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General Category => Amstrad CPC hardware => Topic started by: bjt on 13:16, 30 April 15

Title: Pausing tape deck
Post by: bjt on 13:16, 30 April 15
I recently got my childhood 464 & GT-65 out of storage, it didn't power up but after cleaning the contacts of the power switch it burst into life :-)


I have successfully loaded some games using a cassette to line-in adaptor & tapdancer, works great.


Is it safe to keep the deck paused the whole time while loading? It was struggling to turn the teeth of the cassette adaptor.
Title: Re: Pausing tape deck
Post by: Bryce on 13:54, 30 April 15
Yes, you can leave it paused as long as you like. Alternatively, you can open the adapter and remove the wheels with the teeth.

Bryce.
Title: Re: Pausing tape deck
Post by: CraigsBar on 13:59, 30 April 15
Quote from: Bryce on 13:54, 30 April 15
Yes, you can leave it paused as long as you like. Alternatively, you can open the adapter and remove the wheels with the teeth.

Bryce.
on a cpc you can, not on a 464plus you can't. The tape drive in the plus triggers the auto stop from the non driven spindle, so both need to turn to keep the drive in play.
Title: Re: Pausing tape deck
Post by: Bryce on 14:49, 30 April 15
The Autostop works by sensing too much tension on the magnet strip. The type of adapter he's using doesn't have any strip, so the Autostop shouldn't activate on any CPC with this type of adapter.

Bryce.
Title: Re: Pausing tape deck
Post by: bjt on 11:07, 01 May 15
I opened up the cassette adaptor and removed all the gears etc, so all that's left is the output head. Not sure what the point of all those gears is tbh. Also rerouted the wire so it exits the bottom of the adaptor and goes straight out of the adjustment hole by the tape deck door.


Also, bonus pic of the machine - it needs a good clean and some pot cleaner in the volume control and the monitor controls too.


(http://i.imgur.com/3ptyU4jl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/3ptyU4j)
Title: Re: Pausing tape deck
Post by: Carnivius on 11:39, 01 May 15
Quote from: bjt on 11:07, 01 May 15
Also rerouted the wire so it exits the bottom of the adaptor and goes straight out of the adjustment hole by the tape deck door.


Is that what that weird lil gap under the tape deck door is?  What does it actually do?  I've always wondered.
Title: Re: Pausing tape deck
Post by: Bryce on 12:20, 01 May 15
The "weird little hole" is directly above the left (springloaded) screw of the tape decks read head, allowing you to adjust the azimuth (tape head position) while the tape is running and lid is closed.

Bryce.
Title: Re: Pausing tape deck
Post by: Gryzor on 17:57, 03 May 15
I didn't think there were 464 users who hadn't used, let alone used, a screwdriver to adjust the azimuth! Damned Capcom loaders always needed their own angle on my machine...
Title: Re: Pausing tape deck
Post by: VincentGR on 19:06, 03 May 15
Quote from: Bryce on 13:54, 30 April 15you can open the adapter and remove the wheels with the teeth.

Bryce.

This is what I did!
A strange thing with the cassette adaptor. On my C64 when I connect an external deck to it trying to allign the head with a prog, it keeps drawing the line even if the datassette is stopped.
I sense a strong magnetic field there  ;D
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