"The capstan is a passive device. The motor pulley diameter via the *pinch roller* determines the tape speed. The capstan wheel can be any size at all.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA "

Absolutely false. the pinch roller can be any damn diameter is want. The tape speed is controlled by the driven element of the system which is that capstan and is exactly its RPM times its diameter and of course Pi.

Alot of people misunderstand this, especially in the US. Same thing with the idler wheel on a turntable, it can be bigger or smaller, doesn't mean ****. the ratio that matters there is the motor to the rim, which is the driven element. On tape, the speed is precisely controlled by the capstan and that is based on the capstan diameter. ONLY. The pinch roller can be as big as a truck tire and it still goes the same speed.

Y'know, when I was in school they gave me this test. Turns out I was in the 99th percentile in mechanical reasoning. I liked that part of the test, gears n ****. When I started corresponding internationally, I thought that too high. People in some countries are smart as all hell. So in the world maybe I am just a 50. But the thing is, here we got guys who cannot figure out how to change a flat tire. (tyre for you oppressive folks across the pond we had to kick out of our jungle because of your damn taxes)

I did not learn any of this **** in schools. The schools here don't teach that useful information, or as far as I could see any useful information. You can plainly see those flywheels move in opposing directions, but there was a disconnect. I can't fault people for that, it is a deficiency in their education. In this country, peoples' Parents worked too ****ing much and thought the schools would teach their kids. Didn't work.

I am not trying to put anyone down, I understand how it is, but the bottom line is this question should never have been asked.