Converting TRS-80 cassettes
P.C.Martino
I have a half dozen C-20 cassettes - one , for example, has handwritten on
it:
Book. Ch.1 _continued. Chapter 2 Continued. Chap. 3 begin.
on reverse side: Chapter 3 first version.
I tried playing the tapes in a reg. tape deck and only hear a quiet monotone
hiss when turned full-blast.
These tapes were made by a deceased friend and seem to contain a book in the
works that needs to be recovered.
I ASSUME that the book was written using a TRS wordproccessor (which model
TRS, and which WP - I don't know) and backed up/saved on the tapes...
That's the problem...Very few deatils . How can I begin to get the data into
a Win PC - or if needed buy an old TRS and get the data back?
I have a strong feeling that the data is in a wordproccesor / text format -
and not WAV format due to the length of chapters contained on the 10 minutes
per side of tape.
I know you're not a psychics - but your wisdom - and help is worth more to
me.
Thanks in advance, Peter
PS. Anyone in New York City / New Jersey / Long Island area with working
hardware - and willing to get paid for their time - will be considered.
Mike Yetsko
hear is a monotone hiss when turned full blast, you got
problems. It should have blown you out of the room
with a screeching sound.
But... Assuming that what you're hearing is the data,
and it's just low volume... I'd first off go to one of
the TRS-80 'emulation' web sites and get an 'emulator'.
Some of these will support the sound system input
on a PC, and you can run the emulator and feed the
cassette audio into the PC through the sound card.
At least then you know you have data that is relatively
safe. THEN worry about the software needed to read
and perhaps export the data.
You should remember though that as you mentioned,
there were different TRS-80s. Any clue as to what was
used to make the tape would help a lot.
There was the original TRS-80 with Level I. Then
the original with Level II. (The cassette formats
were different!) Then the TRS-80 Model III type, with
two speed cassette. The slow speed was compatible
with the original Level II format.
Then to really throw a wrench in the works, there was
the original Level II with speed up mods that essentially
created a 'new' standard to consider.
And don't forget the COCO with it's tape formats. Or
the TRS-80 Model 100 series....
And lastly, the PC series, but I doubt you'd be finding a
'book' on one of those.
If you find an emulator that can't read the tape, try
another. Also consider that there were a lot of
'conversion' programs floating around to allow one
machine to read other formats. Look for those as
well to try to read the tapes.
But, in my mind, before you even start this, find
someone LOCAL who can LISTEN to the tape and
tell you with some 'authority' that there is something
there or not. You might be wasting time.
Mike
P.C.Martino <pcma...@acomputerworld.com> wrote in message
news:9e8g2a$oos$1...@slb2.atl.mindspring.net...
Rick
> Any help or ideas is greatly needed and appreciated...
>
> I have a half dozen C-20 cassettes - one , for example, has handwritten on
> it:
> Book. Ch.1 _continued. Chapter 2 Continued. Chap. 3 begin.
> on reverse side: Chapter 3 first version.
>
> I tried playing the tapes in a reg. tape deck and only hear a quiet monotone
> hiss when turned full-blast.
"Quiet monotone hiss"? Sounds like the tapes were erased. You should hear a
distinct 2-tone warble if any data is on the tapes.
> These tapes were made by a deceased friend and seem to contain a book in the
> works that needs to be recovered.
Are you sure he didn't move the data to some other format? Being that cassettes
were such a pain to work with. I'd look around elsewhere on any diskettes or
systems hard drives you find.
> I ASSUME that the book was written using a TRS wordproccessor (which model
> TRS, and which WP - I don't know) and backed up/saved on the tapes...
>
> That's the problem...Very few deatils . How can I begin to get the data into
> a Win PC - or if needed buy an old TRS and get the data back?
You can't if the tapes were erased. And if you aren't hearing anything at all -
specifically something that sounds like modem modulation, then there isn't
anything there. Have you found any computers that belonged to the estate?
