 |
|
Extensive research resulted in improvements in the magnetic powder and tape base material, and problems were resolved one by one. To test the tape, Kihara made a simple apparatus. He put two standard 78rpm record turntables side by side and affixed a hub, about 3cm in diameter, to the center of one turntable and a reel on the other turntable, attaching the tape end to each. The tape would run by revolving the turntables. A magnetic head placed between the turntables would record onto the tape. It was a very primitive apparatus, with the 10m tape being rewound manually. Kihara would record the phrase " Honjitsu wa seiten nari " (" The weather is good today "), and then play it back. He said to himself, " Yes, I can hear it! "
Now that this primitive apparatus finally worked, Totsuko decided to start designing a marketable tape recorder. Kihara went to NHK to see the actual tape recorder. Just a glance at this machine told him everything he needed to know. " So this is how the machine works, " he thought. His previous work on the wire recorder and his own primitive machine had given him a solid grounding in the principles involved.
Returning home from NHK, Kihara worked all night and came up with a design for a tape recorder. The next day, working together with a machine operator at Totsuko, he began to manufacture the recorder himself. Skilled as any craftsmen, they used a lathe to make capstans, flywheels and other parts, and created a prototype recorder in just one week. The most difficult task was finding the right motor and rubber. There was no motor strong enough to drive a tape recorder. With no alternative, Kihara decided to use a weak induction motor. Fujiya Electric Co., Ltd. was then producing induction motors for use with record turntables. However, the motor speed easily changed whenever the voltage or the frequency fluctuated, and natural rubbers, which was the only type rubber available, easily stretched and snapped.
|
 | | The first prototype tape recorder. |
|
The first prototype Kihara made was a vertically designed tape recorder modeled after the " Magnecorder, " which had already been put to practical use in the United States.
Completed in September 1949, this prototype was followed by G- and A-type prototypes in January and February of 1950, respectively. Totsuko was thus making steady progress toward the creation of the first tape recorder to be marketed in Japan. The G-type was designed for institutional use, with a recording time of one hour while the A-type was designed for home-use, with a recording time of 30 minutes. Although the A-type product did not advance beyond prototype stage, its concept was fully incorporated into the H-type, which later marketed as the first home-use tape recorder. In this way, the G-type product was completed.
In marketing the G-type tape recorder, Totsuko registered it under the trademark name of " Tapecorder. " At the same time, the Totsuko tape was commercially named " SONI-TAPE. "
The March 15, 1950 edition of the Mainichi Graph magazine carried an article with a photograph of Totsuko's " Tapecorder. " It read, " This is a tape recording machine soon to be mass-produced in Japan. It may well be called ' Talking Paper '... According to the manufacturer, it will prove very handy wherever it is used, and ' talking magazines ' and ' talking newspapers ' will become a reality in the future. " The caption uncannily forecast that, " The phonograph may well be replaced by this machine eventually. "
A year had gone by since Ibuka first recognized the importance of tape recorders. The diligent research and countless number of trial and error stages had finally paid off for Totsuko.
|
|
|
|
|
|
