HP 82161A

From: Mike Ford <mikeford_at_socal.rr.com>
Date: Wed Jun 21 13:31:30 2000

>[HP82161 digital cassette drive]
>
>> Serious begging/logic/waving$ only regarding the little box with 6 data
>> cassettes, which I am guessing will be dandy in my HX-20.
>
>No they won't (I have an HP82161 and several HX20s).
>
>The HX20 uses microcassette tapes, which is a standard created by one of
>the Japanese companies (Sanyo?) for dictating machines. Audio tapes work
>fine in the HX20, or at least they always have for me. The mechanical
>form of the cassette is identical.
>
>The HP82161 uses a special tape cassette. It's somewhat similar
>mechanically to the Philips minicassette (also used in dictating
>machines), but it's not identical to it. There are extra notches in the
>HP tape to prevent audio tapes from being used. The HP tapes have an
>internal mirror for optical EOT detection (like a QIC cartridge). I think
>the tape is different to normal audio tape. They are _no way_ the same as
>microcassettes.
>
>I believe that the HP cassettes were standard items at one time. The
>alignment tape (which I don't have :-() is supposed to be a Verbatim
>product, so I guess Verbatim made normal data cassettes as well.
>
>FWIW, the HP82161 tapes are hard to find (at least in the UK) (I have my
>unit for reading such tapes mostly that people send me -- I have exactly
>one scratch tape), so you might well find an HP calculator enthusiast
>would like them (and would pay a reasonable amount for them).
>
>-tony

Here is some information off the little hoard of tapes I have.

Six tapes in the fitted plastic box.
Philips brand, Certified Digital mini-cassette LDB 4401, made in Austria,
8920 440 10101. One has a tape label with hand printed Transport 1.1 and
1.2. None are sealed, but none but the label unit look particularly used.

Rewinding one with a pencil revealed nothing special, ie no mirror.

The drive has a HP brand tape in it, but that goes with the drive to Stan.

If you want a tape, email me and I will work out some nominal fee, most
likely by listing one on eBay to see if I am insane for parting with them
first, but keeping it nominal for people on the list.
Received on Wed Jun 21 2000 - 13:31:30 BST