What Happens When You Break the Rules of Tape Loops?

I may have built this cassette tape loop with aesthetics in mind but I'm sure someone has a use for an extra long tape loop. With no specific length of tape required for this loop, could this be the most versatile cassette tape loop?

▬ Video chapters ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

0:00 Intro
1:31 Introducing the tape loop
3:10 Building the tape loop
8:05 Outro

[greggv]

Send one to Techmoan in the UK. He loves weird audio tapes. Definitely want that sample in a fully clear shell so he can see and show how it works.

[NoelWatson-kgqh]

just a note, as i trained as a tape editor 20 something years ago. cuts on tape are made usually at a 45 degree angle to prevent clicks, also reduces chances of a gap between beoth halves of the tape.

[HellJustFroze]

I am impressed not only with the product itself, but also by the fact you only have 20 subscribers and managed to put together a concise, well-edited video, with good quality narration, detailed instructions... it echoes the production quality of much larger, more popular hobbyist channels. I'm the sort of dork that can watch any kind of content as long as the narrator is decent, and the video is coherent and at least mildly interesting, and you've succeeded on both fronts.

[RicoElectrico]

I wonder about longevity of this roller. Rubber bands are unvulcanized rubber (latex) which inevitably disintegrates over time. And I mean way faster than belts used in cassette decks or turntablers - less than 5 years. Now, there's a whole range of oil-based conditioners made for latex clothing, but they would contaminate the tape.
I swear I saw vulcanized rubber bands (black, less elastic) used as cable ties, but a quick search on Google shows there's a silicone variation available. A diameter smaller than a cassette roller, but this means no rubber splicing and supergluing would be necessary.

[JamieFisk]

now somebody just needs to cut a tape of "The Song that doesn't end" together and record it on this so that it will be a perfect loop. . .

[mattomanx]

You were recommended on my front page.
Dude went from 20 subscribers to 2, 000 subscribers in 5 days. What a trip you must be having.

[glasslinger]

This is called a "random dump cartridge" and is used for reverb effects. I built one back in the 1990's that uses a cartridge 6 inches wide. It would run with great fidelity for several days of music. Eventually the fidelity would deteriorate and noise level increase. When electronic delay units got reasonable in price the old dump went to the dump!

[onstr]

holy crap, man! Is this really your first video? I'm invested. This is brilliant.

[miraidongaming]

"Hey man I turned over your tape to hear the other side"
"AAAGH"

[TrapperAaron]

Love the fact you actually posted the .stl files! So many times i see people post things they "designed" and never post any design files. Job well done!

[Rcmike]

Big props for releasing plans and 3d print files! Awesome project:)

[elsf]

Man, that cassette operating table is genius too!😱

[kevtris]

when I was 10 I made something similar to this in the 80's. instead of a rubber band though, I used a garden hose washer, and since 3D printing wasn't a thing, I used some spring steel from a wind up toy. it worked... mostly, but if I put too much tape in it'd get caught and all crinkled up. I used another piece of spring and bent it around to keep the tape off the take up reel.

[salemsoundwaves]

Phenomenal work! I'd especially like to thank you for bringing up that tape splicing rig as I've been working with 1/4" and up exclusively due to my less-than-stable hands. Can't wait to give this a try and see how it might work for other formats!

[flactemnad]

Back in 1989 I worked at a video/cassette duplication company and tape loops of different custom time lengths. I remember 3 minutes working in the standard loop case and it looked a bit like your project. If the customer needed up to 12 minutes it would require a very special case. These were often used for looping announcements in the days before digital. Think movie theater times and schedules, weather announcements, general information.

[AshliSincere]

would not have guessed this was your first video, really great stuff!

[ariadne]

i’ve worked on a bunch of tape delays in a repair context, and i suggest trying to control the amount of grip on either side so as to ensure the tensioning is consistent for various configurations of folds in the tape.

[philaesfarewell]

Just wanted to mention... you are a genius!

[charles.personal]

I am jealous of the professional portable tape recorder

[lazyrobotlabs]

Definitely need to see the 3 head delay breakdown.