+x=usr(1536) Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 7 minutes ago, bluejay said: I'm gonna try the fine tuning. My portable dvd player has av inputs, and I'm saying that I'm using it as a temporary solution, until I can connect the vic to my tv or until I get a 1702. The fuse was between the two black shield thingys that cover the cartridge port and etc. Here's what I'm going to recommend: Keep this as simple as possible. Connect the VIC to the TV via RF. See what happens. Fine-tune if necessary. Report back, with clear details. Fine-tuning the RF modulator would (or, more accurately, should) have ZERO effect on composite output. Tweaking it in an attempt to get composite output working isn't going to go anywhere. It's also possible that your portable DVD player has issues of its own that are preventing the VIC from displaying on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 No, no. Composite works fine on my dvd player. It's rf that doesn't work. I will reply again after I try tweaking the fine tuning knob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 (edited) I fiddled with the little pots inside the vic's rf shield, and it kinda works, and I think I'll have to choose between a fuzzy screen or wrong colors. Edit: It was the cable's fault. I used another cable and it worked perfectly. Edited October 23, 2019 by bluejay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 Is there a cheap 32k cartridge? The Penultimate and the original 80s versions both seem expensive, and now I used up all my money buying a c2n. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 How about you show some gratitude? Your attitude sucks. You are no more entitled to receive help than anyone is obligated to give it to you. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 42 minutes ago, x=usr(1536) said: How about you show some gratitude? Your attitude sucks. You are no more entitled to receive help than anyone is obligated to give it to you. I apologize if I offended you. I didn't mean it. I have my stuff to deal with in the real world and this place isn't as important, and it's hard to express my feelings when I am rushing, especially when I typing, not talking in person. I'm sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 57 minutes ago, bluejay said: I apologize if I offended you. I didn't mean it. I have my stuff to deal with in the real world and this place isn't as important, and it's hard to express my feelings when I am rushing, especially when I typing, not talking in person. I'm sorry. Guess what? We all have real-world problems to deal with. Never have I seen you - once - give thanks for the help that has been given to you. Get off of your high horse. There's nothing special about the things you're dealing with. We're all happy to help you (myself included), but being a kid with a superior attitude will get you nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 Okay. I'll try to improve on that. THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cvga Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 1 hour ago, bluejay said: Okay. I'll try to improve on that. THANKS! I read through this thread a couple of times and I'm not sure what you did that was wrong although I did notice that you said thanks a couple of times. Hey, congrats on the Vic. Do you have any carts? If not, I'd be willing to send you a couple for free to get you going. Just drop me a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, bluejay said: Is there a cheap 32k cartridge? Yes, usually there are a few modern designs on eBay. I did a round-up a little over a year ago, but it appears the auctions I linked to currently are out of stock or removed. Here is one currently available though: https://www.ebay.com/itm/333236919993 Edited October 25, 2019 by carlsson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 8 hours ago, cvga said: I read through this thread a couple of times and I'm not sure what you did that was wrong although I did notice that you said thanks a couple of times. Hey, congrats on the Vic. Do you have any carts? If not, I'd be willing to send you a couple for free to get you going. Just drop me a PM. Yeah. I don't have any carts just yet. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 Also, if people think I'm being an asshole to them for whatever reason, I will apologize, and try to fix whatever I was doing wrong. I don't want to have enemies here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DistantStar001 Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 (edited) I just looked it up. If you really want to know if your computer is PAL or NTSC, then look at the part number on the VIC chip. An NTSC will read 6560, while the PAL will be a 6561. Also, as far as converting .tap or other files to cassette, there is a program for 32 bit Windows systems called CAS2WAV that will convert the files, then if you play them out of the headphone jack into a tape deck, it should work. However, from what I've heard, it helps to have a mono aux cable as stereo can cause some issues. The other alternative (that I use) is an app called tapDancer. It runs on Android exclusively, but accepts multiple file formats, and is a lot quicker in conversions. Edited October 26, 2019 by DistantStar001 Additional information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share Posted October 26, 2019 I already tested everything and determined it's a NTSC. Thanks anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 28, 2019 Author Share Posted October 28, 2019 (edited) I finally got my C2N! It works perfectly, and it came with 6 (terrible) games/etc. They are: Car Chase, Biorhythm Compatibility, Blue Meanies from Outer Space, Slither(Super Slither on other side), VIC 21 Casino-Style Black Jack, and Space Math Out of these, I couldn't run(out of memory) Biorhythm Compatibility, Super Slither, Black Jack, and Space math. What do these programs do?