You should clean a DAT deck after every 50 to 70 playing hours, depending on your specific model. Some DAT drives incorporate indicators to let you know when the deck needs cleaning. Even if your DAT deck doesn’t have an indicator, it's more likely to malfunction when the heads are dirty. If you start having trouble with playback on your DAT deck, it probably needs cleaning. Typical symptoms include interrupted playback and squealing during playback.
Instructions
1. Get a DAT cleaning cartridge. These look just like standard digital audio tapes, but only move in one direction, as opposed to recording tapes which can be played forward and rewound. Instead of standard tape, a DAT cleaning cartridge contains a cleaning strip that runs through the heads of the tape deck, removing dirt and dust.
2. Insert the cleaning cartridge into your deck, just as you would insert a standard tape. Some decks automatically recognize the cleaning cartridge and will begin playback once the door closes. The tape then runs through the cleaning cycle and automatically ejects at the end of the cleaning process.
3. Press the "Play" button to begin playing the cleaning cartridge on decks that do not automatically recognize the cartridge. Play the tape for no longer than 20 seconds, then press the "Stop" button. Playing a cleaning cartridge for longer than 20 seconds can damage the heads.
4. Remove the cleaning cartridge from the tape deck and return it immediately to its case. Always store the cleaning cartridge in a case to prevent dust from collecting on the exposed part of the cleaning strip.
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