BassGuitari Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Maybe a dumb question here, but TRS-80 (Model I) users: what "sound system" do you use with your systems?I just use my Radio Shack tape unit with the Play button pressed. It works, but not very well. I'm looking for a better alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Considering the units output, the sound will never be great, but you could connect a pair of amplified PC speakers to the unit. Of course you'll have to combine the left and right channels. My favorite sound game for the TRS-80 is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSKhUi-DOws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari-Collector Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 The Model 1 is very limited in sound since it only had the cassette tape output to work with. That's said, some games had some nice effects for the time, at least I enjoyed If memory served, Radio Shack offed an amplified speaker to use for sound back then. Today I'd go with a cheap powered speaker and use an 1/8" coupler to join them. A quirk of the tape recorder I have (CTR-80) is that if you put it in record mode it will send the audio to the earphone jack also, but not the speaker, so you could plug in a mono earphone and listen that way. Oh i remember those stupid white earplug style ear phones, they just don't make them like that now Of course that mean the record is sitting there running for nothing. But I guess it didn't hurt it, it's still work today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Back in the day, a lot of guys had this Realistic speaker plugged into their TRS-80's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Usotsuki Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I think they sold something of that ilk as late as 1999. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Hierophant Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 They still do : http://www.radioshack.com/radioshack-mini-audio-amplifier/2771008.html#.VNrkXPnF8hV 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Yeah, I just use that type of amplified speak with my TRS-80 computers, although I've recently been using a guitar amplifier. Any powered speaker should work as long as it has the right input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari-Collector Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 They still do : http://www.radioshack.com/radioshack-mini-audio-amplifier/2771008.html#.VNrkXPnF8hV I won't mind having one of those myself.. But since Radio Shack is long gone from Canada it's way too late here. Wish I could remember what I use back in the d ay, was something I jury rigged together... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo-Torch Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Back in the day I gutted that RS amp and installed the PCB inside my Model III with its own speaker, power supply and on/off switch on the back. Just one of many experiments I did with it as a kid. For a home computer that technically had no sound, it pretty much blew away every other computer and game console at the time when it came to sound and clear speech. Big Five Software really knew how to get the most out of that line of computers. This year I decided to bring that computer back to life (owned it since 1981) and did away with the RS amp...always had a buzz and no way to adjust the volume. Most modern amplified speakers have no volume control but I found a nice one on eBay for $10 bucks. Volume works well with the line-in and it also has a FM tuner and MP3 player. Then there's the killer Orchestra 90 that goes to a set of PC speaker with sub-woofer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrospect Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I used a little transistor radio for my model 1 system back in '85. Can't remember the brand but it was small, and blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I used a little transistor radio for my model 1 system back in '85. Can't remember the brand but it was small, and blue. Might it have been one of the Rip Shack 'Flavor Radios'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrospect Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Might it have been one of the Rip Shack 'Flavor Radios'? No, it wasn't any of those .... it was more like this one, but blue plastic with a black (vinyl) coat & strap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 No, it wasn't any of those .... it was more like this one, but blue plastic with a black (vinyl) coat & strap. I never understood why so may cheap radios came with faux leather cases Back in the day, a lot of guys had this Realistic speaker plugged into their TRS-80's. My local Radio Shack still has one of these sitting on a shelf... covered in dust. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo-Torch Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 How did you make a transistor radio work with a Model I? Did the I make so much RF noise that it would bleed through on a certain frequency? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrospect Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 The memories are hazy but I think it was wired into the cassette deck. You can have the sound come right out of the deck itself but it's meant to be worse, as I read earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Tomlin Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 How did you make a transistor radio work with a Model I? Did the I make so much RF noise that it would bleed through on a certain frequency? Yes. You can just stick an AM radio next to a Model I and hear the audio. In fact, back in the day, I had to turn it off whenever the family wanted to watch channel 12 on the TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo-Torch Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Same with my Model III. I wasn't allowed to use it when my parents wanted to watch TV. I heard the Model I was far worse and I remember a magazine article which explained on how to build a Faraday cage for it. Your name sounds familiar...were you on RGVC many years ago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.