Rk05 Disk Drive Alignment Procedure

Summary

This document provides a technical guide for the alignment and preventive maintenance of the RK05 disk drive, primarily for PDP-8 systems (with applicability to PDP-11). The manual outlines a step-by-step process covering:

• Preparation: Cleaning heads and spindles, verifying power supply voltages, and warming up the alignment cartridge.
• Servo Adjustment: Detailed instructions for performing servo adjustments using the ALIGNX software or manual toggle-in programs. It includes a specific chart for oscilloscope settings (sync, signals, and adjustments) to calibrate limit offsets, sine/cosine amplitudes, and velocity.
• Head Alignment: Instructions for positioning heads to track 105, emphasizing the mandatory use of specific torque wrenches to avoid hardware damage.
• G180 Data Separator Adjustment: Procedures for configuring the data separator using a standard data pack to ensure stable pulse timing.
• ALIGNX Software: Technical documentation for the ALIGNX software utility, including how to set up the switch register, define hardware configurations, and use the console package to control operations via keyboard commands.

The document concludes with important notes regarding controller IOT modifications and keyboard shortcuts for interacting with the software.