Walkman Timeline

The smallest cassette recorder at the time, wasn't Sony first cassette recorder but it was Sony's first Walkman, designed for an optimal balance of compactness, recording performance, and reliability. What helped make it the world's smallest was a combination of features: integrated circuits, compact component mounting, and a newly developed built-in mic. The TC-50 was conceived as a recorder for taking dictation with one hand. A simple design makes the most of the natural beauty of the aluminum, and the dazzling reflection of light off the internal mic is also memorable. The popularity of this recorder took off when it was used by astronauts on the Apollo 7 space mission.

An exceptional Cassette-Corder which could be carried everywhere, truly everywhere, with the SonyD-201 motor, exactly like those one could buy to walk in one's garden.

THIS is the original Walkman.Only it wasn't named Walkman and didn't benefit from a large marketing coup.
Launched more than a year before its very well-known TPS-L2 version (aka Walkman), the TCM-100 was targeted at the press people who needed a lightweight and easy to handle portable cassette recorder for modern times.

Weighing only 400g, operating on batteries and measuring 2,9 x 13,35 x 7,85cm, the TCM-100was to replace big bulky units such as the TC-164SD - only the TCM-100's bandwidth wasn't as good : 90Hz...10Khz. This would be changed in the TPS-L2 but not by much.
As can be seen below, the special capstan drivesystem was also used for another bestseller launched a month after the TCM-100 : TC-D5 !
Redesigned for the TPS-L2 were the output controls (L/R independent controls using linear sliders) and the enlarged "stop" button.On the TCM-100, one of the two minijack slots naturally is a MIC input if one were to prefer not to use the built-in electret microphone ; the other is for remote control (rec/stop).
The famous "talkback" orange button of theTPS-L2 was the record button on the TCM-100 (located on the other side of the top).The TCM-100 was available in silver and, later on, in black (TCM-100B).The difference in weight (400g vs. 300g of theTPS-L2) was achieved with some internal parts swaps, less functions and more plastic for the L2.

Bar these small differences and the absence of the tape counter, the TCM-100 already sported the same overall design as its much more remembered TPS-L2 sibling - in fact, it was the very same recorder.

The TCM-600 was a compact, high quality cassette recorder suitable for recording interviews or for dictating notes. It was the latest in a line of similar machines, and enjoyed the distinction at its launch of being the smallest tape recorder in the world which used standard cassettes.

The small metal case housed a well-crafted mechanism that was powered by a miniature core-less FG servo motor. A mechanical device released the play or record keys once the tape ended or if it jammed. The record button acted on its own so it was not necessary to press play as well to start recording. A tape counter was also fitted. As with previous models, there was a pause control, but this worked electrically rather than mechanically, stopping the motor but leaving the recording amplifiers energised and the heads and pinch roller engaged with the tape. Another familiar feature from other Sony recorders was the counter-rotating flywheel. The idea was to have a rotating mass opposing that of the capstan so that the tape speed stayed constant when then machine was rotated on its axis. The densely packed mechanicals of the TCM-600 did not allow for a full-sized second flywheel, so a much smaller one was fitted but was made to rotate proportionally faster to have the same effect. In practice the resulting part looked more like an idler and is best regarded as such!

Recordings could be made from the built-in electret condenser microphone or from an external microphone, which could include a remote stop/start switch. A single LED indicator showed the battery condition as well as giving a rough idea of recording level, which was adjusted automatically. Playback was either through a built-in loudspeaker at the rear of the machine or through an earphone. Playback was possible at a “fast” speed, though recordings could only be made at the normal 1 7/8 i.p.s.

The TCM-600 aroused little interest in the mass market, it was expensive and specialised. Its importance cannot be underestimated however, as it formed the basis for the prototype Walkman models and was used as the basis for the original TPS-L2 model. It was also highly influential in the design of the WM-D6/WM-D6C, a long running and very highly regarded machine.

