Quantum DLT 2000 Handbook page 59

Figure 5-4 Super DLTtape System Tape Path
than that of the DLTtape drive, requiring only four precision rollers
to guide the tape.
to step up and down from track to track or, in the case of the
DLT 7000 and DLT 8000 drives, to tilt forward and back. The drive's
head is gently contoured to minimize tape deflection at the contact
point. Low tape tension, a non-rotating head, and special wear-
resistant tape coating give DLTtape drives industry-leading head
life. The drive head is the only contact point on the data side of the
tape. The four or six tape path rollers touch only the back of the
tape, so wear is kept to an absolute minimum. In helical scan sys-
tems, the tape is wrapped around a large head that is spinning (at
over 5,000 rpm in one 8mm system). This large area of contact and
high relative tape speed result in wear to both tape and head.
The DLTtape system's tachometer-controlled drive motors act in
tandem like an electronic Push-Me-Pull-You. One motor pulls the
tape through the tape path while the opposing motor applies just
enough drag to maintain optimal tape tension. When the tape
reverses direction, the roles of the motors reverse, too. The
is even simpler
QUANTUM DLTtape HANDBOOK 5.5