Mo
Then using a sound editor prog like cooledit96, record it into a wave and
then use another converter prog to MP3 it! Once you've done that, upload it
to a tripod website or something and give us the link. Don't post it to the
news group! Just a link to download it. One of us is bound to figure it
out.
Mo
P.C.Martino wrote in message <9e8g2a$oos$1...@slb2.atl.mindspring.net>...
Leonard Erickson
>
> Any help or ideas is greatly needed and appreciated...
>
> I have a half dozen C-20 cassettes - one , for example, has handwritten on
> it:
> Book. Ch.1 _continued. Chapter 2 Continued. Chap. 3 begin.
> on reverse side: Chapter 3 first version.
>
> I tried playing the tapes in a reg. tape deck and only hear a quiet monotone
> hiss when turned full-blast.
>
> These tapes were made by a deceased friend and seem to contain a book in the
> works that needs to be recovered.
>
> I ASSUME that the book was written using a TRS wordproccessor (which model
> TRS, and which WP - I don't know) and backed up/saved on the tapes...
>
> That's the problem...Very few deatils . How can I begin to get the data into
> a Win PC - or if needed buy an old TRS and get the data back?
>
> I have a strong feeling that the data is in a wordproccesor / text format -
> and not WAV format due to the length of chapters contained on the 10 minutes
> per side of tape.
>
> I know you're not a psychics - but your wisdom - and help is worth more to
> me.
>
> Thanks in advance, Peter
Well, you're in luck one way. Only a few tape formats were used by the
TRS-80 computers. And one of them is pretty much ruled out.
It could be Scripsit on a Model I or Model III computer. A Model III or
model 4 with Model III Scripsit ought to be able to convert them to disk
files. And then TRS-CROSS could convert them to ASCII files on the PC.
You'd lose some formatting, but the text would all be there.
It might be something from a Color Computer, but I don't consider that
too likely.
It could also be from a Model 100, 102 or 200. All used the same format
for storing text files, and can easily upload the text to a PC.
You ought to be able to duplicate the tapes in a tape deck and still
have a fair chance of the duplicate being readable. Which would let you
send the duplicate to someone.
Or you could try using the sound card in your PC to record them as WAV
files and email the files to someone.
I'm clear on the opposite side of the country (Portland OR) but I can
definitely handle Model 100/102/200 tapes, and also model I & III tapes
(though I'd have to dig a system out of storage).
--
Leonard Erickson (aka shadow{G})
sha...@krypton.rain.com <--preferred
leo...@qiclab.scn.rain.com <--last resort
Jan Vanden Bossche
lot off loss of original data. The straight .WAV should do, 11 MHz and mono
recording is sufficient.
But I agree, If he's hearing a "quiet monotone hiss when turned full-blast",
there's probably nothing on the cassettes anyway. Nothing TRS-80, that is.
All
TRS-80 cassettes - the ones I know (I, III, 100) - used adio recording.
Weren't there some computers that used some kind of digital recording, with
a
custom recorder, not audible on a normal audio tape-recorder ? I'm thinking
of
the C=64, Vic-20 - maybe Tandy WP-2 ?
>===== Original Message From "Mo" <mygr...@swbell.net> =====
>It might be a good idea to hook up a tape deck to your line in on your PC.
>Then using a sound editor prog like cooledit96, record it into a wave and
>then use another converter prog to MP3 it! Once you've done that, upload it
>to a tripod website or something and give us the link. Don't post it to the
>news group! Just a link to download it. One of us is bound to figure it
>out.
>Mo
>
>P.C.Martino wrote in message <9e8g2a$oos$1...@slb2.atl.mindspring.net>...
>>Any help or ideas is greatly needed and appreciated...
>>
>>I have a half dozen C-20 cassettes - one , for example, has handwritten on
>>it:
>>Book. Ch.1 _continued. Chapter 2 Continued. Chap. 3 begin.
>>on reverse side: Chapter 3 first version.
>>
>>I tried playing the tapes in a reg. tape deck and only hear a quiet
>monotone
>>hiss when turned full-blast.
