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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc.

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Old 12th Apr 2021, 12:12 pm   #21
TIMTAPE
Octode
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 1,965
Default Re: Can someone identify this tape head please?

Quote:
Originally Posted by G6ONEDave View Post
I think that the folded guide (post 19) is actually a reflection on the shiny head surface. The guides however look to be quite narrow which would suggest a Sinclair style tape reader head. It looks to be only using one half of the pickup as the guides are in the way of the other half. Perhaps another photo showing the head from the side, so that the guides can be seen in relation to the tape path.

Dave
Yes the highly polished head face acts like a mirror. Each tape guide has two simple prongs or fingers a little under 4mm apart. As you say a photo taken from the side, or as well I'd suggest directly above the head face, would give a far better perspective. In my experience the alignment between the pole pieces and the fixed guide (usually spot welded in place but sometimes held in place with a small screw) was generally good, but it needs to be because with a stereo head each recorded track is only 0.6mm wide. Some decks like many Nakamichi's could dispense with the attached tape guide(s), a better arrangement but it was more costly to arrange.

Last edited by TIMTAPE; 12th Apr 2021 at 12:27 pm.
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Old 12th Apr 2021, 12:22 pm   #22
TIMTAPE
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Perth, Western Australia
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Default Re: Can someone identify this tape head please?

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Originally Posted by Spec-chum View Post
Looks like the head found in Sinclair ZX Microdrive/QL units:-

https://www.oldcomputr.com/wp-conten...drive-head.jpg
Looking again at the head in the linked photo of the Sinclair, is it possible the cassette used a roughly 2mm wide tape? Do you have any more info on this format?

Tim.

Edit: answered my own question. The tiny loop of tape was 1.9mm wide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Microdrive
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Old 12th Apr 2021, 11:44 pm   #23
Spec-chum
Tetrode
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 78
Default Re: Can someone identify this tape head please?

Quote:
Originally Posted by TIMTAPE View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spec-chum View Post
Looks like the head found in Sinclair ZX Microdrive/QL units:-

https://www.oldcomputr.com/wp-conten...drive-head.jpg
Looking again at the head in the linked photo of the Sinclair, is it possible the cassette used a roughly 2mm wide tape? Do you have any more info on this format?

Tim.

Edit: answered my own question. The tiny loop of tape was 1.9mm wide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Microdrive
Some good further technical information here too regarding the Sinclair Interface 1 and Microdrives.:-

https://sinclair.wiki.zxnet.co.uk/wiki/ZX_Interface_1
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