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 : After using a tape that was stored in an area where temperatures exceeded 130º F you notice pieces of oxide sticking to the recorder's tape-transport mechanism, to its magnetic heads, and onto the tape. What is the probable cause of these symptoms?
Last Answer : Oxide shedding. At temperatures above 130º F, oxide coating becomes soft and sheds.
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 : 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 : What is the number of read-write heads in the drive for a 9- trac magnetic tape? A) 9 B) 16 C) 18 D) 27
Last Answer : Answer : A
Description : What is the number of read-write heads in the drive for a 9-trac magnetic tape? a. 9 b. 16 c. 18 d. 27
Last Answer : 27
Last Answer : a. 9
Description : Your activity stores its magnetic tape in an area where the temperature is 100º F. What two types of environmental damage could occur that would make these tapes unusable?
Last Answer : Head-to-tape sticking and layer-to-layer adhesion
Description : Environmental damage to magnetic tape can occur when the tape is stored in an area that exceeds what ideal temperature and humidity ranges?
Last Answer : Ideally, use and store tape at 60 to 80º F and at 40 to 60% relative humidity.
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 : How often should you demagnetize a recorder's magnetic heads?
Last Answer : Every 8 to 25 hours depending on the manufacturer's recommendations.
Description : What type of equipment should you use to demagnetize your recorder's magnetic heads?
Last Answer : A hand-held degausser like the manual degaussers used for degaussing magnetic tape.
Description : What are four sources that can cause magnetic heads to become magnetized?
Last Answer : a. During ac power losses. b. During testing. c. Because of stray magnetic fields. d. From normal use.
Description : How should you clean your recorder's magnetic heads?
Last Answer : With a cotton-tipped applicator soaked in either isopropyl alcohol or a head cleaner recommended by the recorder's manufacturer.
Description : In the actuator arm assembly of a hard disk drive transport, what device can position the magnetic heads to the correct track of a hard disk more accurately than a dc stepper motor?
Last Answer : Voice coil servo.
Description : What part of a floppy disk drive transport uses a dc stepper motor to position the magnetic heads over the recording surface of a floppy disk?
Last Answer : Actuator arm assembly.
Description : What are the three functions of the magnetic heads on a magnetic recording device?
Last Answer : a. Record the signal onto the recording medium. b. Reproduce the signal from the recording medium. c. Erase the signal from the recording medium.
Description : Hard disk drive transports contain the electromechanical parts that perform what three functions?
Last Answer : a. Rotates the hard disk platters. b. Writes data to and reads data from the disk platters
Description : What equipment should you use to de-magnetize a magnetic tape transport?
Last Answer : A hand-held degausser.
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 : 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 : 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 : What number harmonic is the primary harmonic distortion in magnetic tape recorders?
Last Answer : Third-order harmonic.
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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : When the relative humidity is below 10%, what happens to magnetic tape and parts of a tape recorder that could cause environmental damage?
Last Answer : Dirt build-up caused by static electricity.
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 : If magnetic tape is stored in areas with temperature and humidity extremes, what are three types of tape damage that may occur?
Last Answer : Oxide shedding, layer-to-layer sticking, and tape deformation.
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 type of magnetic tape is used to record computer programs and data, and what are the additional thickness and quality standards for this type of tape?
Last Answer : digital magnetic tape is for computer programs and data. Its base material is about 50% thicker. The tape’s surface must not have blemishes or coating flaws because losing even one digital data bit could ruin the recorded computer program or data.
Description : Which of the two types of magnetic tape is used to record audio and instrumentation type signals in the VLF to 2.5MHz frequency range?
Last Answer : Analog magnetic tape.
Description : Why is plastic magnetic tape used more than metal tape?
Last Answer : Plastic tape is used more than metal because it’s more flexible, resists mildew and fungus, and is very stable at high temperatures and humidity.
Description : Magnetic tape is made of what three basic materials?
Last Answer : a. Base material. b. Coating of magnetic oxide particles. c. Glue that bonds the particles to the base.
Description : What are the major differences between magnetic tape units?
Last Answer : The speed at which the tape is moved past the read/write head and the density of the recorded information.
Description : What is the purpose of any magnetic tape unit?
Last Answer : To write data on or read data from a magnetic tape.
Description : Digital magnetic tape recorders used to store and retrieve digital data fall into what three categories?
Last Answer : a. Computer-compatible digital tape recorders. b. Telemetry digital tape recorders. c. Instrumentation digital tape recorders
Description : Which digital data tape encoding method presets the magnetic tape to all zeros and then records digital ones onto the tape?
Last Answer : Return-to-bias (RB) encoding.
Description : Which of the eight methods for encoding digital data onto magnetic tape is most widely used because it’s accurate, simple, and reliable?
Last Answer : Non-return-to-zero (NRZ) encoding.
Description : What three formats are used for digital magnetic tape recording?
Last Answer : 1) Serial, (2) parallel, and (3) serial-parallel.
Description : In digital magnetic tape recording, the series of recorded digital pulses can represent what three types of data?
Last Answer : a. Data used by digital computers. b. Pulsed squarewave signals. c. Digitized analog waveforms.
Description : Punched cards, paper tape, and magnetic tape use what storage access method?
Last Answer : Sequential-access.
Description : Circuits which maintain constant voltage or current outputs are called dc voltage or dc current ___.
Last Answer : Regulators.