>>
>>These tapes were made by a deceased friend and seem to contain a book in
>the
>>works that needs to be recovered.
>>
>>I ASSUME that the book was written using a TRS wordproccessor (which model
>>TRS, and which WP - I don't know) and backed up/saved on the tapes...
>>
>>That's the problem...Very few deatils . How can I begin to get the data
>into
>>a Win PC - or if needed buy an old TRS and get the data back?
>>
>>I have a strong feeling that the data is in a wordproccesor / text format -
>>and not WAV format due to the length of chapters contained on the 10
>minutes
>>per side of tape.
>>
>>I know you're not a psychics - but your wisdom - and help is worth more to
>>me.
>>
>>Thanks in advance, Peter
>>
>>PS. Anyone in New York City / New Jersey / Long Island area with working
>>hardware - and willing to get paid for their time - will be considered.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
Greetings from the TyRannoSaurus
Jan-80
Mail me direct at JA...@no.spam.PI.BE (remove 'no.spam.')
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Nick Andrew
>I tried playing the tapes in a reg. tape deck and only hear a quiet monotone
>hiss when turned full-blast.
Doesn't sound good (pun intended). If you can't hear the buzz, there's
no data to extract.
I haven't done it myself, but (see http://www.tim-mann.org/ for exact
details) if you play the tape and capture the sound through your sound
card, then tell the emulator the WAV filename, you'll be able to read it
back in through the emulator. Of course you'll need to be able to hear
the data first. I suspect the tapes you have are blank and you will need
to find some other tapes.
Also test on something you know is not important.
I have some TRS-80 tapes which I'll be processing this way, one day
when I get around to it, although I am pretty sure that anything
important was long since copied to disk (which I have recovered already).
Nick.
--
Do not send me email copies of postings. Keep it in USENET please.
John King
> P.C.Martino wrote:
>
> > Any help or ideas is greatly needed and appreciated...
> >
> > I have a half dozen C-20 cassettes - one , for example, has handwritten
on
> > it:
> > Book. Ch.1 _continued. Chapter 2 Continued. Chap. 3 begin.
> > on reverse side: Chapter 3 first version.
> >
> > I tried playing the tapes in a reg. tape deck and only hear a quiet
monotone
> > hiss when turned full-blast.
- does the player work (I tossed a couple of old players last month because
they didn't) ?
- adjust the head height (there may be an adjustment screw near the playback
head).
Mo
one in the car stereo or other deck and see if it sounds the same before you
try to adjust the heads on your deck.
Mo
John King wrote in message <9ehcrp$og6$1...@eskinews.eskimo.com>...
Microblitz
cart in 6809. I later converted to the CBM64. As far as I remember the CBM64
could use a standard tape recorder with some jiggery of the connecting
interface, but the azimouth of the tape head was critical, so most just used
the defacto cassette (Or in my case the CBM64 sloppy drive the 1541). I am sure
i remember seeing a normal tape drive connected to one.
Mo
cassette system as the CBM64, think again. The Atari and the CBM64 used an
entirely different scheme where the tape was actually demodulated within the
circuitry of the recorder, and the resulting data was sent directly on to
the system bus for a load. The TRS-80 system used standard cassette
recorders.
Just a point for what it's worth, I'm an Atari enthusiast as well as a die
hard TRS-80 user.
Mo
Microblitz wrote in message
<20010530044642...@ng-cm1.aol.com>...
william strutts
a special connector to the computer. It had a din 5 connector
on the computer and the connector then had three lines
to the recorder. One for input, output and the other went
to the remote line on the recorder so that the computer
could shut the recorder off.
--
--
William R. Strutts - wrstr...@home.com - Whatever!
C'est moi! http://www.facelink.com/wrstrutts
Just hacking away...
"Microblitz" <micro...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010530044642...@ng-cm1.aol.com...
Leonard Erickson
>
> The Coco used a stock cassette recorder but it needed
> a special connector to the computer. It had a din 5 connector
> on the computer and the connector then had three lines
> to the recorder. One for input, output and the other went
> to the remote line on the recorder so that the computer
> could shut the recorder off.
