I purchased a R500 with 45hrs on the heads this spring, and used it a dozen times over the summer, then let it sit for 3 months
When I turned it on this weekend, I got the caution message. There have been no moisture issues in my house, so I doubted it was condensation.
I removed the cover and inspected the unit. All cables were intact.
When I loaded a tape, I noticed the head drum was not spinning at all when I loaded a tape.
On my other working R500 with 4800 hrs on the heads, the head drum will start spinning once a tape is loaded.
I unloaded the tape on the new deck and powered it down. I then VERY LIGHTLY rotated the head drum counter clockwise. I noticed the cleaning tab was sorta lightly stuck to the head surface.
I then lightly cleaned the head drum with a chamois swab and head cleaning fluid, allowed it to dry and the deck is working flawlessly now
Hope this helps other R500 owners out there
Cheers!
Mike