Rotary head assembly for substantially concurrent recording and monitoring of data on a magnetic tape cassette or the like.

摘要

A rotary-head assembly for the storage and retrieval of digital data on and from a series of slanting record tracks on magnetic tape in cassette form or the like, with the capability of substantially concurrently monitoring the recording being written on the tape. The rotary-head assembly includes a rotary drum to which there are mounted first and second magnetic read/write heads and first and second magnetic monitor heads. The two read/write heads alternately and overwritingly scan the magnetic tape for creating a series of slanting record tracks thereon. For monitoring the data being written by the first and second read/write heads, the first and second monitor heads scan the overwritten tracks spaced at least two tracks from the tracks being written by the first and second read/write heads, respectively. therefore, being representative of the recording on the overwritten tracks, instead of on the tracks before they are overwritten, the output signals of the monitor heads lend themselves to a more accurate evaluation of the data to be reproduced.