There wasn't anything all that "special" about that cable. And *all* the
Tandy computers that used cassette (except the "pocket computers) used
the same cable.
In fact, that same cable will work on an IBM PC!!! Though the in and out
plug might be switched. I'd have to check my notes.
Of course, almost all of the systems I just listed had *different*
cassette formats!
Model I/III Level I (500 baud)
Model I/III Level II (500 baud)
Model III Level II (1500 baud)
Model 100/102/200 (1500 baud)
Color Computer (1500 baud)
IBM PC
The Model 4 in Model III mode supported the formats the Model III did.
In Model 4 mode, it supported the Model 100/102/200 protocol. That was
so a Model 4 could act as a "server" for a classroom full of Model 100
systems using the Network II setup.
The Coco, CoCo II and CoCo III all used the same format as did the Micro
Color Computer (MC-10). Though the MC-10 used somewhat different data
formats on top of the protocol (it had different tokens for some BASIC
keywords, and also had a format for saving an array as a file)
william strutts
slow. My brother had one of them and it took forever to
load data from them. The disk drive was little better because
it used the serial port to connect to the C-64. The TRS-80's
all rocked when compared to the Commodores.
--
--
William R. Strutts - wrstr...@home.com - Whatever!
C'est moi! http://www.facelink.com/wrstrutts
Just hacking away...
"Mo" <mygr...@swbell.net> wrote in message
news:HvkR6.175$fw1.2...@nnrp2.sbc.net...
Mo
cassette system as the TRS-80, some of my avalon hill tapes have both
formats on them and they sound very similar, just a different frequency or
volume or something. Mo
william strutts wrote in message ...
Mo
I'm probably wrong, Mo
Leonard Erickson wrote in message <3B16C9F3...@krypton.rain.com>...
william strutts
the tape format. The tape format may be similar but I don't
know.
--
--
William R. Strutts - wrstr...@home.com - Whatever!
C'est moi! http://www.facelink.com/wrstrutts
Just hacking away...
"Mo" <mygr...@swbell.net> wrote in message
news:Y3GR6.136$wE3.2...@nnrp3.sbc.net...
Mike Yetsko
The Original "Model 1" Level 1 was 250
Level II was 500
The Model III added selectable 500/1500 to it's
Level II
The original Model 1 also had a 'pseudo standard'
speedup that a lot of people were doing that would
also speed up the tape. UNLESS you had the XRX-III
mod in the machine. The XRX-III was a 'hardware
squelch' circuit that timed off the video divider to
squelch the audio in at selected times. Since this was
derived from the video, it's time slots were 'hard coded'
and wouldn't work with speedups. Later versions of
the Level II ROM just didn't look for the data bit in
the time windows the XRX-III masked, so you didn't
need that, and it should have worked with the speedups.
Mike
Mo <mygr...@swbell.net> wrote in message
news:O6GR6.137$wE3.2...@nnrp3.sbc.net...
Leonard Erickson
>
> Leonard Erickson wrote in message <3B16C9F3...@krypton.rain.com>...
> >william strutts wrote:
> >Of course, almost all of the systems I just listed had *different*
> >cassette formats!
> >
> >Model I/III Level I (500 baud)
> >Model I/III Level II (500 baud)
> >Model III Level II (1500 baud)
> >Model 100/102/200 (1500 baud)
> >Color Computer (1500 baud)
> >IBM PC
> >
> Wasn't the original model I level I using 250 baud tape speed?
> I'm probably wrong, Mo
No, you are right. That's what I get for posting while tired/distracted.
Leonard Erickson
>
> No, you're right.
>
> The Original "Model 1" Level 1 was 250
So was the Model III Level I. They existed, and I wish I'd thought to
try to talk a tech out of the ROM from one that'd been upgraded.
Because while you could get the Newdos "LEVEL I" program to run on a
Model III, you couldn't get it to read/write cassettes. :-(