Harman Kardon HK1000 Owners Manual - Page 11

MAINTENANCE CLEANING In any tape recorder as the tape passes over the tape heads, capstan, pressure roller and tape guides, small particles of tape oxide are deposited on these parts. After a period of time the tape oxide and other dust particles build up to the point where they become detrimental to the operation and fidelity of the recorder. Due to the extremely wideband frequency response of this recorder, the gap in the heads used in this machine is infinitesimally small as compared to those used in reel-to-reel machines. We cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of keeping the erase head, playback head and capstan clean. The most frequent cause of failure to record in one or both channels, or weak, distorted sound in one or both channels, is DIRTY HEADS, even though the VU meters show proper recording levels. The procedure to clean is as follows: 1. A removable access panel (see drawing below) has been provided to expose all surfaces for cleaning and demagnetizing. To remove, GENTLY press down on the center of the access panel and push toward rear of unit. DEMAGNETIZING is a procedure which should follow cleaning, but need not take place as often as cleaning. We recommend that after approximately 20 to 30 hours of use the heads be demagnetized. Below is the procedure to follow: 1. Plug the demagnetizer into a power outlet, taking care the device is nowhere near the tape deck. 2. Open the trap door, remove the access panel. Remove tape cassette if in the unit. 3. Slowly approach the heads with the demagnetizer while the deck is turned OFF. 4. Carefully apply the tip of the demagnetizer to the erase head, stroking lightly in an up and down motion for a second or two. 5. Slowly retract and repeat the procedure for the playback head and capstan. 6. When all parts have been demagnetized, slowly remove the demagnetizer away from the deck and pull its plug from the outlet. NEVER HOLD THE DEMAGNETIZER NEAR THE TAPE DECK WHEN PLUGGING IT INTO ITS POWER SOURCE OR REMOVING IT FROM ITS POWER SOURCE. SLIDE BACK harman/kardon HK 1000 A PRESS HERE GENTLY 2. Using a "O" tip, which has been dipped in ordinary rubbing alcohol, or a commercial type liquid tape head cleaner, thoroughly wipe the front surface of the heads (those areas which come in contact with the tape when the machine is in operation). 3. Wipe the capstan - the long, thin shaft projecting upward from the mechanism in the lower, righthand corner of your cassette well. This is the shaft which physically comes in contact with the black pressure roller. CAUTION: This is the ONLY way to clean the HK 1000! DO NOT use any other types of alcohol, cleaning fluids, tools, or tape head cleaning cassettes. They may seriously damage the heads or the associated drive mechanisms. DEMAGNETIZING The tape heads, capstan, and tape guides build up a residual magnetic field due to the magnetic field in the tape that passes over them. When the level of magnetism reaches a certain point it will adversely affect your tapes. A demagnetizer may be purchased at a moderate cost from any electronic supplier carrying tape recording accessories. LUBRICATION The HK 1000 has been fully lubricated at the factory. No other lubrication should be necessary for some time. If lubrication should become necessary at some future date, be sure to have this done by a qualified technician only. HUM In any high fidelity installation, hum may be caused by interconnecting associated equipment. If the addition of the HK 1000 to your system is accompanied by previously nonexistent hum, reverse the AC line plug in its socket. If this does not help, you may have defective interconnecting cables or the cables may be located too near a strong AC field, such as a television, power transformer, AC motor, or power lines. SUPPLY HUB LOADING PLATFORM SHOWN W PLAY POSITION SHADED AREA) ERASE HEAD PLAY/RECORD HEAD T -UP HUB TAPE GUIDES CAPSTAN PRESSURE ROLLER - 10 - NOTE: SHOWN WITH TRAP DOOR AND ACCESS PANEL REMOVED