Abstract: A cassette tape transport mechanism is provided with a mechanism for quickly detecting the stoppage of a take-up reel, thereby causing a tape direction change cycle to be initiated before a significant amount of tape can form a jam during a tape eating condition. The number of tape direction changes within a predetermined time is also counted and compared to a reference limit to detect a tape eating malfunction. The tape may be automatically ejected and an error message sent to the taper player display, allowing the user to clean the cassette or the player mechanism to remove sticky substances that may be causing the tape eating condition.

Abstract: A distortion limiter for limiting the amount of distortion of an inverting amplifier is disclosed. A comparator produces a pulse when a signal level at an inverting input of the inverting amplifier exceeds a reference voltage level. The pulse charges a capacitor. When the charge on the capacitor is sufficient to raise the gate voltage of a junction field-effect transistor (FET) above cutoff, the FET shunts the input signal to reduce its level. The distortion characteristics can be controlled by using a voltage divider to adjust the voltage across the FET. A bias voltage at the gate of the FET, keeps the FET turned off when the inverting amplifier is not clipping.