(Especially Bio Compatibility. That name just makes me wonder what the heck it was) Also, I can't seem to figure out the controls in Blue Meanies. What are they? Thanks in advance. Edited October 28, 2019 by bluejay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krslam Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 Bio Compatibilty is not a game. It will determine your 'biorhythms' based on your birthdate and you can then compare those with your potential sweeties birthdate to see if you're compatible. It's about as scientifically valid as Astrology, but these were in vogue back in the 70s/80s. Haven't tested it but I don't think the program is Y2K compliant. More info on biorhythms at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biorhythm This YT video might explain Blue Meanies 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 29, 2019 Author Share Posted October 29, 2019 Thanks for the info. By the way, I thought Bio Compatibility wasn't a game, and that's why I wrote "games/etc." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 29, 2019 Author Share Posted October 29, 2019 What's the round ring thing on the C2N connector? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krslam Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 2 minutes ago, bluejay said: What's the round ring thing on the C2N connector? It's for grounding the unit. I never used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 And keep it away from the back side of the VIC-20. Some people used it as a poor man's reset button by locating the correct pin on the userport next to the cassette connector and put the ground wire onto it. However it is very easy to miss and connect another pin, which could lead to fatal faults so better tie or tape it away, or simply cut it off entirely as it doesn't serve a purpose on the VIC. It kind of does on the PET series where you could screw the ground wire to the case for shielding but the VIC is all plastic and it would be cumbersome to open up the machine in order to screw the wire to an actual grounding point, if that even is desirable. As for the tape games, I don't know off-hand if those are for expanded VIC but if you get ?OUT OF MEMORY nearly right away, it could be a sign that the azimuth angle on the C2N needs aligning. To my knowledge there is no VIC software to do that, but there was specific alignment programs for the C64, recorded on factory aligned recorders. You could also try to put a small screwdriver into the hole and very gently, perhaps 1/8 turn or so screw it back and forth to see if you get rid of the error message in case it really pops up right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 29, 2019 Author Share Posted October 29, 2019 I researched a bit, and concluded that it must be the azimuth, since other people with misaligned heads suffered the same problem; out of memory and loading forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 1 hour ago, bluejay said: I researched a bit, and concluded that it must be the azimuth, since other people with misaligned heads suffered the same problem; out of memory and loading forever. I adjusted the azimuth and now it works! I fiddled with the tape recorder and saved some programs on leftover tapes from video games. What do I have to do to erase a file on cassette, instead of just replacing it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krslam Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Congrats on getting the azimuth adjusted. There's no way to erase a single file on a tape. Tapes don't have a directory or random access, so the only thing you can do is record a new file over the old one. Be careful doing that because if the new file is longer than the old one, it may overwrite not just the file you're replacing but also the next file on the tape. If the intent is to erase an entire tape, both sides and all files, a magnetic bulk eraser can be used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 What does "leftover tapes from video games" mean? But yes, krslam is correct, just like you would record new music on a regular tape, you just record new data on your tape used with the VIC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejay Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 23 hours ago, carlsson said: What does "leftover tapes from video games" mean? But yes, krslam is correct, just like you would record new music on a regular tape, you just record new data on your tape used with the VIC. I mean I'm using whatever blank section of tape leftover in a game cassette. Most games use less than half the cassette's tape, so it's plenty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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