Head Cleaner Tape

[Matt Sawyers]

I have a Maxell Head cleaning tape, but I have lost the instructions. I can't remember if you are supposed to PLAY for 10 seconds or RECORD for 10sec. Please help. Thanks

[K. Forman]

Just play it, but for no more than 10 seconds.

[Chris Hurd]

I vote for five or six seconds.

[K. Forman]

Agreed Chris... Try going to the Maxel site, and search for instructions. If you overuse it, you'll kill the heads. Keep it short.

[Dominic Jones]

What's the vote on when and how often? I seem to remember a figure of every ten hours or so of head time - sound right?

Also, I remember someone advising using the head cleaner after just a few hours of usage with a new camera - do you recommend that?

I've just bought a new Z1 and I'd like to keep it in as good a shape as possible, as it's going to be something of a work-horse...

[K. Forman]

I do it before every shoot, but I usually go through 2-3 tapes and then capture from the camera that night. And then shoot the occasional 5-10 minutes of whatever grabs my attention until the next job.

Also, cleaning the the cam and doing a 5 minute camera test are a ritualistic safety net for me. I run the cleaner tape, inspect the lenses and filters for damage and clean them. Load a virgin tape, shoot a few minutes and white balance. After rewinding, I'll play it back and look for problems in picture and audio. If there is going to be an issue, I want to know before the event, not after.

[Dennis Vogel]

I've always heard 50 hours (or when the "clean" indication comes on on the cam) as the time to clean. I would think 10 hours would seriously shorten the life of the heads.

Good luck.

Dennis

[Jan van den Hemel]

I've just tried a Sony cleaning tape in my Canon XM1. It seemed to work a little, as some tapes I was experiencing playback problems with now play fine while others still have sound issues. I've played the cleaning tape 5 times, ten seconds each time. Should I just play it more until the problem is totally gone or will it do damage?

[Colvin Eccleston]

Sony recommend that for the Z1 you only use cleaner tape as a last resort and if absolutely necessary. You should only run the tape for 5 seconds and no more than twice at a time.

[Jan van den Hemel]

The (sony) manual stated 10 seconds and a maximum of 5 times in a row..

What will go wrong if you do it for too long/too often?

[K. Forman]

You'll wear out the heads, and you will end up with a very expensive tape rewinder.

[Matt Sawyers]

Originally Posted by Keith Forman

Agreed Chris... Try going to the Maxel site, and search for instructions. If you overuse it, you'll kill the heads. Keep it short.

I did do this and could not find it to my surprise. I think I'll go for the 5-6 sec. just top be safe. I know Canon says to clean the heads after each use at least the manual for the GL2 says this.

[K. Forman]

" I know Canon says to clean the heads after each use at least the manual for the GL2 says this."

Of course they do... When you need a new cam, they'll be very happy to sell you another ;)

[Jan van den Hemel]

Well, not necessarily an expensive tape rewinder - you can still record directly to a harddrive.

[J. Stephen McDonald]

I've had my VX2100 for over a year now and my cleaner cassette is still sealed in its original wrapper. It'll stay there, until I see signs that the heads really need cleaning. The delicate surface on video heads is just like the cartilage in your knees. If you do things that wear it down, you'll be hobbling at a too-early point in life.