QUESTION REGARDING HEAD CLEANING TAPE

T

tvfilm

New member
Hi first time caller. ;D

i like this place and decided to join


my question

you know the tape cleaner that comes with your DVX-100

its still unwrapped and want to use it

i hear not to over use this thing, etc etc


after how many hours of use should you use it?

i have 2 DVX-100 and one of them has seen more use than the other.

im about to start another shoot in Februray and want to know what routines on using the head cleaning tape you guys use.

Hopefully its by a universal per hour of usage type of thing

thanks in advance.

Ray
tvfilm.com (coming in summer 2004)
 
Re: QUESTION REGARDING HEAD CLEANING TAPE

The head cleaner should be used on an "As Needed" basis.
Drop outs are caused by dirt getting on your head and if there is dirt on your head it probably got there from a tape. The best way to keep your head clean is to always use new Panasonic PQ or MQ tapes. Switching or reusing tape stock creates dirt build up and requires you to clean. If you do not see drop outs DON'T CLEAN your heads. The head cleaner is abrasive and after ten uses it may damage the head. On average you should'nt need to use it more than once every 100 head hours. Your heads should be replaced after 1000 hours, according to panasonic. I've put almost 300 hours on my head and have used the cleaner ONCE!
Hope this helps.
 
Re: QUESTION REGARDING HEAD CLEANING TAPE

welcome TVfilm. every 30 hours is the recommended cleaning as per panasonic. Like evinsky said though, if you dont notice dropouts, then there is no need to clean. Unfortunate part is.. you never know until its to late that you have dropouts... and for some people the cost of a reshoot is worth about 10 brand new DVX's.
 
Re: QUESTION REGARDING HEAD CLEANING TAPE

First of all, this Board ROCKS!

Secondly, whatever happened to people using denatured alcohol and small bits of chamois?

I worked at a CBS affiliate for 5 years and no engineer would EVER think of using a head cleaner tape. They cleaned the heads of all machines (3/4" VTRs, Beta SP VTRs, Beta SX VTRs, 1" VTRs, 2" cart machines, etc.) with the above-mentioned denatured alcohol and chamois bits tied or rubberbanded to a thin wooden dowel - kinda like a Q-Tip.

That way you're much less likely to cause damage and you don't have to wait for dropouts to happen before you do something about them.

Granted, the heads on a 1" VTR are much more accessible for cleaning than the tighter confines of the DVX100 heads, but it can be done.
 
Re: QUESTION REGARDING HEAD CLEANING TAPE

yeah.. if you dont know what you are doing poking around with a qtip inside the camera can be dangerous. That is what a pro cleaning is though.
 
Re: QUESTION REGARDING HEAD CLEANING TAPE

You can clean the heads with denatured alcohol etc, but unlike pro chassis cameras like Betacams, there is no easy access to the drum head. You have to take a disturbingly large amount of the camera apart to get to the head. Enough to make me think twice about doing it the "pro" way. The Tape cleaner wears the head down abit each time, but at least you won't fry a delicate ribbon cable or have a screwdriver slip into your drum head (I don't even like writing that) so, I generally feel that maybe judicious use of the cleaning tape is the lesser of two evils. (besides it takes 10 seconds instead of 45 minutes.)
BTW somewhwere in these user boards I talk about secret menus that show you "quality meters" that can aid in deciding if you are due for a head cleaning.
I am just too lazy/not savvy enough to put a link to it. It is in technical section, I think
 
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