Overview of the Tape Library

Robotics Unit

Robotics Unit

The robotics unit provides movement of cartridges among the storage slots, tape drives, and cartridge access ports (CAPs). The three main robotic components are:

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Z drive assembly

X table assembly

Hand assembly

The Z drive assembly uses the Z drive pulley to move the X table up and down to the desired slot or tape drive. At the same time, the X carriage assembly (containing the hand) moves the hand forward and backward; the wrist motor rotates the hand right and left.

The hand assembly contains the wrist hub assembly, gripper assembly, and bar-code scanner. The gripper assembly has fingers that grasp the sides of the cartridge. If the library loses power while a cartridge is between the fingers, the manual release screw is used to remove the cartridge. A worm gear can be used to rotate the hand to the correct position to access the manual release screw.

For safety purposes, the robotics will be parked in the robotics unit when the front door is opened or when the Open Door button is pressed on the keypad. Parked means that the robotics components are fully retracted into the robotics unit at the top of the library. To verify the robot is parked, look at the lever in the cutout beneath the facade and to the bottom left of the keypad, the lever should be to the left.

The robotics unit is accessible from the front of the rack.

SL500 (M852x) Tape Library Installation and User’s Guide—541531-006

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