Abstract: An apparatus for positioning at least one magnetic head relative to a magnetic tape for recording and reproducing information includes a head unit for holding at least one magnetic head and a moving unit for moving the head unit parallel to a surface of the magnetic tape in a direction along the width of the magnetic tape so that the head unit is kept at a constant angle relative to the surface of the magnetic tape.

Abstract: An apparatus for positioning at least one magnetic head relative to a magnetic tape for recording and reproducing information includes a head unit for holding at least one magnetic head and a moving unit for moving the head unit parallel to a surface of the magnetic tape in a direction along the width of the magnetic tape so that the head unit is kept at a constant angle relative to the surface of the magnetic tape.

Abstract: A tape transport is disclosed which is for use with a magnetic tape cassette. Under some specific thermal conditions the tape cassette may develop gaps between the reel hubs and the tape rolls thereon, such gaps being likely to lead to the jamming of the tape through the hunting of a tape speed control servo built into the tape transport. Therefore, for removing the gaps, the reels are successively rotated in a direction for winding up the tape, after the tape cassette has been loaded in the tape transport and before reading or writing. Preferably, the pair of reels are simultaneously rotated in opposite directions for taking up a possible tape slack between the reels prior to gap removal.

Abstract: A method of reading a length of multitrack magnetic tape on which data is written on each track in the form of a succession of blocks, with each data block carrying a block marker. While data on each track is being read by a transducer, the output therefrom is monitored for detecting a possible blank on the track from the block markers. The tape is stopped, rewound, and paid off again when a possible blank is detected, in order to retry reading of the detected possible blank. If the detected possible blank is due to dust accumulation on the tape or on the transducer, data written thereon may be read during the retry. Reading is discontinued if no block marker is detected during the retry. Reading of a detected possible blank may be retried only at a starting part of each track, where dust is particularly easy to accumulate, or throughout each track.

Abstract: A method of controlling the gain of a read amplifier preparatory to writing data on a length of multitrack magnetic tape, by writing and reading in a read-while-write mode a reference pattern on the tape immediately when the tape starts running. The gain of the read amplifier is automatically controlled so that the output therefrom, representative of the reference pattern read on the tape, may have a magnitude within a predetermined range. The gain control procedure is retried up to a predetermined number of, say, fifteen if the output magnitude of the read amplifier fails to come up to the predetermined range. If the failure in gain control is due to dust accumulation on the tape or on the transducer, the reference pattern is increasingly more likely to be written and read properly during the retries because the dust may be removed by relative sliding motion between the tape and the transducer.

Abstract: A cassette tape transport has a tape speed control servo for driving either of a pair of tape drive motors at constant speed in response to tape speed pulses from a tape speed sensor. Upon development of a tape slack, as manifested by a decrease in the recurrence rate of the tape speed pulses, the tape speed control servo is overridden, and the pair of drive motors are simultaneously energized for rotating the cassette reels in opposite directions, thereby stretching the tape between the reels until the slack is removed. The tape transport has a microcomputer which may be factory preprogrammed to include a slack takeup routine. The microcomputer starts the slack takeup routine not only upon decrease in the recurrence rate of the tape speed pulses but also when the tape cassette is loaded in the tape transport and when no tape speed pulse is produced for a predetermined length of time.

Abstract: A method of writing on successive track locations on a magnetic multitrack recording tape so as to avoid accidental overwriting. Preparatory to writing on each track location, the peak amplitude value is derived from the output from a read head scanning prescribed initial part of that track location. The peak value is then compared with a reference value in order to determine whether the tape bears any prewritten information on the track location. Writing on each track location is permitted if the tape has proved to bear no prewritten information thereon, and inhibited if otherwise.