4 ms·

In the early 1980s, I had a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer For storage, unlike the C6

In the early 1980s, I had a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer For storage, unlike the C64, the CoCo used normal, consumer level cassette machines, with their associated cassettes. I was quite busy with that system, and ended up building a library of several dozen tapes, containing off the shelf software, but mostly software and data that I'd created and saved. The problem I had was tape reliability. At the time, I estimated that each tape had about a 2-3% chance of becoming corrupt per day. Having more time than sense, I ended up going forward with an intensive, structured tape backup/duplication scheme, not unlike tape backup rotations I'd end up administering professionally some years later. With the gear that I had, a tape duplication took 30-40 minutes, so this was a time consuming process, but it worked. Why did my tapes go bad so frequently? In retrospect, there were two factors: 1. There was a high voltage step down transformer on a power pole about 20 feet from my room. I remember as a child that this transformer had problems at least a couple of times. In one case, it spectacularly sprayed sparks down on our back yard, and the electric company came out and messed with it multiple times besides. 2. In the other direction, our neighbor had a very tall CB antenna. Probably 30 feet or more, and the base of this thing was only 60 or so feet from my room. We know that he transmitted on illegal frequencies. (We sometimes heard his voice on our TV, I'm totally not kidding.) It would not surprise me if he was using illegal power levels too. Good times.

dunham 8y ago
I had an obscure machine called an Interact[1]. It had a built-in tape drive, and my issue with that was the read head kept getting out of alignment. I had to regularly adjust it. (Probably because I transported it to friends' houses in a wagon.) My first hardware hack was cutting the trace to the HLT line on the 8080A CPU and wiring up to a toggle switch to act as a pause button. Also good times. :) [1]: http://oldcomputers.net/interact.html http://oldcomputers.net/interact.html
reaperducer 8y ago
unlike the C64, the CoCo used normal, consumer level cassette machines The problem I had was tape reliability And now you know why the C=64 didn't use consumer tape recorders. Ordinary tape recorder speed and volume of recording can vary from machine to machine. The 64's datasette was more strictly engineered, for compatibility between systems. It's why on CP/M machines, you could hook up a generic tape recorder to record your programs, or you could spend extra money for a "data" cassette recorder, which helped improve reliability. (The C=64 part is according to what I've read. I never had a datasette for it. I was one of the fortunate who started out right with a 1541.)
- kw71 8y ago
  Also longer tapes could be affected more by stretching. For computers they sold cassettes in short lengths such as 15-minutes. The Datasette had a digital interface to the computer. This and the known calibration went a long way to help it.
reaperducer 8y ago
We know that he transmitted on illegal frequencies. (We sometimes heard his voice on our TV, I'm totally not kidding.) That's most likely about power levels, and not illegal frequencies. I worked at an AM radio station that was built in the middle of nowhere. Eventually the suburbs surrounded it, and the neighbors would complain about the sound of our station coming out of all kinds of electrical things. That's what you get when you move into a house next to a radio station.

dunham 8y ago

I had an obscure machine called an Interact[1]. It had a built-in tape drive, and my issue with that was the read head kept getting out of alignment. I had to regularly adjust it. (Probably because I transported it to friends' houses in a wagon.) My first hardware hack was cutting the trace to the HLT line on the 8080A CPU and wiring up to a toggle switch to act as a pause button. Also good times. :) [1]: http://oldcomputers.net/interact.html http://oldcomputers.net/interact.html

reaperducer 8y ago

unlike the C64, the CoCo used normal, consumer level cassette machines The problem I had was tape reliability And now you know why the C=64 didn't use consumer tape recorders. Ordinary tape recorder speed and volume of recording can vary from machine to machine. The 64's datasette was more strictly engineered, for compatibility between systems. It's why on CP/M machines, you could hook up a generic tape recorder to record your programs, or you could spend extra money for a "data" cassette recorder, which helped improve reliability. (The C=64 part is according to what I've read. I never had a datasette for it. I was one of the fortunate who started out right with a 1541.)

kw71 8y ago
Also longer tapes could be affected more by stretching. For computers they sold cassettes in short lengths such as 15-minutes. The Datasette had a digital interface to the computer. This and the known calibration went a long way to help it.

reaperducer 8y ago

We know that he transmitted on illegal frequencies. (We sometimes heard his voice on our TV, I'm totally not kidding.) That's most likely about power levels, and not illegal frequencies. I worked at an AM radio station that was built in the middle of nowhere. Eventually the suburbs surrounded it, and the neighbors would complain about the sound of our station coming out of all kinds of electrical things. That's what you get when you move into a house next to a radio station.