Description : How does normal wear cause tape failure?
Last Answer : Repeated contact with a recorder’s fixed surfaces such as magnetic heads, tape rollers, and tape guides.
Description : What is tape failure?
Last Answer : Tape’s performance degrades to a point where it’s no longer
Description : What causes flutter in a tape recorder’s output?
Last Answer : Non-uniform tape motion caused by variations in tape speed.
Description : A tape pack has gaps in the tape winding as shown in figure 2-5. What causes this condition?
Last Answer : Tape is loosely wound on reel.
Description : A tape pack is buckled and deformed as shown in figure 2- 4. What are three possible causes for this condition?
Last Answer : a. Reel has a distorted hub, b. tape wound over small particle deposited on hub, and c. tape wound on reel with tension increasing toward end of winding.
Description : You notice steps in the tape pack such as those in figure 2-3. What causes this and how does it damage the magnetic tape?
Last Answer : Pack slip. It's caused by loosely wound tape on a reel that is exposed to excessive vibration or heat. The vibration or heat causes the tape to shift, causing steps in the tape pack. The uneven tape will then rub against the reel's sides and the recorder's tape guides.
Description : . After rewinding a tape onto its supply reel, you examine the tape pack and notice pile-ups of tape resembling the example in figure 2-2. What causes this condition?
Last Answer : The tape is stopped too quickly when winding or rewinding.
Description : What type of tape error causes noise to appear on the tape when no signal should appear? What causes this type of tape error?
Last Answer : Noise error is usually caused by a cut or a scratch on the magnetic tape.
Description : What are the four basic parts of a magnetic tape recorder's tape transport system?
Last Answer : a. Tape reeling system. b. Tape speed control system. c. Electronic subsystem. d. Basic enclosure.
Description : List four factors that can degrade the frequency response of magnetic tape recorders.
Last Answer : a. A too-high or too-low bias signal level setting for the record head. b. An improper reproduce head gap. c. An improper tape transport speed. d. Poor tape-to-head contact.
Description : When packaging tape reels or cartridges for shipping, what are four rules you should follow to protect the tape reels from impact and vibration?
Last Answer : a. Package reels so they’re supported by their hub, b. use reel bands, c. package reels in vertical position, d. package tape cartridges in their shipping cases.
Description : Tape winding errors can cause a deformed tape pack. What are four common types of tape pack deformation?
Last Answer : Cinching, pack slip, spoking, and windowing.
Description : List four rules you should follow when storing magnetic tape to protect it from damage.
Last Answer : a. Make sure the tape is wound properly on the reel hub, b. store tapes vertically, c. keep storage area at right temperature and humidity, d. store away from equipment that generates stray magnetic fields.
Description : You see a build-up of dust and lint on the take-up reel of a tape recorder. This can cause which of the four types of tape errors?
Last Answer : Signal dropout errors and level errors. The dust and lint on the reel will eventually get onto the tape where it can get between the tape and the recorder’s heads.
Description : What are four types of tape errors that can degrade a magnetic recording system’s performance?
Last Answer : Signal dropout, noise, skew, and level. Dropout is the most common.
Description : What amount of flat tape or round cord is required to single lace a group of conductors?
Last Answer : Two and one-half times the length of the longest conductor in the group.
Description : Why is flat tape preferred instead of round cord when wire bundles are laced?
Last Answer : Round cord has a tendency to cut into the wire insulation.
Description : Why is friction tape used in splicing?
Last Answer : As a protective covering over the rubber tape.
Description : What equipment should you use to de-magnetize a magnetic tape transport?
Last Answer : A hand-held degausser.
Description : When cleaning the parts of a tape transport, why should you switch lint-free cloths and swabs often?
Last Answer : You may transfer dirt or oxide particles from one part of the tape transport to another
Description : Sometimes it's necessary, but why should you avoid using cotton swabs when cleaning a magnetic tape transport?
Last Answer : Cotton swabs are not lint free.
Description : How do dual-motor dual capstan drives maintain a constant tape tension while operating in either a forward or reverse direction?
Last Answer : Each capstan is driven by its own motor. It maintains tape tension by slowing down one of the motors. When the tape motion is reversed, the opposite motor is slowed down.
Description : . How do tape transports with differential velocity capstans maintain a constant tape tension in the area around the magnetic heads?
Last Answer : The supply capstan is slightly larger than the take-up capstan. This causes the take-up capstan to pull the tape slightly faster than the supply capstan feeds the tape.
Description : How do closed-loop capstan drive tape transports overcome the disadvantages of the open-loop drive design?
Last Answer : Closed loop capstan drive transports use more than one capstan to clamp the tape in the area around the magnetic head.
