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General Category => Amstrad CPC hardware => Topic started by: Neil79 on 19:03, 29 July 15

Title: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: Neil79 on 19:03, 29 July 15
What a pain in the arse today testing games for sale! I've been trying to get all my tapes working on a multitude of different tape decks for the Amstrad CPC 6128. They either give a memory full error, or read error b. Too low on volume and it doesn't read it, too loud and it throws an error. Are there any decent tape decks for portable?
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: TFM on 19:10, 29 July 15
Hi Neil, if you get a memory full error, then you probably tried to load a game for the 464. Now what you can do on a 6128 is to use the command:

symbol after 256

this shall free some RAM.


Also if you have an ROM card you can use (if one of your ROMs has it) one of the commands:

!romon
!romoff

They should switch all ROMs off (even #7 the DOS of the 6128), so RAM will increase.


Or just use the CPC464 for tapes.  :)
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: Neil79 on 19:11, 29 July 15
Nice, I shall test that soon :D
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: gerald on 19:17, 29 July 15
Quote from: TFM on 19:10, 29 July 15
Or just use the CPC464 for tapes.  :)
That is the best solution ever  ;) , but take more space ....
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: TFM on 20:02, 29 July 15
Quote from: gerald on 19:17, 29 July 15
That is the best solution ever  ;) , but take more space ....


Well, people waste space for worse.  ;)  But ok, you can listen to tape loading sounds from an MP3 player nowadays... (lacks the CTM640 though).
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: Neil79 on 20:23, 29 July 15
Yay it works!! Just played Seymour tape, cheers :D  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: Neil79 on 20:27, 29 July 15
and view to a kill! Thanks TFM  :laugh:
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: Bryce on 21:26, 29 July 15
Quote from: gerald on 19:17, 29 July 15
That is the best solution ever  ;) , but take more space ....

Who cares about the space! Nothing beats playing a 464 tape game on a real 464 :)

Bryce.
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: 260Z on 22:33, 29 July 15
Hi all ,

Firstly,  good to see Neil found a solution to his problem :)

This is a little off topic. But what about the reverse situation.  Will a 464 with 64k Expansion and disk drive play all 6128 games ? , or do I need Basic 1.1 ?

I have tried looking this up,  maybe not hard enough , and haven't found a clear answer.

Cheers,

Rob
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: chinnyhill10 on 22:36, 29 July 15
Sony TCM 818. They are 90's models with remote connector and go for nothing on Ebay. Best cassette recorder I ever owned and am glad to have one again (dropped my old one and broke it and every recorder I had after it was rubbish).


Obviously you may need a new belt in it at some stage but you will for anything that old. That said mine seems fairly happy on its original.
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: Neil79 on 23:20, 29 July 15
Well it looks as if my Ultimate Play the Game - Gunfright isn't working, tape doesn't sound too good either. So is there a way of copying a wav file over to a new tape? :)
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: TFM on 23:43, 29 July 15
Quote from: Bryce on 21:26, 29 July 15
Who cares about the space! Nothing beats playing a 464 tape game on a real 464 :)

Bryce.


Oh yes, a 2000 Watt stereo does! But it can be only done once, then the neighbors will come...  :-X
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: CraigsBar on 00:10, 30 July 15
Quote from: TFM on 23:43, 29 July 15

Oh yes, a 2000 Watt stereo does! But it can be only done once, then the neighbors will come...  :-X
I solved that... I have no neighbours..... I live here....


https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.433753 (https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.433753),-8.474973,3a,75y,70.92h,79.3t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTOnwxyXan0flTIFY6mFB0A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en


No issue then!
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: EgoTrip on 00:15, 30 July 15
Quote from: 260Z on 22:33, 29 July 15
Hi all ,

Firstly,  good to see Neil found a solution to his problem :)

This is a little off topic. But what about the reverse situation.  Will a 464 with 64k Expansion and disk drive play all 6128 games ? , or do I need Basic 1.1 ?

I have tried looking this up,  maybe not hard enough , and haven't found a clear answer.

Cheers,

Rob

If the games are coded in machine code (as most are) then you should be OK. However if they were coded in BASIC 1.1 (which is unlikely for commercial games) then you won't be able to run them without some modification.
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: Bryce on 08:27, 30 July 15
Quote from: CraigsBar on 00:10, 30 July 15
I solved that... I have no neighbours..... I live here....

https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.433753 (https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.433753),-8.474973,3a,75y,70.92h,79.3t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTOnwxyXan0flTIFY6mFB0A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
No issue then!

Very nice as long as that Horse does complain :)

Bryce.
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: TFM on 16:31, 30 July 15
Quote from: CraigsBar on 00:10, 30 July 15
I solved that... I have no neighbours..... I live here....


https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.433753 (https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.433753),-8.474973,3a,75y,70.92h,79.3t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTOnwxyXan0flTIFY6mFB0A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en


No issue then!


They can drive 80 km/h there? Don't drink and walk on the street.  ;)
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: 260Z on 11:39, 31 July 15
Quote from: EgoTrip on 00:15, 30 July 15
If the games are coded in machine code (as most are) then you should be OK. However if they were coded in BASIC 1.1 (which is unlikely for commercial games) then you won't be able to run them without some modification.

Thanks for the clarification Egotrip :)
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: Bryce on 14:11, 31 July 15
Quote from: TFM on 16:31, 30 July 15

They can drive 80 km/h there? Don't drink and walk on the street.  ;)

It's the west of Ireland, I can assure you that any drunks on that road will be in a car too :D

Bryce.
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: CraigsBar on 18:30, 31 July 15
Ain't that the truth!
Title: Re: Recommended Tape Decks
Post by: TFM on 20:31, 31 July 15
Quote from: Bryce on 14:11, 31 July 15
It's the west of Ireland, I can assure you that any drunks on that road will be in a car too :D

Bryce.


Well, I can only tell from own experiences. Once I was so stupid and walked home drunk, that night I felt in a well twice and twisted my ankle. Tonite Next time I'll take the car.
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