🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <CDB76z.7Kx@medar.com> jseymour@medar.com (James Seymour) writes:
> My question
>regards something having to do with perminent damage
>(alteration to tape head geometry?) caused by frequent use of
>certain tape types in this drive.  What will work reliably?
>What (if anything) should we avoid?

This warning is/was posted in the packing with 3M tapes.  This
applies to using different lengths of tape in the older drives
with softer heads.  A wear pattern could be established if one
type of tape were used continually that would make it very hard
and often impossible to read other lengths of tape.

This is because the longer tape is thinner, and under tension
would stretch very slightly.  If you stretch a rubber band you
notice it becomes narrower.  The same thing occurs - but very
slightly in tape.    A pattern would wear in the head for this
narrower tape (because it was thinner) that would cause a
thicker/shorter tape to ride on the ridges created by the
thinnter tape.

This is not a problem in newer tape drives with harder heads.
And is not a problem in drives that continually use both types
of tape as the pattern will not be worn in.

If in doubt on your tape heads, check with the manufacturer,
but no current high capacity tape drives have this problem that
I am aware of.

-- 
Bill Vermillion - bill@bilver.uucp  OR  bill@bilver.oau.org