HP 82176A Data Mini Cassette Problems

[toml_12953]

I have the 82161A HP-IL Digital Cassette Drive and two new HP 82176A Data Mini Cassettes. When I try to initialize them, the drive seems to work hard rewinding, going forward, rewinding again, etc. for about three or four minutes. Then the HP-75C beeps and quickly displays

Code:

INVALID MEDIUM

then clears the display except for the tiny word ERROR at the bottom of the screen.

When I turn on the drive, it correctly positions the tapes near the tiny end-of-tape sensor hole.
I've cleaned the head carefully. No change.

What could be going wrong? Could two NOS tapes be bad? If so are there new tapes I could buy that are compatible with the 81262A?

[Dave Frederickson]

(04-01-2024 10:02 PM)toml_12953 Wrote:  What could be going wrong? Could two NOS tapes be bad?

Yes, the tapes could be bad despite being NOS. The fact is that the tapes are old. Any air leaking into the packaging over the past decades could deteriorate the foam pads that press the tape into the head.

[Garth Wilson]

I seem to remember replacing the foam pad on a tape or two a few years back.  The tape itself should not go bad though.

[rprosperi]

As noted, yes those are the symptoms of tapes with loose pressure pads. The repair is a bit fidgety, but pretty easy overall, and works pretty much every time.

It is strange, sometimes with a box of 10 unopened tapes, all seemingly having endured the same conditions, some have the loose pad problem, while others seem to work and keep on working.