15-02-2012, 08:56 AM
3 head cassette decks were very popular back in the day, but they were expensive - I couldn't afford one when I was a student and cassette was still the predominant way to record. I've since bought a couple from eBay for approximately one hundredth of the original price, so that's nice 
Anyway, these use a "Siamese" recording and playback head that fits into the centre opening of the cassette shell. The erase head fits into the left, and the pinch roller into the right.
It might be possible to find one of these, but the trouble is, the record and playback heads are only separated by a few millimetres - so I don't know if you'd get the echo effect you're after - even at 1 7/8 IPS.
Incidentally, some really posh 3-head machines had dual capstans as well, meaning the erase head had to be really tiny to make it fit. This might enable you to separate out the record and replay heads a bit more?
So, if you see a broken high-end 3-head cassette deck offered for spares and repairs, it might be worth biting
And don't underestimate the challenges of making good record/replay circuitry of any sort of quality. I'd re-use as much as possible from an existing unit, and I'm talking as someone who has made a *lot* of audio stuff over the years...
Hope this helps,
Mark
Anyway, these use a "Siamese" recording and playback head that fits into the centre opening of the cassette shell. The erase head fits into the left, and the pinch roller into the right.
It might be possible to find one of these, but the trouble is, the record and playback heads are only separated by a few millimetres - so I don't know if you'd get the echo effect you're after - even at 1 7/8 IPS.
Incidentally, some really posh 3-head machines had dual capstans as well, meaning the erase head had to be really tiny to make it fit. This might enable you to separate out the record and replay heads a bit more?
So, if you see a broken high-end 3-head cassette deck offered for spares and repairs, it might be worth biting
And don't underestimate the challenges of making good record/replay circuitry of any sort of quality. I'd re-use as much as possible from an existing unit, and I'm talking as someone who has made a *lot* of audio stuff over the years...
Hope this helps,
Mark
