OT: Cleaning video head on my Betamax VCR

[Gene Heskett]

On Sunday 10 August 2008, Mogens Kjaer wrote:
>Thompson Freeman wrote:
>...
>
>> As solvents, it is my impression that isopropyl alcohol and ethanol are
>> very similar. As such, I'm curious if the video engineers have tried
>> it.
>
>In my spare time (!) I'm involved in a society for restoration
>of old, Danish computers.
>
>We have a ½" 9-track tape drive (with SCSI interface, connected to
>a Fedora box, bringing it a bit on-topic again).
>
>Some times when reading old magtapes, the heads become very dirty.
>
Where are the tape being stored?  Tape, in higher humidities and temps, 
becomes very abrasive, recommended storage is for relative humidity to be 
under 25% and temps below 50F.  I once was the ACE at a tv station where the 
tapes were all stored in between uses in a walkin cooler held at about 45F.  
The air conditioner was set for coils at about 34F so they would wring as 
much moisture out of the air as possible without freezing up the evaporator 
coils.  We were getting 5000 hours out of a 1000 hour rated u-matic heads way 
back then.

>This drive is cleaned regularly with isopropanol (2-propanol).
>
>Mogens
>--
>Mogens Kjaer, Carlsberg A/S, Computer Department
>Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-2500 Valby, Denmark
>Phone: +45 33 27 53 25, Fax: +45 33 27 47 08
>Email: mk at crc.dk Homepage: http://www.crc.dk



-- 
Cheers, Gene
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