Have you used your calculator for something that was not really math related?

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(03-02-2019 05:31 PM)ijabbott Wrote:  AFAIK, the compact cassette has a constant tape speed of 1+7/8 in/s (4.7625 cm/s) so the tape counter ought to be geared from that.

That would be true if the counter were driven off the capstan (the little rotating shaft that pulls the tape past the recording head). But then it would continue to count when one presses "Pause". So the counter was usually be driven by one of the tape reels. And as the tape unwinds from the reel, the radius the reel changes and the number of revolutions of the reel per minute of music varies. There may have been some sophisticated tape recorders with electronic counters that took care of that, but mine were simple mechanical ones.

Regards
Max