Compaq 35/70 DLT continuisly beeps

[Hein Whelan]

I am trying to set up a Compaq DLT but it just beeps the whole time with all the lights on both sides flashing. I have made sure that the SCSI ID is correctly set (SCSI ID=6) and have tried it with the power termination enabled and disabled. I have tried different SCSI cables as well.
Any ideas?

[Attila Szabó]

Dear Hein,
First, connect just a power cable to the drive, if the beep and blinking is the same, then its a hard fault of the drive (the drive goes to a normal state if only a power cable connected).
And please check for me, when you connect only the power, both side or only one side blinking?

[Hein Whelan]

Hi Attila,

Thanks for your reply. I have tried what you suggested. The lights and the alarm (bleeper) did their thing for about 5 seconds with the right-hand side lights blinking and then it stopped with all the lights on both sides lit up but no beeping. Every 5 minutes or so the lights on the right start blinking and the alarm goes off for about a minute or so and then stops again.

[Jaclyn Rothe]

Flash the firmware on the drive with LTT if it is detected by the OS.

Sounds like a POST failure for the drive.

[Attila Szabó]

Dear Hein,
Under windows, install HP Library and tape tools (freely downloadable from here: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareIndex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=12253&prodTypeId=12169&prodSeriesId=63988&swLang=8&taskId=135&swEnvOID=226 ). On that link you can find the firmware also. You can update the firmware with that.
Other option, because all DLT 35/70 drives are originaly made by Quantum, so your drive must be a Quantum 7000 standalone drive. Download the xTalk software from quantum ( http://www.quantum.com/ServiceandSupport/SoftwareandDocumentationDownloads/DLT7000/Index.aspx ). This is a test/frimware update software like HP LTT. There will be an option, to show you the internal event of the drive (event Page 7). There will be some code (like: V402 etc.etc.) write this code here, and we will try to decode it.
You can rich this log from HP LTT also, but i cant remember, which test you need to run. Just run them one-by-one (exept the read-write tests, cause you cannot load a tape into the drive correctly). After all tests, save the logs from HP LTT, and attach here the resultlog.ltt file (maybe you will find it at c:\program files\hpltt or wherever you installed it).
The fimware update can be an option, but first, i think its better to know, what is the problem.
There is an easy problem, when the drive droped the leader. You can check it, if you take a closer look to the drive.
There is a support document about it:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=lpg50338&prodTypeId=12169&prodSeriesId=406729
Search for picture at "Figure 4: DLT70 Leader", on that picture, the leader is the red line. Its need to be at that place, check it, if its not there (rolled arount in the coil of the drive), then you can reseat it by this document.
regards,
Attila

[Uli Böhm]

Hi,
please take look inside and verify if the "takeup Leader" is available; sounds that the leader is not on the hook.

[Jaclyn Rothe]

This has similar LED's as a dropped leader... but I am not convinced the leader HAS dropped... seeing as the drive is beeping...

Please reveiew the documents below for dropped leader symptoms, etc.

HP DLT â Why Does the HP DLT VS80 Make Strange Noises
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=lpg50052

HP DLT â What is a Dropped Leader, and What are the Symptoms?
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=lpg50027

In the event of a dropped leader the following document might be useful in recovering the drive to a functional state. Please note this document specifically references the DLT 40, 70, and 80 model drives but is still relevant to the architecture of DLT VS 80 drives.

HP DLT â How to rethread a dropped leader in a DLT
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=lpg50338