Rotary head assembly for substantially concurrent recording and

Abstract

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 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 scan the magnetic tape for creating a series of slanting record tracks on the magnetic tape. For monitoring the data being written by the first and second read/write heads, the first and second monitor heads scan only parts of the widths of the record tracks created by the first and second read/write heads, respectively. The output signals of the monitor heads are therefore less in amplitude than if they scanned the full widths of the record tracks. If these signals are found satisfactory, as by a computer of which the magnetic tape apparatus forms a part, then it follows that the data is being recorded with a sufficient quality margin to overcome subsequent self-demagnetization.