How do tape adapters work

Cassette adapters are used to play music from an audio device, such as a CD player or iPod, through the cassette desk. These audio accessories resemble a cassette tape with an attached headphone cord, and are available at most retail stores. A standard cassette has a single component, the magnetic media or "ribbon," which is wound in the cassette and stores each song as magnetic data.

The cassette deck contains a component known as a read head, which reads the data stored on the ribbon. After reading the magnetic field emitted by the ribbon, it converts the field to an electronic signal and transmits the signal to the speakers for playback.

These days, a cassette deck is basically impossible to find on a modern car—the last model to come with a tape deck built in came out a decade ago —making the tape adapter something of a relic of its time. But there was a time that cassette tapes were also brand new—and they, too, required adapters. In the early s, it was possible to buy eight-track adapters, which effectively used a tape head mechanism similar to that used in more common cassette adapters.

If you want to be extra nerdy, I recommend getting your hands on an eight-track to cassette adapter, then plugging in a cassette adapter with a headphone jack, then plugging that into your iPhone 6s.

Who knows—it might just work. Sign In Create Account. The cassette deck is fading in popularity in cars, but its former ubiquity in prior decades led headphone-jack adapters to become a fact of life for people who wanted to plug in a phone or iPod. Then, transfer the files to a USB thumb drive , which can hold thousands of songs.

Digitizing your collection has another benefit, too: You'll preserve your music without the inevitable degradation that affects tapes. Although the last vehicle equipped with an original equipment manufacturer OEM cassette deck rolled off the line years ago, the format isn't completely obsolete. As long as there are people who want them, the aftermarket for car cassette decks will live on.

So, if you're willing to junk your cassette-less head unit, replace it with an aftermarket cassette deck. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance.

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