Chapter
1:
Introducing the
VIC
20 Computer 25
roller. Allow the area to dry completely before closing the cover.
The process
of
reading and writing onto a magnetic surface such as a
cassette tape results in the build-up
of
residual magnetism on the heads of
the cassette. Because of this build-up, it
is
a good idea to demagnetize the
heads each time you clean them. Skipping this step in your regular
maintenance may eventually result in sufficient loss of fidelity to cause both
read and write errors in your programs.
To demagnetize the heads, you will need a tape head demagnetizer such
as the one in Figure
1-9.
This
is
an inexpensive unit that can be purchased
at
most audio equipment stores.
The Datassette should be
OFF
when you are demagnetizing the tape
heads. Open the cassette drive
door
and press the PLAY key. Make sure the
demagnetizer
is
at
least two feet away from the Datassette drive before
plugging it in. Plug in the demagnetizer and
slowly move it toward the
Datassette until it touches one
of
the heads. Gently move it around on one
head surface and then the other. Then touch all the metal surfaces near the
heads and
slowly move back away from the Datassette. When you are
at
least two feet away, unplug the demagnetizer.
FIGURE
1·9. A typical tape head demagnetizer
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