Part 10 of a series: DEC PDP-11/23+ Restoration
The RL02 drives require a dedicated controller board (DEC M8061). Fortunately, a working controller board was included with the original eBay purchase and it’s in very good condition. I cleaned it up and installed it in the main chassis. The orientation of the ribbon cable for this board is very confusing, but I finally figured out that it requires a half-twist between the controller board and the rear panel. I also eventually figured out that the external cable housing needs to point toward the center of the rack so that the drive will fit between the vertical sides of the rack.
The RL02 controller works! I’ve been on a lucky streak with this eBay purchase as, so far, everything works. Fingers crossed that the streak continues.
Next: DEC PDP-11/23+: Disk I/O
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