Hey - my first e-mail of the new millennium - somehow it seems no different. Happy New Year EVERYONE. May this year, decade, century and millennium bring us all what is truly best for the development of all lives on this planet.

I have been using a TK70 for about 6 months and yesterday, it gave up. The error is that it will not read or write, so I tend to assume that the head must be cleaned. Of course, it could be an electronic circuit, but the symptoms (a slow deterioration over about 3 tapes) suggest otherwise. Plus, I have the isopropyl cleaning fluid and a stock of cleaning swabs.

However, having never done this before, I don't know how to achieve access to the head and if there are other parts to clean as well. The head is held down by two springs which allow the head to be gently raised. But only so far. Will it stretch the springs too much to lift the head high enough to be cleaned - or should the springs be detached first and how might that be done? Are there any other questions that I should be asking - that someone who has done this before knows about because they found out after the fact? Thank you in advance for any help. I assume that the procedure for a TK50 (of which I also have one) is about the same, but if not, please indicate if there are any differences between a TK50 and a TK70 in regard to cleaning the head or anything else that a user would want to be aware of.