Can't Load .WAV Files onto TRS-80 CoCo II

Hi everyone,

I just recently dug up my TRS-80 Color Computer Model II and had decided to play some games on it (specifically cassette tape ones). So I downloaded some .cas games along with CAS2WAV, which converts .cas files into .wav files for use on real hardware. However, when I'd attempt to load one of these games up, it would stop prematurely and say ?FM ERROR, or File Mode error (not sure exactly what that means ).

Is there any way to actually play these cassette games? I've tried multiple computers and MP3 players, but I still can't seem to get this bugger to work.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

-SuperMew98

1. Is it a coco game? As opposed to a Model I/III cassette game

2. Are you trying to CLOAD a machine language game or CLOADM a BASIC game? Either will not work.

Hope this helps,

Ian.

Thanks for the response Ian.

1. It is a CoCo game, and I'm pretty sure that it's for any and all models (games I tried include Chuckie Egg, Arthur, Android Attack, and Donkey King, but Android Attack was the one I was mainly testing.)

2. I was typing CLOAD and then playing back the file. As for the language, I think that they are BASIC.

I apologize if I am being "noobish", I am fairly new to the TRS-80 line.

Hi, my first post here because I happen to had the exact same issue.

Simply, WAV2CAS doesn't work. Don't ask me why, but it doesn't. I've tried many different versions (on Windows, Mac and Linux) and none of them were able to create a WAV-file which a CoCo2 understood when playing over the Cassette interface.

What I eventually tried (after almost thinking my CoCo2 was broken), is run the CAS file through Xroar and let that one convert it to WAV. That worked! Proof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSTvqAWVhJ8

Here's my command line (on a Mac):

$ cat convert.sh
#!/bin/bash

xroar --machine cocous -load "$1" -tape-rewrite -tape-write "$1.wav"

Click to expand...

So, I just run 'convert.sh zaxxon.cas' and it'll output a zaxxon.cas.wav which I use to play in VLC .

Good luck!

The "?FM ERROR" means you are trying to load a binary file. Try "CLOADM" and it should load up.


The CAS2WAV program does work, but you will have to play with the PC's volume output to the COCO and make sure its a MONO output too.

Oh right, I completely overlooked the ?FM ERROR. That's using CLOAD while you have to use CLOADM. Try that.

I got ?IO ERRORS with WAV-files after conversion with cas2wav when played from my Macbook using VLC. Haven't tried mono tough. It is weird that when I convert it using Xroar, it works. Anyway, I'm using DriveWire most of the time now anyway and as soon as I got my old disks back, I'll convert those to WAV for the sake of keeping it safe while I still have a working cassette recorder

Ec1564 said:

The "?FM ERROR" means you are trying to load a binary file. Try "CLOADM" and it should load up.


The CAS2WAV program does work, but you will have to play with the PC's volume output to the COCO and make sure its a MONO output too.

Click to expand...

What he said. It may take several times, but, CAS2WAV does work and works well. Getting the proper volume is important, and sometimes a PITA.

TRS-Ian said:

1. Is it a coco game? As opposed to a Model I/III cassette game

2. Are you trying to CLOAD a machine language game or CLOADM a BASIC game? Either will not work.

Hope this helps,

Ian.

Click to expand...

if i was to load a model I/III cassette game on to coco using a cas file how would i do that?

avih7531 said:

if i was to load a model I/III cassette game on to coco using a cas file how would i do that?

Click to expand...

You couldn't. The two machines are very different. The software is incompatible. The game would needed to be re-written so it could be used on the Coco.

Tez