In U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,857 to Pfost et al. a tape guiding system is disclosed wherein magnetic tape is trained over a path employing a number of upright pins in a magnetic tape data cartridge having an ANSI standard configuration. In addition to defining the tape path, pins are used as axles for tape hubs and various rollers and capstans employed in the apparatus. All of these pins are mounted in a base plate having a generally planar surface. The pins are mounted orthogonally with respect to the base plate to avoid distortion as the tape passes a magnetic head. If a pin is tilted with respect to vertical, then one portion of the tape has a shorter or longer path than another portion of the tape. This causes the shorter or longer path portion to travel at a respectively slower or faster velocity than the remainder of the tape. These velocity differentials past the tape head cause tape-edge and signal distortions. However, by maintaining proper alignment of the pins, these, as well as other distortions, are minimized.
In the prior art, pins were usually forced into holes and frictionally held therein. If a pin entered a hole crooked, there was a chance of local buckling of the base plate, possibly ruining the plate, or the pin remaining tilted, with the above mentioned result.
An object of the invention was to devise a method of permanently seating pins in a base plate in a manner such that the pins are orthogonal to a planar surface of the plate, without any buckling of the plate.