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pet cassette images

billdeg

billdeg

Technician
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
3,885
Location
Landenberg, PA USA
There are few PET prg file archives online. I am slowly copying cassette programs to disk and cassette simultaneously, but I plan to work on my cassette duplication unit (for cassette programs) to see if I can get it running properly. Making copies of cassette programs, one program at a time is sloooooow. ag.
 
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billdeg said:
There are few PET prg file archives online. I am slowly copying cassette programs to disk and cassette simultaneously, but I plan to work on my cassette duplication unit (for cassette programs) to see if I can get it running properly. Making copies of cassette programs, one program at a time is sloooooow. ag.
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ISTR that there was a batch cassette-to-disk program written by Jim Butterfield; I think I have a copy or at least a listing somewhere but don't ask me to find it ;-) - maybe someone else on here will have a copy or at least some more info.

As to making cassette images/copies, have you tried reading the whole cassette with something like Audacity? Presumably you could chop it up into individual files and put it back on tape if necessary; a circuit to digitize the audio is pretty simple, if you want to load directly from a PC. Haven't tried it myself, but it seems pretty feasible; may have to do some R & D some day.
 
My comment was just to say that there are very few libraries of actual tape images. Copying an existing cassette, even using modern methods, is still slow because you still have to play the cassette, splice up the programs, make the proper spacing, etc.

I have on my web site directions for how to copy a machine language program to and from cassette and disk.
http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=287


Jim Butterfield's unicopy is good for transporting programs to and from c64<--> PET. This file in in the PET section of my web site.

I have heard a lot of people say how easy it is to record cassette programs using moden computers, yet there are very few who actually have done it with PET programs. Where are they if it's so easy?

Bill
 
billdeg said:
My comment was just to say that there are very few libraries of actual tape images. Copying an existing cassette, even using modern methods, is still slow because you still have to play the cassette, splice up the programs, make the proper spacing, etc.

I have on my web site directions for how to copy a machine language program to and from cassette and disk.
http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=287
Jim Butterfield's unicopy is good for transporting programs to and from c64<--> PET. This file in in the PET section of my web site.

I have heard a lot of people say how easy it is to record cassette programs using moden computers, yet there are very few who actually have done it with PET programs. Where are they if it's so easy?

Bill
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I get you: are you just copying cassettes to other cassettes and disks, or also to a PC in order to create cassettes from a PC file and/or load directly into a PET from a PC?

Do you have any PC format (WAV, MP3 etc.) cassette files on your site?

Where are the few PET archives that you have found?

mike
 
Sorry to not have been clear.

At present I typically archive tape programs onto diskette one program at a time and then copy from disk to modern media.

I recognize that the easier thing to do would be to create WAV file (or whatever) by playing the cassette directly onto a computer at the correct volume and tone to be readable by a computer's cassette player and controller.

I personally have 0 WAV files of PET cassettes, but I have plenty of original cassettes. I have slowly been working to make WAV file images of the cassettes I have. So far I have set up a system to make the recordings, it seems to work but I have not perfected the process of returning a WAV image back to cassette. I have the skills, I just need to get on with it.

I have a small archive of PET programs that I found online, nothing unique. It seems like there are no new PET tape images in WAV, or individual PRG format. In otherwords, no one is archiving their tapes that I know of. I hope to change that, but it's slow going.

Bill
 
I imagine I have the same ones as you already have Bill, but if you want and I remember I can give you a list of whatever I do have for PET but they were downloads, not self-made so I can't vouch for them too much.
 
billdeg said:
My comment was just to say that there are very few libraries of actual tape images.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It's a lot more difficult to find PET software, even for use with emulators.

billdeg said:
I have heard a lot of people say how easy it is to record cassette programs using moden computers, yet there are very few who actually have done it with PET programs. Where are they if it's so easy?
Click to expand...

I think this goes back to the root of why there aren't many PET software archives: There are not as many collectors with a working PET and software as there are with many other systems.

I can't very well digitize PET cassette software if I don't own any. I have, however, digitized other cassette software for other systems. One day, if I ever get a chance to own a PET with software, I will probably archive PET software.

I've been surprised at how difficult it is to find software archives for many once popular systems, for example the TRS-80 I/II/II/4. Likewise, I've found many modern storage alternatives for other systems (SD/CF/USB) but not for the TRS-80 I-4. Why is it that some computers, like the PET and TRS-80s I-4, have gotten so much less attention?
 
tezza said:
Bill,

I didn't find a lot of PET programs on the web. I did manage to make cassette tapes of the ones I did find using a C-64 as an intermediary. The story is here.

Tez
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There's a fair bit of PET stuff out there; even though you guys wouldn't reveal what you found and where, I'm going to be nice ;-)

Here's 12 disks of games to get you started:

http://www.commodore.ca/download/download.htm

I have all 30 of the Cursor magazine tapes, containing roughly another 150 or so programs; you can find the related "magazines" with details on bombjack:

http://www.bombjack.org/commodore/newsletters.htm

I was going to archive them, but when I looked around I found they were already out there; unfortunately I can't find them when I look for them now. Maybe someone knows where they can be found; Leif Bloomquist had them on his site a while back, I'll ask him if they can still be found somewhere.

