Appendix B: Troubleshooting
78 ADAT XT Reference Manual
DRUM TIME DISPLAY
The XT keeps track of how long the head has been actively spinning against tape
(i.e., threaded in stop, or play, or cue/review). This can help determine how long it
has been since the last time it was serviced or cleaned.
To display the head time counter:
1Hold [SET LOCATE] and press [STOP]:

The number of drum hours will briefly appear in the TIME counter.

TAPE MAINTENANCE: SAFE TAPE
ADAT tapes are no different than any standard tape: they must be treated with care.
Never expose ADAT tapes to temperature extremes, strong magnetic fields (such as
speakers), high humidity, dust and so on.
You should always practice SAFE TAPE:
• At the end of every session you should rewind the tape all the way to the leader,
stop, eject the tape, remove it from the ADAT and place it in its protective case.
This cuts down on the amount of dust that can enter the transport and keeps
wear on the tape at a minimum.
• Don’t leave your tapes near speakers, power amps or other potential magnetic
fields such as televisions or electrical devices.
• Don’t subject your tapes to extreme temperatures or wild temperature
fluctuations.
• Don’t expose your tapes to high humidity, moisture or high dust levels.
• Don’t leave your tapes on the dashboard of your car. (In fact, never leave ADAT
tapes in a car EVER. Keep them with you at all times!)
• Certainly, no matter how tempted you are to open the shutter to see what is
inside, NEVER TOUCH THE TAPE. The magnetic particles on your ADAT tape
need to be preserved in the condition in which they were recorded. The oils from
your fingers WILL damage your tapes as well as get on the heads and damage
them.
• Never turn off the ADAT power while the tape is threaded. This leaves the tape
bent around the rollers and head. Press [STOP] until the tape is unthreaded
before turning off power.
Practice “safe tape” at all times because you can never retrieve lost data.
If you are archiving your tapes, make sure they are stored in environmentally stable
conditions, i.e. a cool dry place. If you do archive your tapes, you need to check them
once a year. Run each tape through your ADAT from end to end. This will prevent
buildup that can occur when a tape is left simply “sitting”.
Of course, for your super sensitive or important material, nothing beats making
multiple digital backups. Every year or so, simply do another digital backup onto a
brand new tape.
MAINTENANCE/SERVICE
CLEANING
Disconnect the AC cord, then use a damp cloth to clean the keyboard’s metal and
plastic surfaces. For heavy dirt, use a non-abrasive household cleaner such as