What does it mean, if all LEDs of an LTO-6 drive are flashing? [closed]

All LEDs of an half height LTO-6 drive are flashing with ~ 4 Hz. An LTO-5 tape is still inside, the drive does not react on commands, the flashing continues after a power cycle.

I could not find the error code in the Tandberg manual. The drive is ~3 years old and has just a history of ~15 full backups, the tape was written twice. So I do not expect a mechanical wear, but rather an electronic problem.

This Tandberg LTO-6 drive is an LTO-6 HP drive in individual housings, hence it would also help to know what this code means for the HP LTO-6 drive.

Who knows what the code means and where is it documented?

I googled a few examples of LTO-6 tape drives, and they all seem to have basically the same LEDs, although their arrangement varies by OEM and form factor:

• encryption
• cleaning required
• tape (error)
• drive (error)
• ready

There is no power button LED, so my guess is that the power button and its LED are not integral parts of the drive mechanism itself, but related to the external enclosure and its power supply.

I note that all the LEDs are blinking, including the power LED. If the power LED is directly connected to the enclosure's power supply, its blinking might suggest a power supply problem, and the blinking of the tape drive's LEDs might be just a side effect of the enclosure's PSU repeatedly trying to start up and failing, 4 times per second.

Things to check:

• Power cable firmly plugged in?
• Incoming power OK? (no over/undervolt)
• Does the enclosure include a fan? Is it spinning?
• If the power supply is an external wall-wart style, does it smell bad? Feel suspiciously hot?
• Try using a different power socket if possible.

It looks like the device might have a 3-year warranty as standard, so it might still be possible to get this fixed/replaced as a warranty support case.

Assuming its a HP drive...

Its broken.

Considering you can't insert a tape... call for service