[rescue] VS80 DLT tape drive question

[Curtis H. Wilbar Jr.]

Dan Sikorski wrote:
> Curtis H. Wilbar Jr. wrote:
>   
>> After putting the whole thing back together and in the external 
>> enclosure... I heard
>> something rattling around inside...
>>
>> I took it apart, and floating around in the external enclosure was the 
>> spring...
>>
>> I think it is broken though... maybe Dan can confirm...
>>
>> in crude ASCII art, it looks like:
>>     __
>>    / /\
>>   /\/_/
>>  /
>> /
>>
>>
>>   
>>     
> Sorry, i didn't have one of these around for a while, but do again.  
> That spring is not broken, that is how the one that i have here looks.
>   
>> I think that one 'leg' of the spring is broken off.... unless the spring 
>> is supposed to
>> go on the 'wide' shaft end (not visible when assembled), as it looks 
>> like there might
>> have been two plastic 'bumps' on the end of it, that could have engaged 
>> with the
>> inside 'flat' section... but if so, those 'bumps' have worn off....
>>
>> Can anyone confirm if my spring is broken, or if the larger diameter end 
>> (left side)
>> of my flap is supposed to engage with the flat section in the center of 
>> the loop of
>> the spring ?
>>
>> For now I think I'll reassemble and test with the VCR spring (which I 
>> put on the
>> left 'pin' of the flapper, visible when assembled (between the 'plate' 
>> of the flapper
>> and the plastic frame that the left side of the tape 'slides' on.
>>
>> ASCII art:
>>
>>   ____ where I wonder if the original spring should go
>>  / ___ left side of tape slot
>>  |/  _ where I put my modified VCR hub lock spring
>>  || /
>>  |||
>>  ________________________________________
>> |_--|                                  |-
>>     |                                  |
>>     |                                  |
>>     |                                  |
>>     |__________________________________|
>>
>>
>>
>>   
>>     
> That is the side that the spring should go on.  there is a slot on the 
> hinge that the inside of the spring goes into.
>   

I think that my door has worn out or broken where the slot you mention is.
I can see what possibly looked like a place where the spring would have
engaged... but it isn't possible any longer.  My VHS hub lock mechanism
spring works nicely though.

However, now I can't get by a problem where I can't write to tapes (I can
read).  It thinks every tape is write protected.

Going to check out that area of the drive now...

Anyone ever see that problem in a VS80 before ?  Wondering if that is
how the drive got 'retired'.... and ended up getting to me (since I'm
two people down the chain from where the equipment originated, I
don't know the history... but the Optiplex GX260 and two Optiplex GX400
systems both worked fine, so I had high hopes for the tape drive (although
I suppose in my tear down/reassembly I could have messed up something
(maybe the small ribbon isn't seated right ?)

-- Curt


-- Curt

>     -Dan Sikorski
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