Hi, Nigel,

That sounds brilliant!

Are you doing any playback outside of a (semi) standard cassette machine?

I've been having difficulties with C120 cassettes off-and-on, some come
in with horrid defects. I had one where it was recorded (or so it
appears) after stretching to about 0.1 inch width from the normal 0.15 inch!

I am rather frustrated by all this and would love another way out.

An A80QC is one option, but expensive and big and has some of its own
issues.

Cheers,

Richard

On 2012-06-24 4:56 PM, Nigel Champion wrote:
> Hi Hugh
>
> Because this archive also handles cassettes with poor production quality and far-from-ideal storage conditions, we use an enhanced version of Richard Hess's setup for transferring only the magnetic tape from shell to shell.
>
> Unfortunately, ARSC List doesn't permit attached photographs, so here's a rough description:
>
> Two transport assemblies from a dual-cassette deck.
> Head mechanisms removed
> Other superfluous parts removed so the cassettes are easily accessible but still held securely
> Transport pulleys and gears re-jigged for minimum torque and speed
> Wall-wart power supply of a low voltage to also reduce torque and speed
> Mounted side-by-side on the top of a case with a splicing block in front
> Separate switches for each transport
>
> The unit makes the question of glued versus screwed shells inconsequential and is useful for three tasks:
>
> 1. Cassette re-winder for exercising tapes prior to playback; two at a time independently
> 2. Transfer of tape between shells
> 3. Holder for shells during splicing or repair
>
> Task 1 has the advantage that the cassettes are re-wound without any head contact - many cassette decks push the head assembly forward even during wind & re-wind.
>
> Let me know if you'd like a photograph.
>
> Nigel
>
> Manager & Audio Conservator
> Archive Of Māori & Pacific Music
> The University of Auckland
> New Zealand
>

--
Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask]
Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX
http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.