Patent ID: 8272419

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a supply reel; a brake operatively connected to the supply reel; a take-up reel operably disposed with respect to the supply reel; a tensioner operatively connected to the take-up reel; a dancer roller mounted for movement relative to the supply reel and the take-up reel, wherein the supply reel, take-up reel, and dancer roller are configured for winding a tape onto the supply reel, around the dancer roller and the take-up reel; an actuator operable to move the dancer roller to a selected position relative to the supply reel and the take-up reel, and to sense a current position of the dancer roller relative to the supply reel and the take-up reel; and a mechanism operatively connected to the brake, the tensioner, and the actuator, wherein the mechanism is configured to maintain a substantially constant tension in the tape during operation of the apparatus.