Abstract: A lapping apparatus of the "planetary" type that laps a workpiece to a true flat surface instead of to the domed surface characterizing the prior art: it includes a mechanism for spinning and orbiting the workpiece against a lapping disk that has a 360-degree mid-radial portion formed to abrade less rapidly than the radially inboard and outboard portions thereof. In one embodiment, the inboard and outboard portions of the disk are partly or entirely cut away (i.e., recessed) so as to present equal or smaller lapping surface areas than that of the mid-radial portion of the disk. In another embodiment, the abrading surfaces of the disk are formed as raised lands each of which has a shape derived as the mean length, at each orbiting radius, of the orbiting arcs that are swept by the disk across the workpiece while the workpiece is spinning through at least one full revolution. In another form, the lands are made narrower and more numerous, but have the same proportions along the various orbiting arcs.

Abstract: For a musical instrument, a fingering display apparatus that includes a number of electrical switches manually operable to designate a desired musical note, either alone or as the root note for a desired scale or chord. For each of the notes designated by the switches, means are provided to activate a sub-display showing all of the possible fingering positions for that note. If a scale or chord is designated, then all of the fingering positions for all of the notes of the entire scale or chord are displayed. One form of the display, using small electrical lamps, is mounted on the fret-board of a guitar.

Abstract: An electroless plating bath tank with air sparging and bath heating attachments is provided with a workpiece rack on which multiple horizontal spindles bearing workpieces are rotated about their own axes while also being rotated eccentrically about a horizontal axis, so as to expose the workpiece more uniformly to the action of the bath.

Abstract: A magnetic tape transport has an improved capstan-tachometer construction and reel mounting arrangement.

Abstract: An encoder verifier checks the functioning of a Reed-Solomon encoder in which data and parity bytes are intended to be digitally encoded in data blocks to form for each data block a respective codeword in multi-bit bytes in the form of a Galois field polynomial that is divisible in the Galois field by a generator polynomial, such generator polynomial being the Galois field product of a plurality of factors. A Galois field polynomial divider divides respective codewords by one of the factors to produce a remainder signal systematically related to the remainder from such division. An indicator responsive to the remainder signal produces an indication of encoder malfunction when the remainder signal corresponds to a remainder other than zero.

Abstract: The trunnion bearing assemblies of a view finder for a television camera are provided with brake assemblies to hold the view finder in any chosen inclination or position, while yet permitting easy manual change of inclination and position. A pair of such brake assemblies may be arranged at the ends of an intermediate linking element to define with the camera and the view finder a Z-type configuration for extending the position and inclination ranges of the view finder.

Abstract: A high speed all digital detector for Class IV partial response signalling, particularly to such detector wherein the detector recorded signals are precoded, is based upon a recognition that 1-D.sup.2 filters correspond to a pair of 1-D filters responsive to alternate bits. A detector in accordance with the present invention includes a decision making circuit for maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) that has operated at a speed of at least 120 megabits per second. Such a detector makes decisions by comparing a current signal sample S.sub.n with a stored, or pointer, signal sample S.sub.p and the prior state (T.sub.IN) of the system. When a decision as to a current sample can be made, the decision is stored serially in a memory for later reading out as part of a completely detected stream. When a decision cannot be made as to a current sample, the current sample is stored with an indication of the position of that sample in the data stream.

Abstract: To measure the protrusion of a magnetic transducing head from a head-supporting and tape-guiding structure of the rotary drum-type, for example, a known gauge means is mounted on a base arranged to ameliorate excessive bearing pressure against the head and damage thereto and to the gauge apparatus.

Abstract: A differential band brake is independently spring loaded at each end so that changes in the differential braking force ratio can be conveniently effected by changing to springs of different strength such as are readily available on the commercial market, rather than by changing the parameters of other portions of the apparatus of types not so readily available.

Abstract: A magnetic tape is guided past a transverse-scan rotating transducing head drum which is shaped to create an air bearing film between the drum and tape, so that only the tips of the heads themselves engage the tape. To avoid adverse influence on the air bearing, the guide means is arranged to engage the tape only at points remote from the plane of the head drum, and to induce at these points a transverse curvature in the tape that is of smaller radius than that of the head drum, ensuring that the tape rests closely on the air bearing across the entire tape width.

Abstract: A tape scanning assembly including a fixed drum and a coaxially mounted rotating drum defining a gap therebetween, with the tape wrapped in a helical path around the drums and across the gap, the rotating drum being driven to produce a pressurized gas bearing film between the tape and drums, with the bearing film being vented by the gap to tend to produce a variable film thickness gradient on the upstream side of the gap; the assembly is provided with venting means such as relieved portions or grooves on the rotating drum to reduce said gradient and to control the film thickness upstream from the gap.

Abstract: This is a magnetic tape transport primarily for the automatic threading and replay of cassette-mounted tapes that were originally produced upon the same transport or upon a different recording transport having a single rotating head and guide around which the tape is wrapped in a substantially 360-degree omega path. To be adapted for replay of the cassette-mounted tapes, the replay transport differs from the omega-wrap recording transport in having two diametrically opposite rotating heads and a substantially 180-degree tape wrap, and the heads rotate at half the rotational speed of the omega-wrap transport head. The threading means are of the differential air-pressure type.

Abstract: A magnetic transducing head is mounted on a transducing machine so that the angle of orientation (e.g., azimuth inclination) of the head with respect to the machine is adjustable as by means of a differential screw mechanism extending between two relatively pivotable portions of the mount. The screw mechanism comprises a manually-operable element having threads of two different pitches on the same axis, threaded respectively into the two mount portions. Thus the two mount portions are always held at an intended distance from each other without lost-motion play, and the sensitivity of orientation adjustment is increased, because the translation corresponding to unit angular movement of the screw is measured by the difference between the inverse-pitch dimensions of the two threads.

Abstract: In a camera mount of the type in which a front plate is attached to a lens which in turn is attached to the front of the camera and a base plate extends from the front plate beneath the camera to secure the camera bottom and to exert a predetermined supporting force upwardly on the camera to counter the moment of the camera on the lens, an interlock is provided to control the operation of the securing means to sequentially follow the operation of the supporting means in both securing and releasing modes.

Abstract: A camera mount of the type including a front plate having an attachment to the lens-mounting frontal side of a camera-and-lens assembly, and a bottom plate extending rearwardly, parallel to the lens axis, from the lower portion of the front plate for supporting the rearward portion of the camera and for mounting the camera on a base structure, characterized in that means are provided on the bottom plate for engaging and supporting the rearward portion of the camera and for countering the moment exerted by the weight of the camera about its attachment; and means are provided for clamping the camera to the bottom plate and to the supporting means thereof.

Abstract: A manually-operable joystick is mounted for universal pivoting motion as by means of spherical bearing and journal means and is biased toward a neutral position so as to return automatically thereto upon release of manual constraint.

Abstract: This invention is a mount to fit a portable camera for studio use. The mount has a vertical front plate to the rear side of which the front of the complete camera (less lens) is attached, without the need for any disassembly. From the front of the plate the studio lenses extend. A horizontal bottom plate extends from the lower rear portion of the front plate for attaching the mount to a standard tripod, or other base. A protective grille-cage assembly extends from the front and bottom plates to generally enclose the space to be occupied by the camera. Equipment particular to studio use is contained in a pair of side pods that are hinged to the grille members so as to be swung outwardly and downwardly for access to the camera. A studio view-finder and monitor is attached to various rearward grille members and is vertically adjustable by means of vertical racks formed on the grille members and manually conjointly operable through pinions contained in the view-finder and monitor assembly.