Specifications Sought for 7-Track Tape Heads

From: Douglas H. Quebbeman <dquebbeman_at_acm.org>
Date: Fri Apr 19 10:51:16 2002

The subject says the first part...

I'm seeking a source for the specifications for 7-track tape
heads. I'm thinking what I really need is just the mechanical/
physical specifications... that leads me to the second part..

Has anyone here have any experience with disassembling a
tape head and re-assembling it? I have in mind delaminating
a 9-track head stack and rebuilding it as a 7-track.

I can already see that a microscope with a precision
mechanical stage will be a must-have for this work.

The end-result of this project will probably involve
reading 7-track tapes in analog mode and digitizing
the analog data stream in order to use modern computing
power to reconstruct the data.

Yes, this is bascially what Tim Shoppa does now, but
I'm not going into business, this would be a labor of
love and once operational, would be used only to assist
other hobbyists/preservationists in their conservation
efforts.

And of course, this is the last-ditch effort, as I
continue to scan my purview for a working head or a
working 7-track drive.

Comments appreciated too, but especially pointers to
the requested info if online, and maybe an offer of
photocopies of not...

Tia,
-dq
Received on Fri Apr 19 2002 - 10:51:16 BST