HP tapes - Mission Impossible

[John Garza (3665)]

Remember the first scene of every Mission Impossible episode, where the tape self destructs?

Well...

The DC-100 tapes are not designed for longevity. Cards are much more reliable. And when they fail, they do not destroy the recording medium, like the tapes

I'm sure others have written about their faults over the years. I just wanted to mention a few tips I've found along the way to make the journey easier.

The 2 main problems are:
1) There is an internal drive belt in each data cassette. This weakens and breaks over time.
2) The mag tape itself absorbs water from the atmosphere and starts to stick, leading to removal of the magnetic coating, and tape binding that can turn your nice orderly tape spools into a messy wad of tape.

What can help:
1) When you get a new(to you) DC-100, always check the 'orderliness' of the tape on the spools - this can be done without disassembly. If the tape is not a wad, leave the tape for a day in the output stream of a dehumidifier, or warm it slightly (120 deg F or so) to drive out the moisture.
2) Carefully 'upgrade' the drive belts using the cannibalized belts from newer series tapes (like DC-2120s) which are cheaper than the older DC-100 tapes anyway. The newer belts will have some years left in them before they too start to go. Upgrade them even if they are not broken, as they will be broken soon.
3) Once you have some DC-100s in good shape - store them in a low humidity environment. 4mil antistatic ziploc bags, toss in a desiccant block, squeeze the air out, and seal it.

So far, that's been working for me.

-John