Teac Corporation

Norikazu Kunikata

Tatsuya Murata

A recording and replaying device is provided in which a user can easily diagnose failure when a built-in storage device of the device fails. In a normal operation state, a microcomputer controls a signal path switching mechanism to connect a signal processing device and a hard disk drive (HDD). In an abnormal operation state, the microcomputer sets a USB interface device to effective state, and controls the signal path switching mechanism to connect the USB interface device and the hard disk drive (HDD), so that the hard disk drive is recognized by an external personal computer as a USB mass storage.

Recording and replaying device

A digital signal path selector is disclosed in its simplest form for selectively connecting two input terminals to two output terminals. Both input terminals and output terminals are laid out on a control panel, on which there are also provided two input select pushbuttons, positioned one adjacent each input terminal, and two output select pushbuttons positioned one adjacent each output terminal. The input select pushbuttons and the output select pushbuttons are arranged so close to one another that any one input select pushbutton and any one output select pushbutton are capable of concurrent depression with the thumb and forefinger of one hand in order to specify one associated input terminal and one associated output terminal for creation of a signal path therebetween. A digital signal processor cooperates with a read-only memory and random-access memory for creating the desired signal path between any specified input terminal and any specified output terminal to the exclusion of any preexisting signal path that might interfere with the creation of the new signal path. Another embodiment is disclosed in which the invention is applied to a digital mixer.

Method and apparatus for selectively providing different electric signal paths between circuits

An optical disk drive is provided with a microcomputer for calculating the number of tracks on an optical disk traversed by an optical pickup in a seek operation and the number of steps to be taken in the seek operation. The number of steps determined in accordance with a signal output by a rotation detector of a feed motor is incremented or decremented depending on a direction in which the optical pickup is translated, and is preset in a counter. In each step of a seek operation, the optical pickup is driven by the feed motor in accordance with the count of the counter.

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Hachioji, Japan

Norikazu Kunikata