magnetic tape head
The mechanism that reads and writes magnetic tape as it moves past. Quality tape recorders have three heads: play (read), record (write) and erase. Many consumer products have only two: one that plays and records and another that erases. Machines that record audio for movie film may have a fourth head that writes an inaudible synchronization signal. See magnetic tape. |
| A Two-Head Tape Recorder |
|---|
| This machine has one head for reading and writing (playing and recording) and another for erasing. When in record mode, the tape passes the erase head first. |
Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.