>On my much-older and much-more-clearly-used Cipher on the Prime,
>the rubber pads are fine; on this nearly-new-looking TS05, they
>have lost all firmness and have turned almost to the consistency
>of tree sap. They didn't drip, they weren't that bad; but one
>attempt to load a tape left most of the pads on the inside of the
>tape reel.
>
>It seems strange for the drive to look so otherwise perfect and
>these items to be mush. Any thoughts?
Storage conditions, especially atmospheric ozone. I spent 6 years
living in LA, and the lifetime of my natural-rubber bike tires there
was measured in months. Foam would either dry up and turn brittle
or go the other way and turn gooey, typically within a couple of
years of manufacture.
Obviously temperature and exposure to UV light/direct sunlight are
factors too.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa_at_trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
Received on Wed Jul 05 2000 - 15:42:12 BST