Tape head readers - gold?

**TheCreator** · 12-21-2016, 02:55 AM

At the moment I only have regular tape heads (no large vcrs).
I've read they have a sliver of gold inside?
I do not mind spending the time breaking open.

**eesakiwi** · 12-21-2016, 08:04 AM

I have not heard that's there's Gold in a tape head reader before, ever.

But since there's almost a sliver of truth in something, I think the reference might be to there possibly being a sliver of Gold in a Hard drives readers arm. On the little mylar band that runs from the pivot to the actual head.

This is a pic from a YouTube, I don't know how much truth there is in it though.

While I'm on the subject, there's something similar looking on the brown mylar on the boxy looking ink jet cartridges, HP's.
When I have melted some of it, the tracks come off the plastic and while some have the Copper track as a backing, some look like they are a solid Gold track. YMMV.

While looking for a pic, I found this pic.

**TheCreator** · 12-22-2016, 02:19 AM

Opened it up.
Inside the metal housing was a thin copper plate, surrounded by several thin Alumium plates meshed together.
This was all encased in a kind of pewter; Is pewter non conductive?
I suspect the copper plate was silver plated(very slightly) on the read edge, you can see it in the photo (thin line in centre).

I'd love to inspect a high quality stereo system or VCR though.