This week a basic cassette, but with German certification:
Europa Super Ferro C90
Well, a nice clean design I would like to submit. Luckily, there’s always something to find.
DIN
Hey, this cassette is certified to DIN-specification, DIN 45 512 to be precise. Not very easy to find out the exact details on this without paying for it, but it boils down to this (in German of course):
“Magnetbänder for Schallaufzeihnung; Maße und allgemeine Eigenschaften”
So, it defines the specifications for:
“Magnetic tapes for sound recording; Dimensions and general characteristics”
To be sure that you now this before buying the tape, it’s mentioned on the inlay card too.
Still, it hasn’t helped: this example is more or less stuck. Not one of my decks is able to forward or rewind the tape completely.
Back in the day
Almost every tape is old now of course, but with this one we can safely assume it’s pre-1990. The “90” next to “Made in Western-Germany” could even be seen as an omen.
The dotted line
The inlay card shows a rather nice dotted pattern.
The black font is easier to read on this pattern than the white.
As the tape is unplayable, it really is low noise.
The straight story
Aside from the dots, there are some straight lines as well.
It’s an old handmade design, corrections and all.
What’s on it
The inlay is empty, and I couldn’t play the tape, but I do know what’s on it. The previous owner used a Dymo embosser to mark his tapes.
In retrospect, a good thing that this tape is stuck.
Tape Monitor 