Fritz Pfleumer
Encyclopedia
Fritz Pfleumer was a German-Austrian engineer
who invented magnetic tape
for recording sound.
, and his mother Minna (1846–1932) was born in Freiberg
. Fritz had five siblings – Mimi, Hans, Hermann, Otto, and Mizi, one of whom, Hans, emigrated to the USA.
Pfleumer had developed a process for putting metal stripes on cigarette papers, and reasoned that he could similarly coat a magnetic stripe, to be used as an alternative to wire recording.
In 1927, after experimenting with various materials, Pfleumer used very thin paper which he coated with iron oxide powder using lacquer as glue. He received a patent in 1928.
On 1 December 1932 Pfleumer granted the right of use to the AEG
that based on his invention built the world's first practical tape recorder
called Magnetophon
K1. It was first demonstrated at the IFA
in 1935.
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who invented magnetic tape
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
for recording sound.
Biography
Fritz was born as the son of Robert and Minna, née Hünich. His father Robert (1848–1934) was born in GreizGreiz
Greiz is a town in Thuringia, and it is the capital of the district of Greiz. Greiz is situated in eastern Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster....
, and his mother Minna (1846–1932) was born in Freiberg
Freiberg, Saxony
Freiberg is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, administrative center of the Mittelsachsen district.-History:The city was founded in 1186, and has been a center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries...
. Fritz had five siblings – Mimi, Hans, Hermann, Otto, and Mizi, one of whom, Hans, emigrated to the USA.
In 1927, after experimenting with various materials, Pfleumer used very thin paper which he coated with iron oxide powder using lacquer as glue. He received a patent in 1928.
On 1 December 1932 Pfleumer granted the right of use to the AEG
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
that based on his invention built the world's first practical tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
called Magnetophon
Magnetophon
Magnetophon was the brand or model name of the pioneering reel-to-reel tape recorder developed by engineers of the German electronics company AEG in the 1930s, based on the magnetic tape invention by Fritz Pfleumer...
K1. It was first demonstrated at the IFA
Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin
The IFA or Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin is one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany. Between 1924 and 1939 it was an annual event, but as from 1950 it was organized on a two yearly basis until 2005. Since then it has become an annual event again, held in September...
in 1935.
External links
- videopreservation.conservation-us.org - Museum of Historic Video Equipment - Beginnings of Magnetic Recording - Audio, 1920-30s
- A Critical History of Computer Graphics and Animation by Wayne Carlson, Ohio State UniversityOhio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
- Fritz Pfleumer - German biography of Pfleumer from a local (Dresden) point of view