> > On Jun 16, 2015, at 12:31 , Paul Koning <paulkon...@comcast.net> wrote: > > Part 1: two capstans spinning all the time, in opposite directions. > > Solenoid-activated pinch rollers would > > press the tape against the capstan to set it moving.
> That's also how the magnetic card is moved in and out in the Mag Card II > typewriter. There's a pair of counter- > rotating capstan wheels below the card, and a pair of solenoid-actuated pinch > rollers opposite them, above the And how the paper tape is moved in a Trend HSR500 reader. 2 capstans, one each side of the read head and 2 solenoid-operated pinch rollers under them. And an electromagnet and armature as a brake. For something even madder, look at the design of the original Radio Shack 'Line Printer' which was actually a Centronics something-pr-other (733?). This thing (which is not a line printer at all) has a belt running across the chassis with a motor continuously driving it (a shaded pole motor I think). Solenoids on the printhead carriage grab the top or bottom run of the belt depending on which way the carriage is to move. -tony
