Technical Description: Vintage Sony Walkmans’

History
Original namesake is describing the portable audio cassette, now has expanded into the
portable audio and video market. This technical description will focus on the original Walkman
audio cassette player. Marketed to the ordinary consumer, had no record function which was
prevalent to businessman, portable music player.

Vocabulary
1. oxide - rust particle counterpart of iron, still a magnetic element
2. electromagnet - a conductive material wrapped with wires, in the event electricity flows
through the wires the material becomes a magnet (does not have inherent magnetic
properties)
3. magnetic field - physical phenomena whereby the electric current has a specific
correlation to how strong a pole reaction occurs, i.e. lots of electric current input equals
strong magnetic force to develop (two powerful magnets, can be strong enough to inflict
pain), or little electric current equals weak magnetic force (two weak magnets, general
attraction)
4. induction - generating a voltage (source of electricity) from a changing magnetic field

How It Works?

i. The Tape:
Cassette tapes are the medium of information transfer in the audio playback of vintage
Sony Walkmans. The construction of a cassette tape suitable for playback consists of a plastic
base, coated with an oxide of iron, then coated with a film to lubricate and protect the oxide as
shown in Figure 1. The strip of tape is somewhat of a sandwich construction that if elongated to
its’ full length can reach 443 feet.

Figure 1. Tape sandwich construction.

In the recording of a cassette tape the metals permanently align to a specific

arrangement which will correlate to a unique sound pattern later in the playback.
ii. The Walkman: Assuming that the tape has been formatted to a certain metal arrangement.

● Pressing Play
Most cassette tapes placed into the Walkman have been previously recorded with the
users’ favorite Jam. The proper position of the tape is when the capstan aligns with its’
appropriate hole. Upon depression of the “Play” button the tape roller begins to reel the tape in
the direction shown in Figure 2. Concurrently, there is an electrical current that starts to flow
through the tape head wires. The tape head is essentially an electromagnet that has been
reduced to about the size of a pea.

● Physics Behind the Music

As the electric current flows through the horseshoe iron core it makes a magnet out of an
initially non-magnetic metal, much the same way a junk yard picks up scrap metal. The current
input from the Walkman is sent at a certain frequency shown as “Alternating Current at
Frequency X” in Figure 2. This process creates a magnetic field of a certain magnitude.
Induction theory and experiments verify that changing a magnetic field will produce a significant
voltage (power source). This change of magnetic field occurs when the tape is reeled across the
horseshoes’ gap, thereby introducing a secondary field that alters the primary field.
Consequently a voltage develops and is sent to further process in amplification. An analogous
relationship could be thought of as a jetty with a small waterway in the middle, as the water
pushes through the entrance only a portion of the wave enters and has any impact on the larger
body of water on the opposite side. Accordingly, different sounds and tones are accounted for in
the arrangement of the oxides.
 Figure 2. Induction of voltage through tape reeling process.

iii. To the Headphones:

The varying electrical voltage generated in the transfer of information is too weak to be
heard with the human ear. Thus an amplifier takes this weak signal and increases its’ amplitude
and produces sounds that is heard at the users’ discretion through adjustable sound levels.

References:
[1] http://books.google.com/books?
id=DojwZzKAvN8C&pg=PA296&lpg=PA296&dq=cassette+player+physics
&source=bl&ots=P8VhYZtqB-&sig=poYBgYefberpon2m-
aOfMrpchwk&hl=en&ei=BqaaTJakFcH_lgfak9yFCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2
&ved=0CCAQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q&f=false
[2] http://lowendmac.com/orchard/06/sony-walkman-origin.html