Denial

carlsson · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 3:40 pm Post subject: Software we use for transfer

Here is yet another thread (maybe it should be made Sticky by the moderator?) where I thought we can post exactly which program we successfully have used to transfer and convert files from and to the VIC.

I can start with the following suite:

tape64 by Andreas Matthies
http://www.funet.fi/pub/cbm/crossplatform/transfer/datassette/
http://www.mds.mdh.se/~dal95acn/vicfiles/tape64src.zip (modified)

This program converts WAV to TAP to PRG/T64, either in one or two steps. Unfortunately, the final (?!) version available on Funet doesn't work too well with PAL VIC-20, although it seems to work with NTSC VIC-20 without modification, maybe due to different clocks. I modified it and sent a patch to Andreas, who never replied me.

It is a one-way conversion, so you can not get WAV from a PRG with this one.

WAV-PRG and Audiotap by Fabrizio Gennari
http://wav-prg.sourceforge.net/index.html

These two programs supposedly do pretty much the same thing as tape64 does, but are bi-directional. Audiotap converts WAV <-> TAP, while WAV-PRG for some odd reason converts TAP <-> PRG/T64. There seems to be a limitation of one PRG per TAP, but since TAPs are possible to concatenate (at least for use in VICE), that is not a big problem.

I haven't tried the resulting WAV in a real VIC, so I don't know if it'll work - somebody who likes to can do and report here about success or not.

cbmconvert by Marko Mäkelä
http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/crossplatform/converters/unix/cbmconvert.html

This is a neat utility which can be used to generate or extract files from disk images, read T64 images (after some complaining) etc. It does not handle TAP, but since both tape64 and WAV-PRG above have T64 output, it will work anyway.

I used them all in this way:

1. Convert Jeff's WAV to T64 with tape64
2. Extract the PRG from the T64 with cbmconvert
3. Create a D64 image with Jeff's and Boray's entries using cbmconvert
4. Convert the two PRG files into P00 files, as they will include a file name which WAV-PRG includes in the TAP
5. Use WAV-PRG twice to generate TAP files
6. Manually concatenate the TAPs into one
7. Use Audiotap to generate WAV out of the final TAP

For following entries, I will extend the D64 image, concatenate new files on the TAP and regenerate the WAV as required. Notice that I did not include my previously listed entry, as I might look into options to simplify or shorten it more.

The zipped archive can be found at http://www.mds.mdh.se/~dal95acn/vicfiles/vic20compo.zip
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Anders Carlsson

Boray · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 4:20 am Post subject:

I use the Amiga software (Easy1541) listed on this site:
http://sta.c64.org/index.html And here is the cable: http://sta.c64.org/easy1541c.html
Works great, but has no disk turbo. Mounts the 1541 as "any" diskdrive to the system (if you like), or you can use shell commands, like "IECDir", "IECLoad" etc...

/Anders

idrougge · Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 9:05 am Post subject:

Same here, Easy1541 with the age-old cable from the A64 emulator, along with Arc64 for archive/image handling and "case" for converting things to uppercase, removing .prg suffixes and so on.
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carlsson · Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 10:04 am Post subject:

Didn't the A64 package have its own file transfer software, or is it no good? Personally I use a cable almost identical to the Easy1541 cable, only with two diodes on the shared lines. It allows me to use Frank Paries' small "iec" tool which pretty much does everything the Easy1541 suite does but in one program rather than a handful.

However, some day now (tm) I will build my XM1541 cable and finally "get rid" of that old Amiga 500 on my desk. I have all the components I need, so I just have to gather time and inspiration to get going.
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Anders Carlsson

idrougge · Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 10:07 am Post subject:

The A64 package is from the eighties (albeit later updated, but requires registration), and the only file transferfacilities that I can recall involve booting up the emulator and loading/saving the C64 way.
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Boray · Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:18 pm Post subject:

Idrougge, Using an amiga, you should take a look at my program "PRGInfo":
http://sleepingelephant.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=87

http://user.tninet.se/~hlw771b/amigastuff.html

/Anders
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Mayhem · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2004 4:44 am Post subject:

I use MTAP by Markus Brenner (usable with C64, Vic20 and C16 tapes) by connecting a 1530 datasette to my 486 PC using the appropriate cable. It produced a working backup of my Ultima tape, so that's 100% in my book Smile

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carlsson · Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 1:56 pm Post subject:

I have recently realized that TAP files has a header that among other things defines the machine type and video mode. I don't know how common it is to set those values to something other than "standard" (i.e. PAL C64), but Audiotap as mentioned above makes a distinction on different values when generating WAV from TAP. However, as it is said before, PAL C64 may be the lowest common denominator from which files generated for it may load on both VIC and the NTSC machines.

When converting from tape/WAV to TAP, the program currently doesn't seem to honour different machine types or video modes, but I've put a feature request on the homepage. I may try to make a patch myself to see if it 1) is required and 2) works better.
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Anders Carlsson

aneurysm · Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2005 11:51 am Post subject:

i have had no luck getting .WAV to load a program on a real VIC
i only spent about one evening a month ago but found it a little frustrating
i tried to find some info about the amplitude of the sound but when i put a vic tape in the tape deck it plays back at about 0dB - and that wouldn't work when i played converted .TAP phyl3z......

i should try again
i got a dremel for xmas - i can cut up the face place so i can fit one of those 1/8" -> tape deck converters into the datasettes unit

Lozza · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 4:10 am Post subject:

i use mtap and the xe cable - everything has converted and worked on an emu and real vic, unless there was a problem with the tape
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hackz0id · Vic 20 Poser Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 11

I use the C2N232 for all VIC work.

Almost everything i do is crossassembled or compiled (65CM) on the PC, but i use C2N232 to test run on a real VIC20 while working (instead of VICE)

It also works great when flashing my PETRAM because the transferrate is high ( 38400 if i recall right ) so loading 16 or 32 kb takes just some seconds.

I used to use X1541+StarCommander but it only worked well in DOS (for me at least) and not in the NT-based Win32 derivates.

On my new laptop however there is no RS232 so i got to buy an quite expensive PCCARD->RS232 port, but it works flawlessly with C2N232 in all Windows OS'es, and even from within VMWARE (if needed)

//MH

ArugulaZ · Vic 20 Amateur Joined: 07 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

I guess the next question is this... how do you turn the contents of a VIC-20 cassette into a WAV file? Is there any way to record it to your computer without significant background noise?

JR
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Mayhem · Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2005 5:01 am Post subject:

Question to ask it though... why? TAPs are far better.
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carlsson · Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2005 8:45 am Post subject:

I think JR referred to how to record a cassette to a WAV file so Audiotap can work on it to make a TAP, or vice versa, how to store the WAV file as generated when converting a TAP onto tape.

I have used a pretty standard stereo and/or small tape recorder, mono, 22 kHz which after some fiddling with settings such as inverting sample etc. I'd use line in on the sound card rather than microphone to get as little noise and impedance (?) as possible.
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Anders Carlsson

Mayhem · Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2005 9:31 am Post subject:

When you can connect a tape deck to the PC and directly record to TAP and not have to go the WAV route at all, then I'm not sure why you'd need to do it at all.
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