Control Data 783 magnetic tape cleaning device
UvA Computer Museum catalogue nr 96.85
This machine is very useful when we want to read old magnetic
tapes. The machine removes moisture and loose particles from the
magnetic coating. Without this precaution a tape can easily get
stuck in the tape drive and even damage the read/write head. Sometimes problems with the coating become apparent by a whistling sound when the tape passes the head. If a tape leaves lots of coating material on the wiping tissues of the cleaning machine, it can safely be decided that it is unreadable.
In principle, information on mechanically flawless tapes, but older then 10 years
can be difficult to read because of the spontaneous deterioration of
the magnetic bit patterns with time. In our practice however, most problem tapes have been of the former category.
The tape cleaner was donated by the NIKHEF-H high-energy
physics laboratory, Amsterdam
