IBM R30 Operator's Manual page 53

Cleaning the Tape Path on the 5.0GB 8 mm Tape Drive
Attention: Do not use video cleaning cartridges in the 8 mm tape drive. Video cleaning
cartridges can damage the 8-mm tape drive. Some video cleaning cartridges are extremely
abrasive. A 5.0GB 8 mm tape drive may be permanently damaged after only a few cleaning
operations using an abrasive-type cleaning cartridge.
The 8-mm tape path should be cleaned either approximately every 30 hours of tape motion
or once a month, whichever occurs first. The 5.0GB 8 mm tape drive counts the number of
hours of tape motion and indicates when the tape path requires cleaning when the lighted
disturbance status light (amber) is on.
More frequent cleaning may be required if the drive is operated in a dusty environment or in
humid conditions. If the dust is allowed to accumulate, the drive has to perform more reads
and writes. This can cause data loss and may be prevented by regularly scheduled cleaning
of the drive.
The cleaning cartridge cleans the 5.0GB 8 mm tape drive 12 times before it needs to be
discarded. If you attempt to use an 8-mm cleaning cartridge more than 12 times, the tape
drive automatically detects the error and ejects the cleaning cartridge with the disturbance
status light (amber) remaining on.
Before loading the cleaning cartridge, make sure the power to the 8-mm tape drive is on.
To load the 8-mm cleaning cartridge, do the following:
1. Grasp the edges of the 8 mm cleaning cartridge with the window side of the cartridge on
your left.
2. Slide the cleaning cartridge into the opening on the front of the 5.0GB 8 mm tape drive
until the loading mechanism pulls the cartridge into the drive.
Window Side of
Cleaning Cartridge
After the 8 mm cleaning cartridge has been fully inserted into the 8-mm tape drive, the
following cleaning operations are performed automatically:
1. The cleaning tape is loaded into the tape path.
2. The drive is cleaned by moving the cleaning tape forward for approximately 2 minutes.
3. The tape is unloaded, and the cleaning cartridge is ejected from the tape drive when the
cleaning operation is complete.
4. A successful cleaning operation is indicated when the disturbance status light (amber)
goes off.
8 mm Cleaning Cartridge
Disturbance Status Light
(Amber)
Using the CPU-Media Enclosure
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