My new toy: HP85

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Wed Jun 9 18:25:39 1999

At 09:10 PM 6/9/99 +0100, you wrote:
>> > I havn't powered the thing up yet, but apparently it runs BASIC. It
>> > has a printer and what looks like a tape slot.
>>
>> If you also have same tapes, do *NOT* insert any tape that you
>> value ihto the tape drive yet! The capstan rubber on those drives
>> generally has turned to goo by now, which will come off and coat the
>> tape you insert, ruining the tape! Joe Rigdon and Stan Perkins
>
>Well, it'll coat the 'drive puck' in the tape cartridge, not the tape
>itself.

  No it can transfer from the "puck" to the tape then when the tape winds
up on a spool it glues the layers together. Then when the drive tries to
unwind it breaks the tape. A lot depends on how bad the drive wheel gets.
I've seen some so bad that the "rubber" would run off of them like wet
paint! I've also seen a lot of tapes with patchs of media gone from them. I
think that may be caused by the gooy rubber too.


It is normally possible to take the cartridges to bits and clean
>the drive puck if this happens, although it's a fiddly job, and normally
>only worth doing if the tape contains valuable data (or you're insane).

    But if it breaks the tape you're screwed! Same thing if it pulls the
media off the tape. The base material is clear and the sensor sees the
clear spot and thinks that it's reached the end of the tape and it gives
you a file-not-found error. I've fixed a lot of tapes that have had the
internal drive belt break. It's a huge pain!

>
>Has anyone got a procedure for rebuilding HP85 tape drive rollers?

  Yeap. I have but it's pretty lengthy so contact me privately. I need to
do the ones in my 9100 so I could use some advice too.

   Joe
Received on Wed Jun 09 1999 - 18:25:39 BST