Technical information

Preparing Cartridges

A-2 Tenth Edition 9871

Inspecting a Cartridge

A defective or dirty cartridge can damage a tape drive or transport. Always

inspect a cartridge before inserting it into a tape drive, inserting it into a tape

transport, or entering it into an LSM. See Figure A-1 through Figure A-6 on

page A-5. Look for:

• Cracked or broken cartridge

• Broken leader block

• Broken leader block latch

• Damaged file protect selector

• Liquid in the cartridge

• Labels not firmly attached or extending over the cartridge edge

• Any other obvious damage

Figure A-1. 3480 Cartridge Locations

LEADER

BLOCK

FILE

PROTECT

SELECTOR

LABEL

0057