TK50 mechanics

[jmdhuse]

Hello All,

I'm working on restoring a TK50 tape drive, and I have a question or two about the steel rollers that flank the read/write head. Are they supposed to spin freely? In the drive I'm working with, they do not spin as the tape is pulled past them, and they do not spin freely. I am presuming that as a result, the tacho doesn't spin, and hence the drive is not working. Do you supposed if I took them out, soaked them in alcohol to dissolve old oil, then re-lubricated them they would be able to spin again?

Thanks for any help!

Regards, Jon.

 

[jmdhuse]

Update...

So I removed the rollers and soaked them in alcohol for an hour, agitating gently. The alcohol turned yellowish as the old oil dissolved. Then I blew compressed air on them and put them in a warm oven to dry. After that, I lubricated them with a synthetic light bearing oil, and reinstalled them. Now they spin quite freely.

Finally, I booted up XXDP V2.5 and ran the diagnostics ZTKA?? and ZTKB?? on two different tape cartridges. Both ran with good results, so I think I'm in business!

Cheers, Jon.

 

[GreyHairedDECfan]

That's great news. I never had great luck with those even when they were brand new.