Mini-Cassette

Mini-Cassette
Mini-Cassette
Mini-Cassette logo.svg
Media type magnetic tape
Encoding analog signal
Capacity 30 minutes
Read mechanism tape head
Write mechanism magnetic recording head
Developed by Philips
Usage dictation
A Sony Mini-Cassette dictation recorder.

The Mini-Cassette, often written minicassette, is a tape cassette format introduced by Philips in 1967. It is used primarily in dictation machines and was also employed as a data storage for the Philips P2000 home computer. Unlike the Compact Cassette, also designed by Philips, and the later Microcassette, introduced by Olympus, the Mini-Cassette does not use a capstan drive system; instead, the tape is propelled past the tape head by the reels.[1] This is mechanically simple and allows the cassette to be made smaller and easier to use, but produces a system unsuited to any task other than voice recording, as the tape speed is not constant (averaging 2.4 cm/s) and prone to wow and flutter. However, the lack of a capstan and a pinch roller drive means that the tape is well-suited to being repeatedly shuttled forward and backward short distances as compared to microcassettes, leading to the Mini-Cassette's continuing use in the niche markets of dictation and transcription, where fidelity is not critical, but robustness of storage is, and where analog media are still widely preferred.[2]

Microcassette (L) and Mini-Cassette (R)

A smaller version of the Mini-Cassette was later introduced that could be used in a standard player using an adaptor; however, this did not become widespread.

A very similar (but incompatible) cassette format was produced by Hewlett-Packard and Verbatim (the HP82176A Mini Data Cassette) for data storage in their HP82161A tape drive, which, like other minicassettes, did not use a capstan.

Mini-Cassettes in fiction

In the Transformers 1984 cartoon, several Decepticons and Autobots transformed into minicassettes, such as Rumble.

References

  1. ^ http://home.comcast.net/~trafficgard/Micro-mini-cassette.htm
  2. ^ http://www.dictation.philips.com/index.php?id=50&no_cache=1&CC=FL&tx_mediarepository_pi2

External links

v · d · eAudio recording formats
Analog

Phonautogram (1857) · Phonograph cylinder (1877) · Gramophone record (1894) · Wire recording (1898) · Sound-on-film (1919) · Reel-to-reel tape (1940s) · SoundScriber (1945) · Gray Audograph (1945) · Dictabelt (1947) · LP record (1948) · 45 rpm record (1949) · On-the-ribs recordings (late 1940s) · RCA tape cartridge (1958) · Fidelipac (1959) · Stereo-Pak (1962) · Compact Cassette (1963) · 8-track (1964) · PlayTape (1966) · Mini-Cassette (1967) · Microcassette (1969) · Steno-Cassette (1971) · Elcaset (1976) · Cassette single (1980) · Picocassette (1985)
Digital

Soundstream (1976) · X80/ProDigi (1980) · DASH (1982) · Compact Disc (1982) · Digital Audio Tape (1987) · ADAT (1991) · MiniDisc (1992) · NT (1992) · Digital Compact Cassette (1992) · High Definition Compatible Digital (1995) · Extended Resolution Compact Disc (1995) · 5.1 Music Disc (1997) · Super Audio CD (1999) · DVD-Audio (2000) · USB flash drive (as audio format) (2004) · Hi-MD (2004) · slotMusic (2008) · BD-Audio (2008)



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mini Cassette — Infobox media name = Mini Cassette caption = type = magnetic tape encoding = analog signal capacity = 30 minutes read = tape head write = magnetic recording head standard = owner = Philips use = dictation extended from = extended to = The Mini… …   Wikipedia

  • mini- — ♦ Élément, du lat. minus « moins ». ⇒ micro . Ce préfixe, tiré de composés anglais (comme miniskirt ⇒ minijupe), a produit de nombreux composés, avec le sens de « très court » (minirobe, minishort), « très petit » (minilégume), « très bref »… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Cassette Audio — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cassette et K7. La cassette audio ou musicassette ou minicassette (nom officiel : Compact Cassette), couramment abrégé par l allographe K7, est un médium introduit en 1963 par Philips. Elle consiste en une… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • cassette — [ kasɛt ] n. f. • 1348; de l a. fr. casse « caisse, coffre » 1 ♦ Vx Petit coffre destiné à ranger de l argent, des bijoux. ⇒ boîte, coffret. La cassette d Harpagon. 2 ♦ Trésor particulier (d un prince). Je prendrai cette somme sur ma cassette… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Cassette audio — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cassette et K7. Cassette audio 60 minutes de la marque TDK La cassette audio ou minicassette (nom officiel : Compact Casse …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mini Office II — box cover Mini Office II, published by Database Software in 1986, was an office suite available for several home computers, among which were the Amstrad CPC, the Atari 8 bit family, the BBC Micro, the Commodore 64, and others. The software… …   Wikipedia

  • Mini-Disc — Speichermedium MiniDisc Allgemeines Typ Magneto Optisches Speichermedium Kapazität 60 / 74 / 80 min (Audio) Größe 72 × 68 × 5 mm Gebrauch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mini Disc — Speichermedium MiniDisc Allgemeines Typ Magneto Optisches Speichermedium Kapazität 60 / 74 / 80 min (Audio) Größe 72 × 68 × 5 mm Gebrauch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cassette — Frontansicht einer Kassette Die Compact Cassette (CC) oder Audiocassette ist ein Tonband, das zur einfacheren Handhabung in einer Kassette gekapselt ist. Es handelt sich um einen elektromagnetischen Tonträger. Sie wird umgangssprachlich oft… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mini album — Extended play Pour les articles homonymes, voir Maxi et EP. Un extended play ou EP (en français maxi) est un format musical (disque vinyle, disque compact, cassette audio, ...) qui est trop long pour être qualifié de simple single mais trop court …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”