Follow these steps to clean and demagnetize your DATASSETTE™
STEP 1 Turn the computer off.
STEP 2 Press EJECT to open cover, then press PLAY to expose heads.
STEP 3 Put tape head cleaner on one side of a cotton swab. Gently wipe
the surfaces of RECORD/PLAY and erase heads (see Fig. 1).
Scrub gently. Any build-up of tape oxide particles on or around the
head gap of the RECORD/PLAY head may cause unreliable
performance.
Also clean pinch roller and other tape bearing surfaces if tape head
cleaner is suitable for this purpose (check label).
STEP 4 Plug in demagnetizer, and activate it while it is at least one foot
away from DATASSETTE™ heads.
STEP 5 Slowly move demagnetizer up to RECORD/PLAY head and around
on head surface. Rate of motion should be approximately one inch
per second during this time.
STEP 6 Slowly move demagnetizer to the erase head and then to all other
ferrous metal surfaces which come into proximity with the tape.
STEP 7 Now slowly move demagnetizer away from heads. Do not
deactivate field until demagnetizer is at least two feet away from
heads.
The tape head cleaning and demagnetizing procedure is now complete.
Inspect RECORD/PLAY surface for wear. If the tape has worn a groove on
head surface more than a couple of tape thicknesses deep, program reading
performance may be poor. If so, then replacement of tape head is indicated.
Normally, a few thousand hours of tape running time have been completed
before replacement is required.
