Loran (cassette)

Loran was the brand name of a blank compact audio cassette marketed throughout the 1970s and 1980s and manufactured by Loran Cassettes & Audio Products, Inc, a division of Loranger Manufacturing Corporation.
Unlike most other brands of cassettes at the time, which were made of more conventional formulations of plastic, Loran cassettes were exceptional in that the cassette's housing was made of Lexan thermoplastic, which has much more resistance to extreme heat. Lexan was chosen by Loran to provide a blank cassette that was more suited for use in the fluctuating temperatures of automotive environments, especially a car's interior during hot summer days, which could easily warp a conventional cassette's housing.
Also, the tabs covering the write-protect notches of Loran cassettes were built-in plastic mechanisms that would open or close the notch by turning the mechanism with a small flat-blade screwdriver or a fingernail, as opposed to the write-protect tabs of other cassettes which were broken out instead, as the hardness of the Lexan would've made this very difficult for the average user to accomplish.
Loran produced blank audio recording cassette tapes, some with blue Lexan shells utilized high quality AGFA Cobalt Chrome Type II tape formulation. Loran also produced very good quality computer cassette data tapes for early generation home computers.
Loran cassettes were also used by automobile manufacturers such as Ford audio demonstration cassettes included with new automobiles equipped at the factory with cassette deck radios, due to the cassette's heat-resistant design. Loran cassette tapes were also produced by the consumer electronics company Bose Corporation for an entire series of pre-recorded music demonstration cassette tapes. Loran also made blank pre-formatted "DDP" (Digital Data Pack) cassettes for data storage for the Coleco Adam home computer when it was introduced in 1983.

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