What IS Capstan Drive? How a Tape Recorder Works

Have you ever heard the term "capstan drive" when looking at a vintage tape recorder and wondered, "What does THAT mean?"?

While Captain Kirk may have cruised the galaxy using warp drive, quality tape recorders cruise the musical galaxy using capstan drive!

All modern tape recorders (i.e. cassette recorders), and the quality vintage tape recorders use capstan drive to manage the tape movement because it is precise, constant and smooth, thus well suited for musical reproduction. "Rim Drive", used in budget tape recorders, does not have this constancy of motion, making musical reproduction on such machines impossible and unpleasant to hear!

But what IS Capstan Drive?

This video shows you a real capstan and flywheel from a Webcor Microcorder 300 and explains how it works in this portable vintage reel to reel tape recorder.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• clydesight
• vintage
• tape
• recorder
• Webcor
• Microcorder
• 300
• How
• To
• Vintage
• electronics
• Technology

[brettfoshager]

I hope the YouTube video doesn't stop again.

[clydesight]

@brettfoshager You need to be patient with YouTube. Lots of people use it and it is a very busy server, so sometimes, it just slows down or gets stuck. It's free, and look at all the amazing stuff on here! That's worth the wait, when you think about it.

[keanank9]

This video is so awesome, thanks man this helped me out with my science project, know I undertsnd how it works.

[clydesight]

Thanks. I am happy that the video was able to help you!

[immasuperninja]

i just found a box for a webcor microcorder 300 in my basement with blank and recorded on tapes, a telephone recorder and wires for other connections. problem is i cant find the tape recorder, i've only found wires, im afraid while renevating we may have lost the unit

[clydesight]

I sometimes see these machines on E-Bay for a reasonable price. It's too bad that the motor on my machine is so weak that it won't drive the machine properly anymore.

[clydesight]

Thanks!

[mello67]

I enejoy your presetations every time,

Cheers

[clydesight]

Thank you VERY much. It means a lot to receive an encouraging comment.

Too bad the Webcor machine in this video has a bum motor! Sigh.

[dagger86]

my newest candidate for the coolest video on youtube