Viper 60s Theory Of Operation And Maintenance Manual page 164

MAINTENANCE AND RELIABILITY
CHAPTER 7
MAINTENANCE AND RELIABILITY
7.1 Maintenance
Archive tape drives require minimum operator maintenance. Preventive maintenance
consists of cleaning the head assemblies and the tape hole sensor openings. To ensure
reliable tape drive performance, a regular cleaning schedule should be established and the
following precautions should be observed.
• Maintain a clean, dust-free environment within the temperature and humidity
limits listed in the specifications.
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• Keep all liquids away from drive and tapes to prevent spills into the equipment.
• Exercise reasonable care when using and storing cartridges. Do not place car-
tridges on the computer, monitor, or any peripheral device. When not in use, store
a cartridge in its protective box away from heat sources and electromagnetic fields.
• When a stored tape is moved to an environment with a greatly different tempera-
ture, allow the tape to slowly achieve ambient temperature before using it.
• A tape stored for extended periods should always be retensioned before reuse.
Retension a new tape before attempting to record onto it.
• Do not open the cartridge access door or touch the tape; fingerprints can cause
data to be misread.
7.2 Tape Drive Cleaning
A small amount of dust or debris can affect tape drive performance, therefore the
following tape head cleaning schedule is recommended:
• Clean the head assembly
• after an initial pass with a new tape cartridge
• after eight hours of normal use
• Clean the sensor hole and tape cartridge cavity
• whenever dirt or dust is visible
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