Apparatus having a single capstan motor for recording/reproducing data

Abstract

A driving gear is attached to a capstan motor used for driving a capstan. The driving gear is rotated together with the capstan motor. A vertically-movable gear, which is movable in the axial direction thereof, faces the driving gear, and is designed in such a manner as to selectively mesh with the driving gear. The vertically-movable gear is moved up or down by a switch lever, and this switch lever is swung in accordance with the rotation of a mode-switching cam. When the vertically-movable gear is raised by the up swing of the switch lever and brought into mesh with the driving gear, a front loading mechanism moves a cassette holder which holds a tape cassette containing a magnetic tape, and loads the tape cassette in a tape-driving mechanism by utilization of the rotating force of the driving gear transmitted to the front loading mechanism through the vertically-movable gear. When the tape cassette has been loaded in the tape-driving mechanism, the switch lever moves down the vertically-movable gear in accordance with the rotation of the mode-switching cam, thereby disengaging the vertically-movable gear from the driving gear. In this manner, the operation of the front loading mechanism is stopped.