Description : There are two types of tape transport configurations, open loop capstan drive and closed-loop capstan drive. What are two major disadvantages of open-loop capstan drive tape transports?
Last Answer : a. Only operates in one direction. b. The tape tension and head-to-tape contact can vary.
Description : How do the tape guides on a tape reeling system protect the tape from damage during operation?
Last Answer : They keep the tape straight with respect to both the supply and take-up reels and the magnetic heads.
Description : What are the two basic types of tape buffering reeling systems?
Last Answer : a. Spring-tension buffering systems. b. Vacuum-column buffering systems.
Description : What type of reeling system best controls a tape recorder's tape tension during starts and stops?
Last Answer : A tape buffering reeling system
Description : What are the three most commonly used tape reeling systems?
Last Answer : a. Take-up control. b. Two-motor reeling. c. Tape buffering.
Description : How do worn or sticking tape transport guides cause dynamic skew on a multi-track recorder?
Last Answer : The tape drifts past the multi-track head at an angle.
Description : The skew specification of your multi-tracked tape recorder reads " +/ - 0.20 microseconds between adjacent tracks on the same head stack at 120 ips." What does this mean?
Last Answer : One of the tracks on a magnetic head could lead or lag the track next to it by as much as 0.20 microseconds at 120 ips.
Description : Why is it important to minimize TBE jitter in magnetic tape recordings where precise timing relationships exist between two or more signals?
Last Answer : The jitter could cause noise and a loss of accuracy.
Description : How could you check the phase response of a tape recorder?
Last Answer : Record and reproduce a square wave and see if the output on an oscilloscope is symmetrical.
Description : How should a tape recorder with good phase response reproduce a complex waveform, such as a square wave?
Last Answer : With no distortion
Description : What number harmonic is the primary harmonic distortion in magnetic tape recorders?
Last Answer : Third-order harmonic.
Description : The frequency-response specification of your tape recorder reads within +/ - 3 dB from 150 Hz to 150 kHz at 60 ips. What does this mean?
Last Answer : The recorder can record all frequencies between 150 Hz and 150 kHz at 60 ips without varying the output amplitude more than 3 dB.
Description : Technical manuals for tape recorders can state the SNR in what three different ways?
Last Answer : a. Root-mean-square (RMS) signal-to-RMS noise. b. Peak-to-peak signal-to-RMS noise. c. Peak signal-to-RMS noise.
Description : You plan to measure your tape recorder’s SNR. What test equipment will you need?
Last Answer : A VTVM and a signal generator.
Description : Two tape recorders have signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of 25-dB RMS and 35-dB RMS respectively. Which of the SNRs can record and reproduce the widest range of input signals and why?
Last Answer : 35-dB RMS because the highest SNR can always record and reproduce the widest range of input signals.
Description : The head driver circuit of a tape recorder’s FM record electronics (figure 5-4) performs what function?
Last Answer : It amplifies the frequency-modulated output from the record oscillator and sends it to the record head.
Description : The equalization and phase correction circuit in a tape recorder’s direct reproduce electronics (figure 5-2) performs what function?
Last Answer : It generates an equalization signal which corrects any frequency response problems in the input signal from the pre-amplifier circuit.
Description : The head driver circuit in a tape recorder’s direct record electronics component (figure 5-1) performs what function?
Last Answer : It takes the signal from the summing network, amplifies it, and sends it to the record head for recording.
Description : What two types of record and reproduce electronics are used by magnetic tape recorders?
Last Answer : . a. Direct record (AM). b. Frequency modulation (FM).
Description : What two preventive maintenance actions must you do regularly to increase magnetic head life and to ensure good tape recording and playback?
Last Answer : a. Keep the heads clean. b. Keep the heads demagnetized.
Description : Magnetic tape recorders can have up to three different heads installed. What are the three functions performed by a recorder's heads?
Last Answer : Record, reproduce, and erase.
Description : What is the correct way to hold a magnetic tape reel?
Last Answer : Always hold reel by the hub, never by the flanges. Never touch the working tape surface.
Description : What method for erasing magnetic tape is much more effective and reliable than using a recorder’s erase head?
Last Answer : Using a magnetic tape degausser
Description : What are two disadvantages of using a recorder’s erase head to erase data recorded on a magnetic tape?
Last Answer : Using an erase head is slow, and it may not completely erase the tape.
Description : When winding a tape onto a plastic or metal reel, should the tape ever touch the reel’s flanges?
Last Answer : No. The reel is designed to hold the tape on its hub without letting the tape touch the sides of the flanges.
Description : How does relative humidity over 95% cause excessive tape and head wear?
Last Answer : High humidity causes increased friction as the tape passes over the heads.