The TPS-L2 was the first commercially available personal stereo cassette player. For the next 20 years, such machines became the essential accessory for serious and casual listeners alike, and changed the way that music was listened to and enjoyed. Several names were suggested for this completely new class of machine, including Soundabout and Stowaway, but it was the third name, Walkman, that stuck. Only later examples had Walkman written on them, early ones (like the example in our photograph above) simply had the word “Stereo” embossed on the cassette door.
The TPS-L2 used the basic case and mechanical parts of the TCM-600 cassette recorder. The only change to the mechanical parts was the fitment of a stereo tape head and the removal of the record key, erase protection lever, erase head and tape counter. The mechanical performance of the deck, which was originally designed more with speech and dictation in mind rather than music, was considered suitable for high-fidelity music reproduction, a clear demonstration of the high quality engineering found in the more upmarket Sony recorders.

Part of the genius of the personal cassette player concept was the elimination of the unnecessary. In the case of the TPS-L2, that meant not only no recording circuitry but no loudspeaker either. The mouldings in the chassis that accommodate the loudspeaker magnet in the TCM-600 are still visible in the TPS-L2 however. Removal of the recording circuit meant removal of the microphone socket too, though the internal microphone remained. This was used for the now famous “hot line” function. Pressing an orange button on the top of the machine (fitted in the place where the record and fast-play controls had been) faded the cassette sound down and mixed in the output of the microphone, so the listener could be talked to without stopping the tape. This was deemed attractive as two headphone sockets (humorously labelled “guys” and “gals” in the versions for some markets) were fitted so that two people could listen at once. The hot line function made a pause control unnecessary, so the arrangement fitted to the TCM-600 was removed.

The TPS-L2 was actually slightly larger than the TCM-600, partly to house the volume controls. The TCM-600 had a small edge-wise rotary control, but miniature volume controls of any type were simply not available in stereo form at the time, so two independent sliders had to be used instead. In addition to this, a two position tone switch was fitted, which allowed chrome tapes or music cassettes encoded with Dolby NR to be played back without excessive treble.

The TPS-L2 initially sold slowly but with skilful marketing demand soon soared. It was not cheap (around £100, with a second set of MDR-3 headphones costing around £15 extra) but gave good performance and created a new way to enjoy music. A whole new market had been created and within a couple of years every major Japanese electronics manufacturer had begun to offer something similar.

The WM-2, or “Walkman II” as it was known, took the mantle from the TPS-L2 as the smallest stereo cassette player in the world. It could hardly be smaller, being only just larger than the cassette it played.

The main change that made this miniaturisation possible was mounting the tape heads in the lid and arranging for the cassette to be inserted the other way round. Because of this, the heads did not have to retract into the casing for the cassette to be removed, saving a very worthwhile amount of space. The engineering precision required to make this complex arrangement work properly was not inconsiderable, though there were few problems in practice. Not content with simply making the machine smaller, the designers went a step further by making the engagement of the heads power-operated. This allowed the control keys to have a short travel and to be placed on the front of the machine rather than along one edge, reducing the size yet further. To protect the delicate parts, all keys were automatically released if the door was opened.

The small size of the machine made stability even more critical than it had been before, so the counter rotating flywheel was beefed up somewhat, and the parts were now large and heavy enough to make a real difference. As with the TPS-L2, the play key was released mechanically at the end of the tape, and in later versions of the machine, the motor was stopped electronically in the winding modes, using an optical sensor and a reflective disc driven from the supply spool. These later models can be positively identified by putting the mechanism into rewind with no tape inserted, after a few seconds the red “battery” light should go out and the spindle should stop rotating. Later models can also be identified by the writing on the controls, early sets have “fwd” engraved on them, later ones say “play”. The excellent core-less servo motor was carried over unaltered from the TPS-L2, though little else was.
In comparison with the mechanics, miniaturising the electronics to the required degree must have been fairly straightforward, with new and smaller components becoming available all the time. There were three distinct designs used for the electronics, such was the pace of development at this time. Most of the features of the TPS-L2 survived, except for the separate left and right volume controls (a miniature stereo volume control was now available) and the “hot line” microphone. In place of this, the original headphones had a large orange push button where the two leads separated that muted the sound, a similar but less interesting arrangement. The WM-2 retained dual headphone sockets however. The tone switch was also retained, but it was marked for normal and chrome/metal type tapes.

