system11 Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 I have Hard Hat Mack on cassette, unfortunately my 1010 decided to chew it up (yes I know, I was a fool to use a 1010 at all) and it's a very rare game with no dumped tape image that I can find. I've managed to make wav files of sides A and B, and I tried replacing some damaged sections in Audacity to create a single intact wav for conversion - but wav2cas just creates a broken cas file. I tried Altirra which has wav input support and that can load and run any of the wav files successfully, and even export wav or CAS files, but again the CAS doesn't work. Is there anyone who can help fix this one? I was hoping to end up with a good CAS to 1) make available to ROM sites and 2) create a good WAV from so I can write it to a new blank tape and swap the reels in the cases. I've uploaded a zip with side A & B (best versions of multiple attempts) and two 'fixed' files where I started replacing audio sections to try to eliminate signal drops. The tape doesn't work on a real Atari anymore. http://www.system11.org/temp/ROMs/hard_hat_mack.zip 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kr0tki Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 (edited) WAV2CAS is an obsolete tool, doesn't work well with copy-protected tapes or recordings of less-that-stellar quality. But for newer tools, such as my own a8cas-convert, your recordings are a walk in the park. There was no need to fix the signal drops, as the non-modified recordings turned out 100% working. Specifically, to convert the file I used a8cas-convert --header-length=10The "--header-length" parameter was required as the very last block has less than 20 signal transitions, which is the default minimum to recognize a data block. I'm attaching only one CAS file, because both sides contain the same data. system11, can we archive your WAV files for preservation purposes in Farb's preservation project[/url]? Hard Hat Mack (1985)(Ariolasoft)(GB).zip Edited July 8, 2018 by Kr0tki 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
system11 Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 (edited) Thanks!!! - I'd tried a8cas-convert too and again got nonworking cas files, I've tried again with that header flag and I still generate nonworking CAS files, is there a problem with 64 bit machines? Which wav did you use? Yes, feel free to archive the wavs - is there a list of wavs required? I have 150-ish original tapes for the Atari which are known to work. Edited July 9, 2018 by system11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 Thanks!!! - I'd tried a8cas-convert too and again got nonworking cas files, I've tried again with that header flag and I still generate nonworking CAS files, is there a problem with 64 bit machines? Which wav did you use? Yes, feel free to archive the wavs - is there a list of wavs required? I have 150-ish original tapes for the Atari which are known to work. if you have that many, it might be a great idea to have those working tapes archived for/by one of the preservation projects.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
system11 Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 They can just tell me what I need to do. I quite regularly ROM dump arcade hardware & cartridges. With C64 tapes it's been dead easy since TAP files (reading tapes and indeed rewriting them) appear to be a perfected art and I have an inline device which dumps the data to SDcard, but nothing similar appears to exist for the Atari. Who should I talk to about it - are there any good open archiving projects who make all the dumps available? I don't like to directly help closed-door efforts, anything I dump gets public release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 Who should I talk to about it - are there any good open archiving projects who make all the dumps available? I don't like to directly help closed-door efforts, anything I dump gets public release. Neither AtariMania.com, Archive.Org, this website's forums, nor the Atari 8-Bit Software Preservation Project (search this forum for actively-maintained thread) are exactly secret ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
system11 Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 I'll try asking the Atarimania people then - the initial question really is "what's the best way to dump these tapes?", I don't mind buying / modifying equipment and doing all the legwork if someone can just tell me the best approach. At least they'll have Hard Hat Mack for now 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 Thanks System11 for dumping the cassette and thanks Kr0tki for converting it to a .CAS. I just added it to the Atarimania database. http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-hard-hat-mack_11796.html Allan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caterpiggle Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 (edited) Hello to you all, Is possible for you to help me out how to rescue my failure 3rd party tape ? I will post an photo soon. Yes, I know "Zaxxon" is everywhere online BUT I have another title named "Spelling Bee" on that same type tape color. I brought it in South African Mall when I was a boy. Edited July 10, 2018 by Caterpiggle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
system11 Posted July 11, 2018 Author Share Posted July 11, 2018 Going back to the CAS conversion of those WAV files I uploaded - I'm using a8cas-tools-1.3.1-lib8cas-1.5.0 distribution - is this the wrong thing to be using? Were my tape levels in the right sort of ballpark? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a8isa1 Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Am I wrong or is this version of Hard Hat Mack in hi-res with NTSC artifacting? I must be wrong. Seems to be a distribution from Great Britain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Hard Hat Mack? I've got it as artifact-ed.