Maybe one of these days I'll get around to looking through the 40 or 50 other cassettes and ~100 disks and archiving anything interesting. Some of them are utilities and commercial software, some are tapes of programs commissioned by and written for a local board of education, some were written by myself for fun and profit, and some are just miscellaneous games and stuff.

There's also the recently released TPUG library CD-ROM; lots and lots o'stuff on there.

Just gotta look around...
 
I have a similar inventory. Everyone has the same stuff. Nothing new and less than what was avail. five years ago. That's my whole point. Anyway, I will look for some new stuff and post it.
 
MikeS said:
There's a fair bit of PET stuff out there; even though you guys wouldn't reveal what you found and where, I'm going to be nice ;-)
Click to expand...

Yes, thanks Mike but I'd found those ones when I orginally went looking too (I did have a link to where...ya just had to read the linked article :) ).

I went through those archives and extracted what I regarded as the best of 'em.

It would be good to get a simple cassette-based word processor? Was there every anything like Scripsit or electric pencil for the PET?

Tez
 
Wpp16/32

Wpp16/32

There is a program by CmC Software (Connecticut microComputer) out of Brookfield Connecticut USA who made a word processor for 16K-32K PETs called

Word Processor Program
WPP 16/32
1978

I have just tonight made a copy of this program from tape to 8050 disk. I need to move it to the web next, in PRG format. It's made for the PET using the CBM 2022 and 2023 printer, possibly the Diablo printer of the day.

I am going to scan the manual tomorrow, and as soon as I can post to my web site. It's a nice program, lots of controls/options.

Bill
 
tezza said:
Yes, thanks Mike but I'd found those ones when I orginally went looking too (I did have a link to where...ya just had to read the linked article :) ).

I went through those archives and extracted what I regarded as the best of 'em.

It would be good to get a simple cassette-based word processor? Was there every anything like Scripsit or electric pencil for the PET?

Tez
Click to expand...
Sorry Tez, I was actually yanking Bill's chain ;-)

But anybody complaining about the lack of PET software should have a look through the TPUG CD ; over 10,000 Commodore programs, probably a couple of thousand for the PET alone:

http://www.tpug.ca/archive/catalogs/PET SuperPET and B-128 Library 300dpi.pdf

When I get back home I'll try to dig out Electric Pencil for ya.

m
 
This is a reply to myself, just as much as to anyone else here in this thread.

Clearly there are plenty of PET program images out there. Just because they're not WAV images is not really important. I think that my original comment that started this thread is kind of pointless. So to myself - why is it important that there be cassette WAV images? The TPUB PET archive alone would keep anyone busy for a week, I use a drive with my PETs, except for the very oldest PETs because it's so much easier and faster.

You have all made good points and thanks for your offers to share programs and the like. If anyone here wishes to store their PET archive on my site, let me know. You can either email me the files or if they're too large I can give you a temp FTP account.

:)
 
I think that cassette images are a useful idea; assuming that you still have a cassette deck then you should be able to download a file off the 'net and get it into your Commodore box without any special cables or software whatsoever.

FWIW thanks to Leif Bloomquist I now have the D64 Cursor images (and of course I also have the original tapes) in case anyone's interested in any of those. He also reminded me of another good collection of PET and other CBM software and info at:
http://petlibrary.tripod.com/
just in case anyone still thinks there's no PET software out there ;-)

mike
 
A cassette deck? Only today, I have seen three 1530's lying around my place, Datassettes I didn't even know I owned. Guys, stay away from getting one of those. They breed by themselves, I swear. Sure, you think one tape recorder is cute but six months later when you find a small pile of them and nobody wants to adopt one, it becomes a burden. I mean, you can't really kill (throw away) unwanted Datassettes as long as they still work; can you?
 
MikeS said:
FWIW thanks to Leif Bloomquist I now have the D64 Cursor images (and of course I also have the original tapes) in case anyone's interested in any of those.
Click to expand...

Mike,
Are these diskette images of the old 'Cursor Magazine' cassettes? I remember that the first file on them would be a funny animation. I would like one to check if they run on my 8032. If not, is there a software way to temporarily convert the 8032 to a FAT 40?

I ordered the TPUG CD and a nice guy named Ernie sent me an email saying he just shipped it. Now that I have a method of getting files from the PC to my PET, I am interested in trying these old files.
-Dave
 
carlsson said:
A cassette deck? Only today, I have seen three 1530's lying around my place, Datassettes I didn't even know I owned. Guys, stay away from getting one of those. They breed by themselves, I swear. Sure, you think one tape recorder is cute but six months later when you find a small pile of them and nobody wants to adopt one, it becomes a burden. I mean, you can't really kill (throw away) unwanted Datassettes as long as they still work; can you?
Click to expand...
Heh, heh; I know exactly what you mean ;-)

But I meant an ordinary cassette deck which you could plug into the line out of the PC sound card to recreate the cassette; of course I'm also assuming that there's a datasette for the PET.
 
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