20

Restoring Tape Tension and

Sound Quality

After you play a cassette tape several
times, the tape might become tightly
wound on the reels. This can cause
playback sound quality to deteriorate.
To restore sound quality, fast-forward
the tape from the beginning to the end of
one side, then completely rewind it.
Then loosen the tape reels by gently
tapping each side of the cassette’s outer
shell on a flat surface.
Caution: Be careful not to damage the
cassette when tapping it. Do not touch
the exposed tape or allow any sharp ob-
jects near the cassette.
CLEANING THE TAPE HANDLING PARTS
Dirt, dust or particles of the tape’s coat-
ing can accumulate on the tape heads
and other parts that the tape touches.
This can greatly reduce the performance
of the cassette player. After every 20
hours of tape player operation, use a
cassette deck cleaning kit (Cat. No. 44-
1202) or follow these steps to clean the
tape-handling parts.
1. Remove the batteries and discon-
nect the power cord or DC adapter.
2. Open the cassette compartment
doors on TAPE 1 and TAPE 2.
3. Press PLAY on TAPE 1 and TAPE 2
to expose the tape-handling parts.
4. Use a cotton swab dipped in dena-
tured alcohol or tape head cleaning
solution to clean the record/play
heads, pinch rollers, tape guides,
capstans, and erase head.
5. When you finish cleaning, press
STOP/EJECT on TAPE 1 and TAPE
2, then close both cassette compart-
ment doors and reconnect to power.
Your local RadioShack store has a com-
plete line of cassette deck cleaning sup-
plies.
32-1162.fm Page 20 Monday, Augus t 9, 19 99 3:0 1 PM