Sabamobil was a magnetic tape audio cartridge format made bySABA that came to the market in 1964. It used already-available four-track ¼inch tape on 3-inch reels (7.62 cm), with twomono channels per side, using a tape speed of 3¾ ips (9.5 cm/s), and was compatible withreel-to-reel audio tape recording except the against remove secured ends of the tape in the reel. The cartridge could be opened without the need of any tools by removing two holding clamps.Tape head andcapstan were placed between the reels.[1]
In the US, the player was offered forUS$136 (equivalent to $1379 in 2024), a cassette wasUS$14 (equivalent to $142 in 2024), and the adapter for installation in car wasUS$45 (equivalent to $456 in 2024). The model TK-R12 also had an builtinmedium frequencyAM-broadcastreceiver and could also be operated portable with fiveD-type batteries.[2] The drive assembly had no drive belts. It appeared in the following year of the introduction of theCompact Cassette[3] and lost its market shares soon to8-track and Compact Cassette, which both came in smaller cartridges.
A similar technique to reuse standard 3-inch reels was the design of thedictation machinePhilips Norelco EL3581, but with rearranged tracks and slower tape speed.[4]