This has been delayed for quite some time, due to installing a new solaris
machine, but finally, here comes my summary. My original question follows:
| I am having trouble with our QIC-150 tape drive. It is an external enclosure
| from SUN that came with our Sparcstation 1 quite some time ago - I think SUN
| calls these 'desktop backup pack'. It contains a drive which is manufactured
| by archive. Now the problem: whenever I try to write to a tape (by whatever
| means), I get an error message sooner or later - the position varies between
| tries and on different tapes. On the console, I get SCSI error messages
| telling me that there was a 'media error'. [SCSI seems to work fine, the 2
| disks + 1 HP dat on the same cable (behind the QIC drive) work fine. Until
| some months ago, this drive worked fine, too (it is not used too often, only
| to install new software from time to time).]
|
| However, the same tapes all work fine when used in other drives (a Tandberg
| TDC3600 at home, and another SUN/archive drive), so I think that the drive is
| the problem. Since I can't clean the heads from outside, the big question is:
| how do I open the case? There are no screws, the only thing I can see are
| little plastic snap-things at the bottom/side which I could not get open
| without breaking them.
| Second question: If I get to open the case, and cleaning does not help, are
| there any other suggestions what I might do to get the drive to work again?
Thanks to all who have respondet. Many people wrote how to open the case - that
was what I needed most:
>Use a small screwdriver or other similar instrument and press in through the
>third hole from the back, top row on each side. This will release the lock in
>tab and the top will then hinge forward like the pizza boxes do.
This works fine, I could then use isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips to clean the
drive. (And no, it is *not* explained in my manual.)
The drive works better now - but not absolutely error-free. It is acceptable
now, and since I do not need it very often, I do not think about having it
repaired.
Three respondents suggested getting a cleaning tape - I tried that before I
posted my request and could not find one in the local stores, and after seeing
the open drive and the shape of the head, I am not quite sure if a cleaning
tape will be as good as handwork.
One suggestion was that the rubber belt which is driven my the motor might be
deformed a bit due to not using the drive for a longer time - I cleaned the
belt from both sides and it looks good.
Chris A. Wozniak said:
>I was told by the Sun technician after a very similar failure, that with time
>the heads go out of alignment. Sometimes the cleaning, using a vac and a brush
>is just enough, if not the drive has to have the heads realigned in a
>workshop. Try opening it up and cleaning.
Bismark Espinoza made a similar remark, so I suspect that this might cause the
problems which I still experience.
Louis Brune suggested that it might be SCSI cabling or termination problems - I
am quite sure this is not the problem in this case.
Thanks go to (not in any particular order):
Glenn Satchell glenn@uniq.com.au
Adrian_Cole Computervision@ausns1.cv.com
Pat Max pam@fimad1.lanl.gov
Herbert Wengatz tst@uebemc.siemens.de
Dave Mitchell D.Mitchell@dcs.shef.ac.uk
Richard Davis DavisR@getech.leeds.ac.uk
Perry Hutchison pluto!perryh@qiclab.scn.rain.com
Chris A. Wozniak chris@tisc.tisc.edu.au
John Benjamins johnb@blas.cis.mcmaster.ca
Rocky Gould rgjj490@wadnr.gov
Bismark Espinoza bismark@alta.jpl.nasa.gov
SCOOP joe@rave.com
Gary Richardson Gary.Richardson@proteon.com
Tom Plesha tap116@nocc.minsy.navy.mil
Louis Brune louis@meg.meg.saic.com
Gene Loriot epl@kodak.com
Sorry if I forgot anyone, and thank you for the fast response!
-- Michael Schwingen <michaels@stochastik.rwth-aachen.de> Institut fuer Statistik und Wirtschaftsmathematik, | In the beginning there was Wuellnerstr. 3, 52056 Aachen | nothing, which exploded.
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