Abstract: A joystick having a casing, a pair of gimbal plates mounted in the casing each slidable orthogonally with respect to the other and a pair of transducers, a control member of each coupled to a corresponding gimbal plate. A handle is coupled to the casing having a gimbal actuating sphere engaging each of the gimbal plates with the handle being universally pivotal throughout a portion of a spherical arc whose center lies intermediate the actuating sphere and an opposite end of the handle. Movement of the handle results in corresponding movement of the gimbal plates by an amount proportional to the component of displacement of the handle along the direction of movement of each of the gimbal plates. Each gimbal plate is biased so that it is urged towards a neutral position in the event of displacement on either side of the neutral position. External contacts are coupled to the transducers to allow the joystick to the electrically coupled to an external electrical line.

Abstract: A tape transport system has reduced unreeled tape length by employing only one tape-deflecting bearing on each side of the read/write head. These bearings are fixed in position, but capable of pneumatically sensing tape tension. This tape tension is sensed at both bearings, and used to counteract the effects of stiction at the head.

Abstract: A clock recovery system including a VCO responsive to a voltage signal for generating a clock signal. A phase detector includes a register and a PROM, the register counting the clock signal to derive the output clock signal. The PROM is responsive to input data and the count in the register to detect and store information concerning relative phase relationships. A counter contains a count from which the control voltage for the VCO is derived. The PROM is operable to alter the count in the counter, thereby performing frequency adjustments, and to alter the count in the register to perform phase adjustments. Also, a converter, operable by the phase detector, may also derive a voltage signal for damping purposes.

Abstract: A pneumatic radius sensor is embodied in a fluid bearing, such as an air bearing for a tape transport, to determine the radius of tape wrapped on an adjacent supply or take up reel. The sensor includes a chamber in fluid communication through a plurality of metered orifii to the region of the changing wrap angle of the tape on the air bearing, the plurality of orifii being arranged to provide an essentially linear relationship between pressure in the chamber and the wrap angle of the tape. Pressure sensing means in the chamber senses the pressure therein, so the radius of tape on the adjacent reel can be determined.

Abstract: An ink jet printer is provided which will print in both the left to right and right to left directions of ink jet head travel with respect to the print media. Relative horizontal displacement of ink jet droplets caused by horizontal travel of the ink jet head is compensated for by a deflection plate system which is tilted with respect to the direction of travel to provide an electric field which tilts the pattern of ink jet droplets in an equal and opposite amount from that caused by horizontal movement of the ink jet head. In one direction of travel an ascending pattern of ink jet droplets is provided and in the other direction of travel a descending pattern of ink jet droplets is provided for printing so that the tilted deflection plate system compensates appropriately for the particular direction of travel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for enhancing the quality of characters printed on a media by a dot matrix printer, and particularly for enhancing edges of characters disposed at an angle to the rows of the matrix. First and second memory matrices contain the information as to the relative position along each row for printing dots to form each character; the first memory containing information to form a basic pattern and the second memory containing information related to an enhancement pattern which, if printed at the same carrier frequency as the basic pattern but phase shifted therefrom by a predetermined relationship (for example, 180.degree.), will enhance those edges of the character being printed disposed at an angle, other than 90.degree., from the rows of dots being printed. The information in the first and second memories are sequenced through first and second shift registers, one of which is sequenced by a clock signal and the other is sequenced by an inverted clock signal.

Abstract: A tension sensor is placed within a fluid bearing supporting a flexible tape at least partially wrapped around the periphery thereof. The bearing includes a source of pressurized fluid, such as air, and a plurality of metered orifii for admitting fluid into the region of the periphery to support the tape on a fluid bearing. The sensor includes a chamber and at least two metered orifice means, one in communication with the region of pressurized fluid supporting the tape and the other in communication with the source of pressurized fluid. A pressure sensor senses the pressure within the chamber, the pressure being directly proportional to the tension in the tape.

Abstract: An impact printer is capable of printing at either ten characters per inch or fifteen characters per inch by changing the type character carrying member. The print hammers are spaced at the same distance apart as are the type characters on the carrying member or band and the hammers are displaced from a home position by one space for printing the fifteen characters per inch at a higher speed than when printing at ten characters per inch. The hammers are time shared and are caused to be moved or shifted a precise distance of 4 increments of 1/30 inch each for a standard pitch band at ten characters per inch or a precise distance of 2 increments of 1/30 inch each for a compressed pitch band at fifteen characters per inch.

Abstract: A plurality of print hammers disposed along a print station are caused to be swung against a print band and there is provided a top edge guide to limit upward movement of the band and maintain the print band in a precise path in its travel past the print station. The print band is trained around pulleys which are biased upwardly by light springs to maintain the band in contact with the top edge guide.

