27 Apr
2005
27 Apr
'05
4:28 p.m.
The original TRS-80 cassette interface was often a
WORHE (Write Once, Read
Hardly Ever). It was not acceptably reliable.
It wasn't the cassette interface that was the problem, it was the
cassette recorder that was shipped with the machine (or at least the type
that was shipped with my first Model 1). This recorder had the amazing
trick of putting glitches on the tape if started or stopped using the
remote control socket, even in playback mode (!). Needless to say that
was great for ruining tapes!
The cure was either to use a properly desigend recorder, or to solder a
10uF capacitor (the right way round) across the erase head (this infernal
device used DC erase, BTW).
After doing that, I had no problesm with the cassette interface apart
from the fact it was painfully slow. I was very pleased
when I finally
got the EI and disks. My M3 and M4 I bought second-hand, complete
with
internal drives.
-tony