The pressure pad problem was part of my idea about the external iso-loop. I envision a system that 
takes the cassette housing out of the equation as long as tape can fed out of it and back into it.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Greene" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 12:51 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Cassette Tape Playback issues (was Free - Cassette tapes)


I always liked the Nakamichi decks with the closed-loop dual capstans. One point of caution: closely 
examine the felt pressure pad that should fall directly over the tape and head.  In some cassettes, 
the glue may fail, causing the pad to wander off-center or fall out entirely.  In a case like that, 
put the tape in a new shell, because the misplacement or absence of the pressure pad will cause the 
tape to mistrack.





Steve Greene
Archivist
Office of Presidential Libraries
National Archives and Records Administration
(301) 837-1772
>>> Lou Judson <[log in to unmask]> 6/27/2012 11:31 AM >>>
Tom, do you think that standard double capstan deks are not adequate for the job? I have Sony and 
Nakamichi decks that have closed loop dual capstan drives that seem to do a fairly good job, though 
I haven't had severely warped tapes that are problematic - so far!

<L>
Lou Judson
Intuitive Audio
415-883-2689

On Jun 26, 2012, at 6:55 AM, Tom Fine wrote:

> An interesting machine would be a cassette mechanism up top but instead of a capstan drive, the 
> tape would be pulled out the middle of the shell and put in a little isolated-loop drive, Technics 
> style, with the heads inside the loop. I would think, if you had really good guidance on top of 
> the loop, you could keep the tape very stable in the loop. Better still would be a way to adjust 
> the two pinchrollers so you could vary the tension/wrap on the heads. Cassette tape is so thin, 
> that should be a way to guarantee good head contact.
>
> Probably not worth rigging up such a beast for lowly cassettes.
>
> -- Tom Fine