Abstract: A welding fixture includes members supporting the ends of a print band and spaced to permit welding of the ends of the band with a laser beam. The edges of the band on either side of the weld joint are held parallel by means of at least two alignment pins on either side of the weld with the pins forming one terminal of a plurality of switches in circuitry to indicate proper alignment of the band prior to welding. One support member of the fixture is pivotable or tiltable to enable the ends of the band to be made square prior to welding.

Abstract: An impact printer is provided which is capable of printing at either 10 characters per inch (standard pitch) or 15 characters per inch (compressed pitch) by changing the type character carrying member, such type carring member including multiple font character sets thereon. The type character carrying members or bands include timing marks thereon for detecting or sensing the type band (standard or compressed pitch), the type character font set, and for tracking the type characters on the band. The printer also includes time shared hammer means which are movable or shifted a precise distance of 1/10 inch for a standard pitch band or a precise distance of 1/15 inch for a compressed pitch band, such movement being operable by control mechanism responsive to pulses derived from the timing marks relative to the horizontal position mechanism and the type band on the printer (standard or compressed pitch).

Abstract: A code reader, in the form of a photoelectric sensing device, is slidable across a coded disc which disc includes a first circle of apertures at one diameter designating a code channel for advancing record media, for example, at a spacing of six lines per inch and a second circle of apertures at another diameter designating a code channel for advancing the record media at a spacing of eight lines per inch. A positive locking detent is associated with the code reader for maintaining the desired position thereof for the selected code channel and line spacing.

Abstract: A welding fixture includes members supporting the ends of a print band and spaced to permit welding of the ends of the band with a laser beam. The edges of the band on either side of the weld joint are held parallel by means of at least two alignment pins on either side of the weld with the pins forming one terminal of a plurality of switches in circuitry to indicate proper alignment of the band prior to welding. One support member of the fixture is pivotable or tiltable to enable the ends of the band to be made square prior to welding.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for plating a selected portion of the surface of an article in which the non-plating surfaces of the article are covered by a non-porous elastic material to which pressure is applied to provide an liquid-tight seal between the elastic material and the mating surface of the article. An electrical conductor extending through the elastic material contacts the article allowing current to pass through the article when placed in a plating bath for depositing on the selected surface a metallic coating such as chromium. The article is mounted within a carrier composed of the non-porous elastic material which is formed to cover all of the non-plating surfaces of the article. The carrier is positioned within a fixture in which is provided means to apply pressure on the carrier thereby providing the liquid-tight seal between the carrier and the article.

Abstract: A cartridge eject mechanism is disclosed for ejecting a cassette tape cartridge from a tape recorder or the like. The eject mechanism comprises a pre-formed non-linear elastic slide member mounted in a housing with one end positioned adjacent the tape cartridge while the other end supports an actuating member. Depression of the actuating member forces the slide member through the housing to eject the cartridge. Portions of the slide member, in moving through the housing, are forced out of their normal shape by the configuration of the housing thereby generating forces to return the slide member to its original shape. Upon release of the actuating member, these forces, in restoring the actuating member to its original shape, will move the slide member through the housing to its home position.

Abstract: A plurality of clamping members are disposed along a recording line against the record media, and a cable, secured at the ends thereof, is trained in a path engaged with the clamping members and with movable bearing members spaced between the clamping members. Actuation of a solenoid causes a rocker arm to pivot and through a cable tension control member carried thereby cause tightening of the cables on the clamping members and on the bearing elements thereby changing the force on the clamping members and against the record media for holding the media in precise position while recording thereon.

Abstract: A multistage amplifier having an automatically programmable gain is disclosed in which the amplifier gain is incremented in binary steps to a desired level. Each amplifier stage is switchable between a first and second gain in a binary sequence such that the four digit output of a sixteen bit counter will increment the total amplifier gain in sixteen binary steps.A readback and decoding circuit for reading magnetic tape is also disclosed in which the signal amplitude of data read from the magnetic tape is compared to a reference voltage which corresponds to the data readback clipping level. Only amplified data which exceeds the predetermined clipping level is gated out of the circuit for processing.

Abstract: A ribbon tracking system includes guide means and roller means thereon which automatically tilts in the proper direction to correct for errors in tracking of the ribbon. A crowned pulley is floatingly supported and journaled on a curved guide post or shaft wherein the pulley is caused to be axially moved along the post or shaft by reason of corrective forces, in a direction opposite the tracking error for correcting the attitude of the ribbon.

Abstract: A phase locked loop decoder for decoding digitally encoded data is disclosed in which each incoming data bit is synchronized to a clock frequency and a derived signal representative of the data cell width is varied in accordance with a derived phase error signal to compensate for bit shift and for data cell width variation which may be present in the incoming data. The phase error signal is a pulsed waveform having a leading edge synchronized with the occurrence of each data transition and a pulse width reprsentative of the phase error of the data with respect to the clock. The decoder will detect and decode data transitions having bit shifts of up to plus or minus 50 percent of the bit cell period.