problems with Kennedy tape drive hubs

[Ron Miller]

In article <4868 at topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> hedrick at topaz.RUTGERS.EDU (Charles Hedrick) writes:
>
>We have a Kennedy 9400 (tridensity) tape drive.  The drive is
>generally quite good, except for the supply reel hub.  Every week
>or two the tape starts slipping.  There is an adjustment to 
>tighten it, but there are limits to how much this can do. 

I have had the same problem.  The cause is poor grip between hub
and reel.  Grip is provided by compressing (and thus expanding)
the little rubber ring.  I found that the ring would not squeeze
out of the hub enough to really grip the reel firmly.  My solution
was to apply lubrication to the O ring.  This worked really well.
No slipping since last treatment (about 6 months as of today), and
the drive is in use daily.

My magic lubricant was a minute amount of 10W30 applied extremely
carefully to the inner surface of the O ring that gets squeezed by
the hub.  The treated portion of the ring shouldn't look oily - just
slightly darker than the untreated portion.  Do *not* get oil on
any other parts or surfaces (especially the outer surface of the
O ring that grips the reel)!

Hope this helps you as much as it has me.

Cheers,
-- 
Ron Miller
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