So, as I'm new to 8bit systems I figured id ask this since I had an idea, and after researching it should work, but having some issues. I have a stock vic-20, and a 3k ram expander (not the superexpander model tho), the 1530 datasette and a few cartridges but no cassettes. So I had this idea, I downloaded a few .tap files and the Audiotap program. I plugged a aux to cassette adapter (for older cars) into the headphone jack of laptop, and used audiotap to play the .tap file as a sound thru the adapter, into the datasette which was then plugged into the vic. It worked. The vic detected it most of the time but kept getting out of memory errors regardless of what .tap file I tried. Even ones that displayed well under 1k in size on my laptop. Any ideas why this is? I mainly doing this as a way to get games on it until I can order the sd2iec.
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Vic-20 tap file help
- Thread starter New2vtgpc
- Start date
giobbi
Veteran Member
As far as I know, and if I remember correctly, an out of memory error could mean a reading problem: bad cassette, bad head alignment, etc.
If you downloaded a TAP file, it could be the problem, too.
Try to download a PRG file, test it using VICE to be sure it's ok, and convert it on your own using WAV-PRG (https://sourceforge.net/projects/wav-prg/) using the 2nd option, "convert a PRG... to TAP".
There are many parameters, be sure to select the right VIC model, try the other options in the output format section and see if it works.
Remember, if you're using one of the "mp3 to cassette adapter" (a cassette with an head and a cable), that the head alignment could be totally out of phase.
There's also an alternative way to solve it, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS8CjbuOTR8
I didn't try it yet, I planned to do that later.
--Giovi
If you downloaded a TAP file, it could be the problem, too.
Try to download a PRG file, test it using VICE to be sure it's ok, and convert it on your own using WAV-PRG (https://sourceforge.net/projects/wav-prg/) using the 2nd option, "convert a PRG... to TAP".
There are many parameters, be sure to select the right VIC model, try the other options in the output format section and see if it works.
Remember, if you're using one of the "mp3 to cassette adapter" (a cassette with an head and a cable), that the head alignment could be totally out of phase.
There's also an alternative way to solve it, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS8CjbuOTR8
I didn't try it yet, I planned to do that later.
--Giovi
As far as I know, and if I remember correctly, an out of memory error could mean a reading problem: bad cassette, bad head alignment, etc.
If you downloaded a TAP file, it could be the problem, too.
Try to download a PRG file, test it using VICE to be sure it's ok, and convert it on your own using WAV-PRG (https://sourceforge.net/projects/wav-prg/) using the 2nd option, "convert a PRG... to TAP".
There are many parameters, be sure to select the right VIC model, try the other options in the output format section and see if it works.
Remember, if you're using one of the "mp3 to cassette adapter" (a cassette with an head and a cable), that the head alignment could be totally out of phase.
There's also an alternative way to solve it, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS8CjbuOTR8
I didn't try it yet, I planned to do that later.
--Giovi
I'll give that a try when I get off work. But yea hope the head alignment isnt an issue since im not too sure how to adjust that on the datasette. I have both wav-prg and audiotap from same website, but figured just downloading the tap file and going that route be easier but yea its possible the file is bad also. I figured the memory error was odd since I figured most cassette games would target the unexpanded vics.
GeoffB17
Veteran Member
Hello,
I don't know what the data is in a .TAP file, if it's ascii or binary etc, however...
As reported in previous posts in the Handheld section, I've been doing the same thing with my Epson HX-20, and it works fine, so the principal of what you're doing shoule be OK, your problem will be specific details that need to be just so.
Your first step should be to load the .WAV into something like Audacity and see if the filelooks OK, i.e. nice and clean, no gaps, not too loud/soft, etc. You might well be able to play it and listen to the sound as well, does it sound 'normal' right through.
With my experiments, the default recording is at 44 Khz, 16 bit, stereo. Various settings down to 8 Khz, 8 bit, mono still work, i.e. the WAV will load back into the HX. Then the data in the WAV is much smaller and more manageable.
Which prog are you using to record. I use the Winoze Soundrecorder on W7 as it does not have a time limit. I use MediaPlayer to play back for LOADing.
Geoff
I don't know what the data is in a .TAP file, if it's ascii or binary etc, however...
As reported in previous posts in the Handheld section, I've been doing the same thing with my Epson HX-20, and it works fine, so the principal of what you're doing shoule be OK, your problem will be specific details that need to be just so.
Your first step should be to load the .WAV into something like Audacity and see if the filelooks OK, i.e. nice and clean, no gaps, not too loud/soft, etc. You might well be able to play it and listen to the sound as well, does it sound 'normal' right through.
With my experiments, the default recording is at 44 Khz, 16 bit, stereo. Various settings down to 8 Khz, 8 bit, mono still work, i.e. the WAV will load back into the HX. Then the data in the WAV is much smaller and more manageable.
Which prog are you using to record. I use the Winoze Soundrecorder on W7 as it does not have a time limit. I use MediaPlayer to play back for LOADing.
Geoff
Hello,
I don't know what the data is in a .TAP file, if it's ascii or binary etc, however...
As reported in previous posts in the Handheld section, I've been doing the same thing with my Epson HX-20, and it works fine, so the principal of what you're doing shoule be OK, your problem will be specific details that need to be just so.
Your first step should be to load the .WAV into something like Audacity and see if the filelooks OK, i.e. nice and clean, no gaps, not too loud/soft, etc. You might well be able to play it and listen to the sound as well, does it sound 'normal' right through.
With my experiments, the default recording is at 44 Khz, 16 bit, stereo. Various settings down to 8 Khz, 8 bit, mono still work, i.e. the WAV will load back into the HX. Then the data in the WAV is much smaller and more manageable.
Which prog are you using to record. I use the Winoze Soundrecorder on W7 as it does not have a time limit. I use MediaPlayer to play back for LOADing.
Geoff
Well, I used downloaded .tap filea originally, and used audio tap to convert it to a .wav, and to also just play tap as a sound and got same results. Audacity didnt show much that I could tell, (I barely use it anyway so I'm not used to features).
I havent tried to 'save' a basic program using this same method and see if this works yet. But might use audacity to reocrd thr line in and then go from there.