XT-20 acting up

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ora
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Ora

New member
My XT-20 had a bad hair day last night.
It would lock to any tape it was fed only after about 30secs of playback. Power off and on, and it would lock ok the first time. After that as above. Then suddenly it started working ok again (locks to tape in less than a second). Maybe the waving of fists and shouting profanities did the trick?

Any clues?

Thanks
Ora
 
Good suggestion but probably not as it only has about 100 hours on it and I have only used quality tapes.
The only dirty head over here is mine... d:-)

Regards
Ora
 
There are 2 possibilities -
1) Bad time-code on the tape - all your other tapes sync allright, except for this one tape... if you're using them, as much as the pre-formatted tapes (BASF) are convenient, I've encountered a couple that didn't work well in my machines. The most reliable time-code is the one you generate for YOUR machine during formatting... (I also take note of which machine I formatted on and the tape essentially stays with THAT machine.)
2) Bad sync (serial) cable... you didn't use a non-ALESIS sync cable, did you? Also - if the cable is VERY long (12 ft+) it could be an issue - try a new one. And, if it's the cable the sync issue would occur on many different tapes.

If it's neither of these - you better bring it in for a service check.

Good luck! :)

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound
 
Thanks BValeria, there's only two buts:
1. It happened on every tape I tried (10 different). All of these were formatted in the very same machine.
2. It was used alone, ie. no slaving to other machines

It has not happened since...

Thanks
Ora
 
Don't worry....

There are so many little things that could have made that problem. If it persists, then start worrying.

More then likely, the eprom chip was being squirly or something. I have seen it happen. Usually for those kinds of problems, you shut off the machine, leave off for about 1 min, then turn back on while holding Rec. and Play. This empties any info in the data buffers that are used for syncing and transport functions and what not. Usually does the trick.

Also, if you get a problem like that, you may try "scrubbing" the tape. Meaning, put it in play, then while holding the play button, hit the FFWD button. This will keep the head on the tape as it is FFWDing. Do that for about 10 secs, then do the same but with RWND for 10 secs. This will remove any particles that may be on the tape heads, and sometimes will make things align right again too.

Ed
 
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