RK6/7 FTB Operating and

This document is the operating and service manual for the Digital Equipment Corporation's RK6/7 Field Test Box (FTB), published in February 1978. The RK6/7 FTB is a portable, self-contained tester designed for off-line testing, exercising, and performing head alignments on RK06 or RK07 disk drives. It also supports on-line alignment verification when used with system diagnostics.

The manual details the FTB's capabilities, including a repetitive basic loop for comprehensive write/read exercises that test both electrical and mechanical drive operations. Operators can modify this loop via front panel controls to halt on errors, address specific cylinders/heads, select read/write only modes, enable status reporting, choose continuous/single cycle operation, synchronize with internal or drive clocks, and specify all sectors or sector 0, as well as fast/slow interface speeds. Special diagnostic features allow generation of parity errors, multiple drive select conditions, controller power-off simulations, and an internal synthetic clock.

Key sections cover unpacking and acceptance tests, detailed descriptions of operator controls and indicators, utilization procedures including basic loop operation and cabling setups, and comprehensive head alignment procedures (both FTB-controlled and program-controlled). Maintenance includes off-line and on-line testing to isolate and repair faults. The manual emphasizes the importance of understanding the RK06/RK07 drive interface logic and provides appendices with message definitions, flow diagrams, and bus maps.