16
Restoring Tape Tension and
Sound Quality
After you play a cassette tape several
times, the tape might become tightly
wound on the reels. This can cause
playback sound quality to deteriorate.
To restore the sound quality, fast-for-
ward the tape from the beginning to the
end of one side, then completely rewind
it. Then loosen the tape reels by gently
tapping each side of the cassette’s outer
shell on a flat surface.
Caution: Be careful not to damage the
cassette when tapping it. Do not touch
the exposed tape or allow any sharp ob-
jects near the cassette.
Cleaning the Tape-Handling
Parts
Dirt, dust, or particles of the tape’s coat-
ing can accumulate on the tape heads
and other parts that the tape touches.
This can greatly reduce the cassette
player’s performance.
To prevent noise and poor high-frequen-
cy response, clean the cassette player’s
tape handling parts after every 20 hours
of use. Your local RadioShack store
sells a complete line of cassette clean-
ing supplies. You can use a cassette
tape cleaning kit (such as Cat. No. 44-
1162), or follow these steps.
1. Set
TAPE/RADIO/TV
to
TAPE
.
2. Remove the batteries or disconnect
the AC or DC power source.
3. Open the cassette compartment
cover.
4. Hold down the erase-protection tab
sensor, then press
RECORD
to
expose the record/playback and
erase heads.
5. Use a cotton swab dipped in tape
head cleaning solution or denatured
alcohol to gently clean the capstans,
pinch rollers, tape guides, and tape
heads.
6. Press
STOP/EJECT
and close the
cassette compartment cover. Then
reconnect power.
illus of tab sensor
illus of tape
handling part
16-132.fm Page 16 Tuesday, July 20, 1999 8:46 AM
