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Capstan (tape recorder)

 

 
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Capstan (tape recorder)
 
 
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Capstans are rotating spindles used to move recording tape through the mechanism of a tape recorder
Tape recorder

This article deals mainly with analog signal tape recorders for Sound recording and reproduction applications; information on Digital Audio Tape, recording of Videocassette recorder, and data logger can be found in other articles....
. The tape is threaded between the capstan and one or more rubber-covered wheel, called a "pinch roller
Pinch Roller

Pinch Roller - a rubberized free spinning wheel often used to press magnetic tape against a Capstan shaft in order to create friction necessary to drive the tape along the magnetic heads ....
", which presses against the capstan, thus providing friction necessary for the capstan to pull the tape. The capstan is always placed "downstream" (in the direction of tape motion) from the tape heads. To maintain the required tension against the tape head
Tape head

A tape head is a type of transducer used in tape recorders to convert electrical signals to magnetism fluctuations and vice versa....
s and other part of the tape transport, a small amount of drag is placed on the supply reel.






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Capstans are rotating spindles used to move recording tape through the mechanism of a tape recorder
Tape recorder

This article deals mainly with analog signal tape recorders for Sound recording and reproduction applications; information on Digital Audio Tape, recording of Videocassette recorder, and data logger can be found in other articles....
. The tape is threaded between the capstan and one or more rubber-covered wheel, called a "pinch roller
Pinch Roller

Pinch Roller - a rubberized free spinning wheel often used to press magnetic tape against a Capstan shaft in order to create friction necessary to drive the tape along the magnetic heads ....
", which presses against the capstan, thus providing friction necessary for the capstan to pull the tape. The capstan is always placed "downstream" (in the direction of tape motion) from the tape heads. To maintain the required tension against the tape head
Tape head

A tape head is a type of transducer used in tape recorders to convert electrical signals to magnetism fluctuations and vice versa....
s and other part of the tape transport, a small amount of drag is placed on the supply reel. Tape recorder capstans have a function similar to nautical capstans
Capstan (nautical)

A capstan is a rotating machine used to apply force to another element, notably used on board ship and on dock walls, for heaving-in or veering ropes, cables, and hawsers....
, which however have no pinch rollers, the line simply being wound around them.

The use of a capstan allows the tape to run at a precise and constant speed. Capstans are precision-machined spindles, and polished very smooth: any out-of-roundness or imperfections can cause uneven motion and an audible effect called flutter. The alternative to capstan drive, simply driving the tape takeup reel (which was used on some cheap tape recorders), causes problems both with the speed difference between a full and empty reel and with speed variations as described.

Dual capstans, where one is on each side of the heads, are claimed to provide even smoother tape travel across the heads and result in less variance in the recorded/playback signal.