ScuzzBlog: Diaries September 2019
Entry 3rd September 2019: Post 01: C64 - Datasette or Datassette.
C64 - Datasette or Datassette.
I am not going to get into the 'ins and outs' of why the C64 tape
drive had four different names .. 1530, C2N, Datasette or even later
the Datassette. All I would say is that they have been an absolute
necessity for any usage of the C64 and C64C. Basically cus so much
of what I have is on tape.
Let me clarify something as I discuss this little beast. Those that
know of my passion appreciate that I am a collector. I have been
mad on computers since I first sat at a goliath of a terminal in a
maths lecture where the machine used punch tape and connected to a
real computer via a telephone ear/mouth piece wedged into a foam
box. I recall that day so well as seriously nothing would ever be
the same again.
I say this because most of what I have I never used in the day and
still only dabble a little. I may play with some machines a little
more than others, but, when I feature kit here it is cus I am just
going through the motions of checking to see that they are working.
I have literally dozens of C64s/C64Cs and dozens and dozens of the
white and brown C2N style Datassette. So much so that the right
hand side of my stairs has a Datassette and Amiga PSU sitting on
right outer edge of each step leading upward. I just have so many.
I have my favourites amongst my machines and whilst I never used a
C64 in the day I certainly have made efforts to understand, albeit
in a fairly rudimentary way, the basic working of the computer. My
main purpose though today is to simply check that the kit is working.
And so I plugged in the C2N and 1571 simply to check they were OK.
I also wanted to dispel the myth that tapes degrade over time. I
have never found this to be the case so I literally grabbed a batch
of C64 software off the shelf and simply checked that it loaded.
This is not intended to be a study of C64 software, but more a simple
check that my tapes work and so too do the Datassette units I have
plugged into various C64 I leave out to play. And to that end I can
report that all the tapes and units worked, with the exception of
Ugh! which I don't think I have ever gotten to work.
One interesting series of tapes involve the BASIC software that gave
the user expanded commands to the C64 BASIC set. I demonstrate the
usage of AUTO which when loaded allows you to auto create line numbers
to your program without having to keep typing them in. I tested this
function on the Simons BASIC cartridge and it worked also.
One point of sadness that seems to haunt me whenever I drag down some
boxes is the books of CBASIC from Digital Research. Sadly I never was
ever able to get the C64 cartridge for CP/M that has the Z80 chip so
that I could run this software. It has been a constant search of mine
but alas not to be. I do love CP/M and whilst I am able to use it on the
C128, I am unable to use this on the C64.
Please note, I did choose to use the Samsung monitor with mixed
success. It seems to handle some graphics very well, but others very
poorly. And I warn that some of the text is difficult to read. Not
helped by the camera which struggles with the Samsung screen. Saying
that the software featured did work and I was left feeling happy that
the C64 kit is working all a normally and so far, fingers crossed, I
am not losing any tape degrading through age. And when you think the
tapes are 30/35 years old that is pretty amazing.
With respect to spreadsheets... I can't think of a reason why in 2019
anyone would want to use a C64 spreadsheet. For me they have to be the
least interesting computer software for any platform. In truth tables
of numbers have never interested me. Whereas databases I have a lot of
time for.
All very fascinating, but sadly used very rarely. But they work and
didn't take very long top load in truth.
I never finish a session without playing a game so I loaded in
Continental Circus which I still enjoy.
C64 - Datasette or Datassette.
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