wierd_w Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 (edited) Hexbus yo, given that sidecar models seem to be getting developed. Why use that really bad tape implementation, when you can have named files and a catalog? Looks like there is room in there for an arduino and a shield. The knockout is about the right size for the rectangular block type hexbus connector-- Why not use it? (Then you could use it on your sexy new hexbus sidecar, with your CC40, AND, it would still have the original phono plugs on the side to use the old fashioned way too.) Edited June 30, 2020 by wierd_w Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 1 hour ago, wierd_w said: Hexbus yo, given that sidecar models seem to be getting developed. Why use that really bad tape implementation, when you can have named files and a catalog? Looks like there is room in there for an arduino and a shield. The knockout is about the right size for the rectangular block type hexbus connector-- Why not use it? (Then you could use it on your sexy new hexbus sidecar, with your CC40, AND, it would still have the original phono plugs on the side to use the old fashioned way too.) Are you planning to use obsolete media with an Arduino in a cassette recorder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wierd_w Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Admittedly, an SDCard is not only easier to wire, and easier to emulate a closed loop tape with (since there is no physical time delay to respool the medium), but it lacks the... Tactile... and visceral.. components that go with using a retro computer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wierd_w Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 A REALLY stupid thought occurred to me just now.. Metal tape *IS* still on the market. (sorta.) It's in the form of data backup cassettes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_Tape-Open Older tapes are "metal particulate", and newer tapes are "Barium Ferrite" (or coming soon, Strontium Ferrite) An inexpensive (but VERY SHARP) cutting blade and winder could (in theory) cut the tape into the correct width, and then it could be loaded into a cassette shell. Now I am kinda curious how well (If at all) that would work. The recording methodology would be "Not even close" to what that media would be expecting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yakumo1975 Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 (edited) I hope this is the right thread. As well as gaming I'm also in to audio and do videos reviewing cassettes. Today a video reviewing the very cool AXIA brand of type 1 cassettes went live. Please take a look if cassettes are your thing. Edited July 12, 2020 by Yakumo1975 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+acadiel Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 I still have two of the cassette recorders left. $5.35 (or something like that) plus postage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 21 minutes ago, acadiel said: I still have two of the cassette recorders left. $5.35 (or something like that) plus postage. Nice price! What is the average price of shipping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 3 hours ago, Yakumo1975 said: I hope this is the right thread. As well as gaming I'm also in to audio and do videos reviewing cassettes. Today a video reviewing the very cool AXIA brand of type 1 cassettes went live. Please take a look if cassettes are your thing. I am not good with watching long videos. Do you happen to have a write-up of your work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yakumo1975 Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 On 7/13/2020 at 1:55 AM, OLD CS1 said: I am not good with watching long videos. Do you happen to have a write-up of your work? I'm afraid not but if you'd like to know how well the lowest end of the tapes preformed after a better test I did a follow up video on the channel. But basically they all preformed in the order of quality ranking given by Axia. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed in SoDak Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 My local WM still has the recorder at $5 in-store. If it wasn't a 40-mile round trip, I'd snag one for snits and giggles. Tape is an archaic format to me, but indispensible back when it was my only choice. Redundancy ruled for the few genuinely important business-related programs I'd written. Those programs each had their own dedicated tape, so the latest version was always the first file on both sides of the tape, with second and even third copies behind it. Then there was the "chronology" tape that stored all the versions as I constantly updated them. Life was boring pre-internet and I had both the time and inclination to expend the effort to preserve my XB creations. I preferred BASF chromium dioxide but really darn few brands were too cheap to use. Most portable recorders don't have the sort of transport that stresses tapes. At any rate, it was easy enough to use a little finger-workin' to jog or run the tape without letting it just slam into FF, RW or stop. Instead of letting the button do the release, I kept one finger on the button in-use while I depressed the stop or another key. When the catch let go, I'd ease off the button being released so it didn't just pop up in an instant. But that's probably overkill. Worst was a tape spill, the creases almost always killed the file. I was more interested in keeping an even tape pack. Some recorders, especially when jogging back and forth will let the tape edges stick out from the pack, which leads to dragging inside the shell, tape wear and possible mistracking. Best cure was to let it play all the way through or at least FF through, then flip tape and FF back, or RWflipRW, if you will. I made a little dongle to help with loading. It had a meter robbed from a mid-fi stereo deck, extra jack and plug and an earphone with added resistor to monitor the playback at reduced volume without having to disconnect it to hear the recorder's speaker. If I had a tape with a dropout at one point, I could watch the meter needle and tape counter, then at the precise moment, nudge up the volume during the glitch to increase the chances of success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 2 hours ago, Ed in SoDak said: I was more interested in keeping an even tape pack. Some recorders, especially when jogging back and forth will let the tape edges stick out from the pack, which leads to dragging inside the shell, tape wear and possible mistracking. This is a standard recommendation for long-term tape health and storage. Working in one spot of the tape, especially since most decks support the cassette horizontally, will lead to problems, so retentioning before storage is highly recommended, as well as occasional "refreshing" while stored. Even retentioning can be a problem. There are plenty of cassette decks with auto-stop FF/RW, but they work on a mechanical principle which still puts enough power into the drive to spin the reel at the end of the media, causing the tape to tighten and ultimately resulting in distortion of the substrate. This has resulted in many tapes I have been recovering having misalignment and drop-out problems in the first several minutes of both ends of the tape but fine in the rest. 3 hours ago, Ed in SoDak said: If I had a tape with a dropout at one point, I could watch the meter needle and tape counter, then at the precise moment, nudge up the volume during the glitch to increase the chances of success I have used the much lower-tech technique of "ear-balling" it with crappy tapes. Back in the old days of hasty youth and easily worn-out tapes, this was a necessity when transcribing to a new tape. Back when I learned that working on a program and re-re-re-recording over the same spot in the tape was not a good long-term strategy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yakumo1975 Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 New video out now on my second channel, Retro Core AV 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yakumo1975 Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 The Japanese TDK D? The AE, Old VS New - Fans of Italian high energy or Italian dance may like this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+acadiel Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 I have three recorders left if anyone still wants one. Let me know. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdoty Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 On 5/29/2020 at 10:45 AM, Omega-TI said: It would be interesting to know what the output level on the audio out jack is. I have tested it on a TRS-80 CoCo 2, and it's not loud enough to work on that. But, it does seem to work well enough on ZX spectrums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdoty Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 On 5/29/2020 at 12:27 PM, DavidC said: No tape counter though. I bought one at my local walmart last year. I didn't notice the lack of a tape counter until I got home. I returned it. Since then I have been buying any tape recorder I find at flea-markets and thrift stores. I have a nice collection now! ? I've been doing the same. I picked up a boxed Radio Shack one in almost new condition a few months ago. It's my go to tape player now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXB Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 I have upgraded from CASSETTE to .wav files output from a IPHONE or Android to TI99/4A. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+acadiel Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 I still have some of the Wal-Mart recorders new in box if someone's looking for one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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