data tapes -> PC and PC-> data tape?

[PubZombie]

Hi Guys,
I have just dug my ageing C64's out of the garage and cant believe they still work. is there a way of putting the games from tape onto my pc to archive them and a way of putting them onto other formats, say a flash card that can then be put onto C64 in a similar way that I use a PCMCIA adf transfer kit for my Amiga. any ideas or directions to good web sits appreciated.
pub

 

[per]

one way is to record the tape into WAV file, and maybe compress it to a MP3 if you know what you're doing. Then plug your iPOD/PC to the input of the C64, and play the WAV/MP3 file when the casette should be played. Make sure to not modulate the output (turn of all EQlizers and 3D/Bass boost effects).

Also make sure to use the C64 tape player when you record the WAV.

 

[carlsson]

Per's advice on recording a tape to WAV is the simplest way to get started, but may not yield perfect results. There are some special cables you can build or buy, called X1531 or possibly a regular XE1541 cable if you use the C64 as a slave device when transferring from tape to PC. However, unless you made a lot of own programs, chances are that 99% of your games already are archived somewhere on the Internet, in one form or another.

As for loading, since the C64 uses a proprietary tape recorder you can't quite connect a MP3 player to the input. There exists some MP3 cassette inserts it has been speculated whether they could be used. Another way is to build or obtain a third party tape recorder device which lets you connect a regular tape recorder or other sound source.

However, you mentioned memory cards and in that way you're lucky. For the C64 today there are many different solutions:
* uIEC by Jim Brain. It is available with both SD and CF interfaces
* MMC2IEC, SD2IEC, 1541-III (see above Wiki link for further linkage)
* 1541 Ultimate, like the above but focused on 100% perfect floppy drive emulation
* MMC Replay, a combined freezer cartridge and MMC interface

There exists a few more projects, like the DC2N which is a digital cassette player that apparently both can be used to take backups of old tapes to a SD card and also play back those files on a real C64.

Basically, if you dig around and frequent Commodore forums, you will probably hear and read about even more projects. Many are experimental one-offs, while a few go to commercial production. Many projects overlap eachother so it may be a bit of a jungle which one(s) you'd like to get.

 

[PubZombie]

wow. you should work for NASA. thanx for your time i will let know how things go. unfortunately one bread bin died after ten mins and just givess me alternating pink and black screens. the other works but all five of my tape decks are dead. they turn a couple of revolutions then die. they fast forward but not play.
thanx guys see u soon

 

[carlsson]

Real Datassettes (C2N/1530) are a dime a dozen if you look in the right places. If all five of yours are faulty, the question is if it isn't your C64 that somehow doesn't have the power to drive them.

 

[MikeS]

wow. you should work for NASA. thanx for your time i will let know how things go. unfortunately one bread bin died after ten mins and just givess me alternating pink and black screens. the other works but all five of my tape decks are dead. they turn a couple of revolutions then die. they fast forward but not play.
thanx guys see u soon

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If they FF, then presumably the power is OK. They are controlled by the computer, BTW, so although you can FF or RWD anytime, they won't play or record until the computer tells them to (in case you didn't realize that).

 

[patscc]

Tapes

Tapes

Not to point out the obvious, but are you sure the tape is ok ? Sometimes the tapes become, to keep it simple, sticky in the case. Do you have any known good data or audio cassettes you can try out ? The audio cassettes would only let you see if the deck's transport is working or not.
Even tough you have 5 of them, depending on storage conditions, the capstan wheel (the rubber thing below the metal pin to the lower left of the left reel if you're looking down at it) can easily get glazed, which means it ends up slipping.

I'm assuming the tape transport is sluggish with the bulk of the tape on one of the reels in the cassette shell. Flip the cassette over and see if it acts any differently.

If you try it with a known good tape and it's still doing the same thing, it unfortunately might be either a rubber idler or belt that has deteriorated over time in the innards.

While a weak power supply might certainly be a possibility, I would think you would see other effects it the deck is putting enough of a load on the computer to bog down, such as the computer locking up, video dimming, computer resetting, etc.

Do you by any chance have a multi-meter, voltage meter, anything like that ?

patscc