A swing arm supports a sound transducer head and a pinch roller for pivotable movement between three positions as follows; a recording an reproducing position in which both the head and pinch roller engage the tape, and tape speed is regulated by a capstan; a scanning position in which only the head engages the tape to enable monitoring it at speeds independent of the capstan; and an inactive position in which the head and pinch roller are both out of engagement with the tape. The swing arm is spring-biased toward the inactive position and is movable to either of the other positions by solenoids. A simplified adjustment, using only three adjusting screws, provides optimum zener, azimuth, and transversely centered relationships between the head and tape. A cassette is mounted in an upright, fully visible and accessible operating position. Deflectible retaining members automatically engage the cassette and hold it in operating position.
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Reference is made to the following co-pending, related patent applications, assigned to the same assignee:
Jenkins application Ser. No. 237,707, filed Mar. 24, 1972, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,043, on COMPACT CASSETTE TRANSPORT WITH DIRECT CAPSTAN AND TORQUE MOTOR DRIVES;
Jenkins application Ser. No. 237,762, filed Mar. 24, 1972, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,323, on CASSETTE TAPE TRANSPORT WITH PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED UNIVERSALLY ADJUSTABLE HEAD AND UPRIGHT FRONT-MOUNTED CASSETTE;
Jenkins application Ser. No. 341,769, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,329, filed Mar. 15, 1973 on TAPE TRANSPORT WITH AUTOMATIC TORQUE MOTOR BRAKE;
Jenkins application Ser. No. 344,180, filed Mar. 23, 1973 on AUTOMATIC SEQUENCE CONTROL FOR REPRODUCING APPARATUS.
This application is a division of the above-identified application of John P. Jenkins, Ser. No. 237,762, filed Mar. 24, 1972 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,323.
This apparatus is used for recording and/or playing back a magnetic tape contained in a cassette provided with a hole for receiving a capstan roller and edge apertures for receiving a pressure roller adapted to press the tape against the capstan roller and a recording and/or reading head. The pressure roller is rotatably mounted between two parallel support levers which are pivotally mounted on the base about the same pivotal axis. A third lever pivoted about the said axis is coupled to the support levers by a lost motion coupling allowing limited relative pivotal mouvement between the support levers on the one hand and the third lever on the other hand. This apparatus further comprises a single actuation member which is movably mounted on the base to move the third lever to a position in which the pressure roller is moved into its position of engagement.
An arrangement for mounting magnetic tape heads in magnetic tape players, recorders, and other similar machines, comprises a mounting plate shaped for fixedly connecting a tape head therewith. A housing portion of the machine includes a base on which the mounting plate is pivotally supported for side-to-side, i.e., pivotal, movement, and housing sidewalls between which the side edges of the mounting plate are received. An adjustment mechanism is provided to selectively pivot the mounting plate into an aligned position, wherein the magnetic recording "gaps" of the tape head are in a substantially perpendicular relationship with the direction of motion of a magnetic tape sliding thereover. Channels are disposed along the mounting plate side edges and the adjacent housing sidewalls, and a solidifying plastic material is injected therein to form keys which positively retain the tape head in the aligned position.
An adjustable tape head mounting mechanism includes a housing for engaging the tape, and comprises structure for supporting the head housing relative to a head carriage at at least three spaced positions on the housing for head adjustment.
A holder for holding a magnetic sensitive element by which the magnetic sensitive element may be secured at a desired position so as to obtain favorable output characteristics and to reduce the area which the element occupies. The holder positions the magnetic sensitive element opposite a magnetic drum, within a magnetic encoder, and comprises a movable holder for holding a magnetic sensitive element connected to a flexible signal input/output member, a fixed holder fixed to a circuit board for holding the movable holder, and a guide which is biased against the movable holder to permit movement of the movable holder in a direction perpendicular to the magnetic sensitive surface of the magnetic sensitive element to a desired set position to thereby adjust the gap between the magnetic sensitive element and the magnetic drum.
