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Drive operation and maintenance Chapter 4
STT8000A Product Manual Page 27
Care and maintenance of the drive and cartridges
Minimal maintenance is needed to ensure that your STT8000A minicartridge drive
operates at peak condition. This section explains how to care for tape cartridges and
how to clean the drive head.
Caring for tape cartridges
Although minicartridge tape cartridges are ruggedly built, they must be handled with
care to preserve the data that 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.
Caring for the drive
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.
• Under normal operation, you should clean the drive heads and captstan once a
month. See the following page for details.