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a8isa1 Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 OK. I see this version in Kheffington's disk set but I had never spotted it until now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kr0tki Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Thanks!!! - I'd tried a8cas-convert too and again got nonworking cas files, I've tried again with that header flag and I still generate nonworking CAS files, is there a problem with 64 bit machines?a8cas-convert works correctly on 64-bit Windows. Which wav did you use?I used "hhm_m_a3.wav". Going back to the CAS conversion of those WAV files I uploaded - I'm using a8cas-tools-1.3.1-lib8cas-1.5.0 distribution - is this the wrong thing to be using?That's the correct one. Although I admit it is not easy to use. If you have any more tapes to convert, it would be easiest if you simply uploaded the recordings somewhere and I'll do the conversion myself. Were my tape levels in the right sort of ballpark?The recordings are quite too loud, but it's not a problem when archiving tapes that contain only a data track. However, if you wished to archive a tape that also has an audio track, then the volume should probably be lowered. Typically the audio track is recorded louder than the data track, so recording at the level you had chosen would result in the audio track being clipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CharlieChaplin Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Well, I got an original version of "(Chennault's) Flying Tigers", complete with package and lots of manuals. The game comes on tape and has several computer versions on it (Apple, TRS-80, Atari, etc.). The Atari version comes first on tape side A, alas, the tape seems to be defect. Tried loading it with two different 1010 recorders and an XC-11 recorder, but all failed. Made a copy with my HiFi tapedeck onto CD-RW and tried loading the CD-RW into the A8 (with a tape-adapter), which sometimes works better than loading from original tape, but alas, this failed also. So, attached you can find a large WAV file (16 bit mono, left channel was empty) created from the (most likely) defective tape and errmm, a CAS file (full of errors) created from the defective WAV file. Currently atarimania only has a *.COM fileversion of this program and since it is rarity 9, I would like to archive it. Maybe someone is able to create a correct and fully working WAV or CAS version (with the help of the COM file maybe)...?!? Flying_tigers.zip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_M Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Hi Andreas, I tried but sadly not successful. The tape is too much damaged. Maybe kr0tki can do some magic here.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaeron Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Altirra is reporting a read error on the second block: CAS: Completed read with status 01 to buffer $03FD; control=FC, position=23.29s (cycle 744255), baud=598.86s, checksum=0F CAS: Checksum error encountered (got a7, expected 99). CAS: Sector sync pos: 23.544 s | End pos: 25.754 s | Baud rate: 600.04 baud | Framing errors: 0 (first at 0.00) CAS: Completed read with status 8f to buffer $03FD; control=FC, position=25.75s (cycle 823106), baud=600.04s, checksum=99 Audacity is showing a complete dropout on the tape, no data recovery possible, it'd have to be reconstructed: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CharlieChaplin Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 (edited) Well, I got the tape to load up to block 90-95 once (not sure which block exactly) and then it crashed. Saved the tape data with a C/D copy program onto a DOS 2 diskette, it has a length of 95 sectors. Maybe this is ueseful to reconstruct block 2, because right after that, the tape always crashed at block 2... Attached you will find an ATR with the partial tape image data (named *.ATI for Atari Tape Image) and a COM fileversion... maybe, maybe the above WAV and CAS with errors and the ATI and COM file can be used to fully reconstruct the boottape and finally create a good WAV and CAS version...?!? chennaults_flying_tigers.zip Edited March 24, 2019 by CharlieChaplin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atarigrub Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Hi, I also have a copy of Flying Tigers, but was only corrupt at the start of the tape. I've stitched my copy and CharlieChaplin's copy together, plus corrected a few errors that I noticed comparing against the .com version. Please see working version attached (CAS and also HEX for reference). Thanks Chennaults Flying Tigers (Discovery Games).zip 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CharlieChaplin Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Thank you !! Maybe someone can also upload the CAS to atarimania ?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Thank you !! Maybe someone can also upload the CAS to atarimania ?!? Maybe. I suppose so. Can you scan the box, cassette, and maybe the manual? http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-flying-tigers_2033.html Allan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CharlieChaplin Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) Well, I do have an AIO printer+scanner+photocopier by HP and the quality is not the best, size is limited to A4, so I cannot scan everything and I do not want to cut manuals into single pages for a better scan. The Flying Tigers package contains several papers, among them a poster showing various aircrafts of WW2, where the size is almost A2, but folded dozens of times, so it fits into the small package (smaller than A5). I did not scan this poster... but many other things. There is also a short booklet of approx. 16 pages, written like a novel, about the historical background and ermmm, I only scanned the front page of this booklet... So here are the things I scanned: Commands, Loading Instructions, Flying, Package (front and back) and the Cassette. Let me know if the resolution is good enough, since I am a scanning amateur/novice... Flying_Tigers_Docs.zip Edited March 29, 2019 by CharlieChaplin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Well, I do have an AIO printer+scanner+photocopier by HP and the quality is not the best, size is limited to A4, so I cannot scan everything and I do not want to cut manuals into single pages for a better scan. The Flying Tigers package contains several papers, among them a poster showing various aircrafts of WW2, where the size is almost A2, but folded dozens of times, so it fits into the small package (smaller than A5). I did not scan this poster... but many other things. There is also a short booklet of approx. 16 pages, written like a novel, about the historical background and ermmm, I only scanned the front page of this booklet... So here are the things I scanned: Commands, Loading Instructions, Flying, Package (front and back) and the Cassette. Let me know if the resolution is good enough, since I am a scanning amateur/novice... No I certainly don't want you to cut/destroy the manuals. Thank you for scanning everything that you could. I really appreciate it. Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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