The sleek appearance of the WM-2 was made possible in part by it having no “front” or “back” as such. All faces were styled with equal attention to detail, and unless the cassette-viewing window was visible it did not look obviously like a tape player at all. A battery door would have spoiled the lines, to this was placed inside the cassette compartment. This also made the machine more robust, reducing the chance of the door falling open by accident and the batteries spilling out. So sleek was the basic design that there was no real way of attaching a handle, clip or strap, so a strong plastic holder with a belt clip and attachment points for a shoulder strap was included that it could be clipped into. This too was beautifully designed and made the WM-2 no less attractive.

The WM-2 was the best selling cassette Walkman model of all to date, selling around one and a half million units. Originally, it was available only in metallic grey, though later black and red versions were offered too.

One could easily mistake the WM-1 for the first Walkman model from its numbering. However, this is not the case, and the WM-1 was actually the third personal stereo cassette player to be announced by Sony, following the TPS-L2 and the WM-2 “Walkman II”. The WM-1 followed the same design practice as had resulted in the TPS-L2, taking an existing tape recorder and turning it into a stereo cassette player through simplification and rationalisation. The difference was that the WM-1 was based on a simpler, cheaper and less compact range of models than the TPS-L2 had been, so a simpler, cheaper and larger Walkman resulted. This was a sensible move, as it broadened the Walkman range and in introducing a lower cost model, made it more accessible.

Compared to the TPS-L2 and WM-2, the WM-1 was indeed a substantial machine. Despite this, it was fairly basic, lacking such refinements as the separate left/right volume controls and “hot line” microphone of the former model and the soft-touch tape transport keys and full auto-stop of the latter. Internally, the mechanism was larger and simpler than the other models and used a less elaborate motor with a standard iron rotor and no servo feedback generator. The mechanism betrayed its dictating machine origins by the inclusion of “cue” and “review” modes during playback.

Despite these economies, the WM-1 worked well, and even included two headphone sockets so that two people could listen. A volume control dial similar to that found on the WM-2 was fitted, so as to visually tie the two otherwise quite dissimilar models together.

The WM-1 helped to popularise the Walkman idea by making ownership easier, though surprisingly the smaller, more expensive models proved to be more popular in the end. It was replaced by the WM-4, which was similar but slightly smaller.

WM-3 was the new number for the TPS-L2. The new numbering fitted nicely into the range with the WM-2 and WM-1, and even though technology had advanced greatly in the short time since the original TPS-L2 had appeared, very few changes were made.

The changes are, however, worth noting. The play key was now labelled “play” instead of “listen”. The talk-line button, now silver and matching the tape transport keys in finish, latched down (previously it had had a momentary action). The DC input socket was changed to a smaller size so that the same AC adaptor and battery holder that was supplied with the WM-2 could be used. The tone switch was now re-labelled as a tape-type selector for normal and chrome/metal tapes. Because of this, a logo for metal tape was printed clearly on the front of the machine. The carrying case had been restyled and now allowed the cassette to be more visible and more easily changed. Finally, the case (and the carrying case) became black instead of blue. None of these changes altered the performance of the machine in any real way, and no noticeable changes were made to the mechanical or electronic parts.

The WM-3 was quite large compared to the WM-2 (though it was smaller than the WM-1) but was slightly more expensive, it was sold as a high-quality alternative. For some markets, a WM-3 “Excellent” was offered, which can be recognised by its gold finish.

This second-generation budget model replaced the WM-1. Offering similar facilities, it was three quarters of the size, a useful saving in bulk.

The WM-4 was designed to be cheap and therefore lacked some of the clever and sophisticated details of the more expensive models. The tape transport was of a simple type intended for dictating machines (hence the “cue” and “review” functions) and the motor was of the type commonly found in cheap cassette recorders, complete with a simple electronic regulator. Both the motor and amplifier required a 6V supply so 4 “AA” size batteries were needed, something which, by itself, ensured that the WM-4 was bulky and heavy. The extra power did however make the WM-4 very loud (it is amongst the loudest of all Walkmans) and gave it fast, strong winding modes.

The simple functions included auto-stop (on playback only), normal or chrome/metal tape compatibility, dual headphone sockets and a battery indicator. Some styling cues (e.g. the shape of the cassette viewing window) and text styles were taken directly from the WM-2, though in truth the two models shared virtually nothing. As a further cost cutting measure, the WM-4 was made in Korea instead of Japan.