Er 1 through Er 3 involve tape threading. If it only happens once, it was a temporary
problem with a piece of dust on the switch. Sometimes, it can be a result of a
tape that's binding; eject the tape and check operation, threading and unthreading
with a blank or unrecorded tape. If these errors recur frequently, or will not go
away, there is a problem with the transport involving the sliding of the loading
arms, capstan motor or pinch roller adjustment, or the switches that detect how
the tape is threaded.
Er 4 means the drum isn't spinning when threading a tape.
Er 5 is that the head drum speed is too slow or too fast relative to tape speed. Most
often it occurs when the ADAT is a slave (or in DIGITAL IN mode) and the clock
that is being received is out of range or not being received well. Check the sync
cable; it should be shielded and routed away from interference sources. If it's in
DIGITAL IN mode, make sure the optical cables are OK and that the ultimate
source of the digital clock is in range. If something in the tape path is too tight, or
there are foreign materials blocking the path, it may cause this problem. If the
error occurs in a stand-alone unit with a known good tape, the machine should be
checked by a technician.
Er 6 occurs when an external unit (such as the BRC) has commanded the ADAT to
read the setup from the data section of the tape, but the data couldn't be read
correctly.
Er 7 means that the error correction during playback exceeded a certain threshold.
In almost every situation, Er 7 is preceded by the Advanced Information Indicator
(see previous page). If the errors are not caused by a bad tape, the heads may
need to be cleaned. See Section 9.2.
Er 8 means that the ADAT lost sync during recording, and therefore fell out of
RECORD mode. This error is most likely to appear when the ADAT is under
BRC or AI-2 control, but the incoming timecode it was trying to synchronize to
has too much jitter or dropout. It may also occur if the ADAT was not able to read
timing information from the tape. It is normal to see Er 8 if the tape has reached
the end. Check the Sync cable (if it is a multi-ADAT system); try another known
good, shielded sync cable. Look at the tape itself and examine it for damage.
Finally, the linear head may need to be cleaned, or other service or adjustments
may be necessary.
Er 9 indicates that the take-up reel didn't move after PLAY or RECORD was
engaged. This can spool tape out of the cassette, so the ADAT stops the tape
immediately. It's possible that the take up reel of the tape is jammed; try a blank
or unimportant tape to see if the error recurs. The idler wheel that turns the take-
up reel may need cleaning or replacement.
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