Microcassette size incompatable.

[Batty33]

My sister has a OLYMPUS PEARLCORDER J300 recorder which she bought in the hope of playing an old PHILIPS 15 MINUTE MICROCASSETTE. This cassette is too large to fit the machine! Are there different sizes of MICROCASSETTES? What does she need to buy to play her cassette? . I can't seem to upload the image but the measurements of the cassette are 57mm x 34mm x 8mm.

[hech54]

I believe that is a MINI cassette, not the usual micro cassette.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1133160-REG/philips_lfh0388_00b_classic_388_min..._recorder.html

[jagabo]

Standard, mini, micro:


micro, mini:

[Batty33]

Thanks very much for this information. Just got to find a reasonably priced player now! Could it be placed (carefully) into a music cassette and played in cassette player?

[hech54]

There were rumors of adapters but those were probably only available at places like Radio Shack.

[lingyi]

While it's possible to unreel the tape and it on a regular cassette hub whose spokes are different, the bigger issue is the record/play speed is ~1/2 that of a regular cassette. An issue just for listening, unless you can decipher 2x speed audio, but easily fixed in software once captured.

[jagabo]

If you have a regular cassette player I believe you can take the tape out of a mini-cassette and put it in a regular cassette shell (most shells have screws so they're easy to open) to play it. In a worst case you may need to wind the mini tape onto the reels from a regular shell.

[Cornucopia]

No, they are different thicknesses (tape height) as well, so they will not properly pass over a replay head of a full size cassette deck. Then you will have all the sonic errors of misalignment.

<edit> Always check your work: my memory is failing me. Evidently, they ARE the same height. Nevermind</edit>

Scott

[lingyi]

FYI for those who may think of putting their Micro Cassette tape into a regular cassette case, the Micro Cassette runs in the opposite direction (right to left) of a regular cassette. Again, easily fixed from a capture in software, but gibberish (plus the speedup) in regular playback. The good news is that it looks like the tape hubs are the same as regular cassettes. No need to spool the tape on the regular cassette hub.

[Batty33]

Thanks to all of you who replied. I think I will try putting the tape into a regular cassette shell and then using "Audacity" to adjust the sound. Many thanks!