Adat Head Maintenance - Alesis ADAT-XT20 Reference Manual

You should not subject your ADAT to environmental extremes, humidity or
moisture of any kind, dust, dirt, extreme temperatures, extreme temperature
fluctuations or any kind of physical abuse (drops, shocks).
Under no circumstances should you remove the top or bottom cover of the ADAT.
You already know that there are NO user serviceable parts inside. However,
you should also be aware that it is extremely easy to damage your heads and
other sensitive parts of your ADAT. Do not open up your ADAT to clean the
heads.
What it comes to is this: ADAT is a very sophisticated piece of digital
technology. It is going to be used for your important projects so take the best care
of your ADAT and your ADAT heads possible.
ADAT H
The heads of each ADAT are pre-aligned at Alesis. No user adjustment is
necessary. Over the course of time, depending on the quality of the tapes used
and the environmental conditions where the ADAT and its tapes are stored,
head cleaning may become necessary. Unlike analog or even video tape
recorders, the actual sound quality of an ADAT recording will not be affected
until there is quite a bit of dirt on the drum and heads. When the Interpolation
Indicator (the sunburst at the end of the location display) starts appearing
frequently, even on brand new tapes, we recommend that you bring your ADAT
to an authorized Alesis Service Center for cleaning. If the indicator is not
appearing and the unit is performing normally, there is no reason to clean the
heads. Periodic or preventative maintenance should not be over done to prevent
premature wear on the headstack.
If head cleaning is necessary and you are unable to bring your ADAT to a service
center, you may try using a DRY VHS head cleaning cassette. We recommend
3M VHSHC Black Watch Head Cleaner Video Cassette or 3M ASD HC
Digital Audio Head Cleaning Cassette.
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abrasive and will damage or wear out your heads.
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Over-cleaning the heads wears them down, reducing their life span.
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technician experienced in the maintenance of video cassette recorders.
Information for such technicians is available from Alesis Product Support.
ADAT head cleaning requires different materials and procedures from analog
head cleaning, similar to VCR maintenance. Cleaning the heads with a cotton
swab, or rubbing in the wrong direction, will destroy them. Opening the case of
your ADAT will void the warranty.
Maintenance of the ADAT should be based on the Interpolation Indicator (or
Error Count Display, see previous page) or if the unit begins to behave
erratically. To determine if these symptoms are caused by dirty heads, (not a
defective or worn tape), keep a "benchmark" tape from the first weeks of
operation set aside in a safe place (see page 46). If the Interpolation Indicator
lights frequently when playing back this tape, it is likely that head cleaning
is needed, particularly if several hundred drum-on hours have elapsed since
ADAT-XT20 Reference Manual
M
EAD AINTENANCE
Do NOT use any other type of head cleaning cassette. They are
Do NOT use head cleaning cassettes that require any kind of liquid.
Do not use the Black Watch cassette any more often than necessary.
Do NOT attempt to clean the heads yourself unless you are a skilled
Appendix B: Troubleshooting
117