and it
>loaded and found BOT just fine. Now that I finally get the OS tapes, it's
>stopped working...
>
>It's an HP 7974 with the hp-ib interface. I string the tape and push load,
>the tension arms engage, it spins, then the lcd reads "*F5" (or "*FS" -
>it's an lcd...) and eventually returns to "OK". But of course the tape's
>not loaded, and I have to manually push reset to get it to attempt loading
>again. Anyone have any ideas?
>
>The Big Question: Does anyone have any docs/printsets for this machine?
>I'd like to know more about the self-diagnostic functions and dip switch
>settings on the controller board.
>
>As always, thanks for any help,
>
>Aaron


--------------------------------------------------------------
John Korb                            email: [log in to unmask]
Innovative Software Solutions, Inc.

The thoughts, comments, and opinions expressed herein are mine
and do not reflect those of my employer(s), or anyone else.