Quantum Audio Travan 40 Tape Drive STT3401A - Manual (Page 28)

Chapter 4 Drive operation and maintenance
Page 20 Seagate Travan 40 Product Manual
Drive maintenance
Minimal maintenance is needed to ensure that your Travan 40 drive operates at peak
condition. This section explains how to care for tape cartridges, how to clean the
drive head, and what to do if you experience problems with the drive.
Caring for tape cartridges
Although Travan tape cartridges are ruggedly built, they must be handled with care to
preserve the data they contain. The following points are guidelines for storing and
using minicartridges.
•
Do not open the tape access door of the cartridge or touch the tape itself. One
fingerprint can prevent the drive from reading the tape.
•
Keep the cartridge away from sources of electromagnetic fields, such as
telephones, dictation equipment, mechanical or printing calculators, motors, and
bulk erasers. Do not lay cartridges on the computer monitor or on the base unit
of the computer.
•
Keep the cartridge away from direct sunlight and heat sources, such as radiators
or warm air ducts.
•
Keep the cartridge free of moisture. Do not wet or submerge a cartridge in any
liquid.
•
Do not expose the cartridge to temperature extremes. Allow the cartridge to
assume room temperature slowly.
•
Retensioning the tape cartridge is always recommended for optimal
performance, particularly after exposure of the cartridge to temperature changes
or shock. Retensioning restores the proper tape tension to the media.
Cleaning the drive read/write head
Caution. Never clean the read/write head of the drive with anything other than a
Seagate-approved dry-process cleaning cartridge.
To properly maintain the tape drive, you should periodically clean the read/write
head. No other periodic maintenance is required.
Follow these guidelines to help ensure that your drive provides long, reliable service:
•
Operate the drive in a clean, dust-free environment.
•
Never apply a lubricant to the drive.
•
Generally Travan drives are highly reliable and require little user maintenance.
For normal operations cleaning once per month is quite adequate.
•
For new cartridges, clean the head after two hours of tape movement. Thereafter
the drive can be cleaned as per normal operations.
Generally, the more severe the operating conditions (the greater the amount of dust
or moisture in the air), the more often the drive should be cleaned. Be sure to clean