problem with HP C8015A cleaning cartridge

[rpr]

Hi!

I have a HP StorageWorks DAT 160 SCSI Internal Tape Drive (AG905AM).
I clean the drive with HP C8015A cleaning cartridge once a week.

Recently I've got a problem with using the cleaning cartridge.
After the cleaning cartridge is inserted, the Ready LED starts
flashing (which is normal) but after a few moments the Tape LED
also starts flashing and the cartridge doesn't come out of the drive
until the eject button is pressed. The cartridge has done nearly 50
cleans.

The manual says that flashing of the Tape LED indicates a faulty tape.
Can the cleaning tape be faulty? Does the flashing indicate that the
cleaning cartridge should be replaced with a new one?

There is one confusing thing about the HP C8015A cleaning cartridge:
the label that comes with the cartirdge has 75 check boxes while the
cartridge specs
(http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/11843_div/11843_div.HTML)
say that it can be used for 50 cleans when used in an HP drive.

Can anyone having experience with the C8015A cleaning cartridge
explain this?

TIA

-- rpr.

[thomasr]

It sounds like you've used up the cleaning cartridge.  They have a certain number of uses before each part of the cleaning media has passed over the heads.   At that point, trying to use the cleaning cartridge again would be as likely to redeposit gunk on the head (or inside the drive, where it might again end up on the head), as to clean things.  See  http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=110&prodSeriesId=63890&prodTypeId=12169&objectID=lpg50450