By the way, if you suspect it may be a TRS-80 Model I or Model III
cassette, you can drop the .wav file into your browser here:
https://www.my-trs-80.com/cassette/
That webapp is powered by Lawrence Kesteloot's trs80-cassette npmjs library
<https://www.npmjs.com/package/trs80-cassette> for converting Model I and
III cassettes. From the description of how it works
<https://github.com/lkesteloot/trs80/tree/master/packages/trs80-cassette>,
it seems like one should be able to recognize those tapes by checking for
different frequencies.
By the way, according to the product description in the 1984 Radio Shack
catalog
<https://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/flipbook/catalogs/computer_main/c1984_rsc-10/59.jpg>,
the Model 100's cassettes are interchangeable with the Model 4.
—b9
On Sun, Nov 27, 2022 at 3:45 PM B 9 <[email protected]> wrote:
> Interesting archaeological dig. Are you able to post the .wav files of the
> cassettes?
>
> "DS" error is, in my experience, what one sees from garbled data (like a
> serial line without XON/XOFF flow control). I believe it technically means,
> the m100 saw data it recognized, but it didn't see a line number first, so
> it must be a "Direct Statement". So, that could mean that the cassettes are
> corrupted or perhaps were recorded on a cassette deck that was out of
> alignment. (Homebrew tapes might need to be played slightly faster or
> slower.)
>
> But I think that corruption is unlikely. Does the DS error happen at the
> beginning of the program? If so, that'd imply to me that it's not a BASIC
> program at all. Or perhaps, as you suggested, it is a tape from a different
> machine architecture.
>
> I don't have a cassette deck, so I don't have any experience with it, but
> I am surprised that the file is not loading in the TEXT editor using F2
> (LOAD) CAS: as I had hoped that that would be able to load any file, even
> a corrupted one. Perhaps the M100 cassette format keeps a filetype (similar
> to .DO, .BA, .CO) and TEXT will refuse to read binary files.
>
> —b9
>
>
>
> On Fri, Nov 25, 2022 at 7:48 PM Jason White <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I just bought a few tapes on eBay, gambling that they may have some
>> obscure software on them. One of the tapes had a label with a filename that
>> ended in .DO, so it was an educated guess.
>>
>> Two of the three tapes have files that my Model 100 can "see", but none
>> of the files load, with the operation interupted by a DS error. I had this
>> problem loading a program by PCSG, which was operator error. I was supposed
>> to load one of those programs by going into TEXT and loading (F2) it from
>> within there. These programs aen'e loading from there either.
>>
>> I have also tried CLOAD and LOAD"CAS: from within BASIC to no avail. I
>> am not certain these programs are for a Model 100, but they sure "sound"
>> like TRS-80. One of the tapes has a "program" in front of the program I am
>> trying to load that doesn't sound like the rest of the them and the
>> computer does not see that one. It's a much higher pitch, and doesn't have
>> the breaks every few seconds that TRS-80 tapes have.
>>
>> One other thing one of the programs does is that the Model 100's relay
>> drops out everytime the noise drops for that second or two and then pulls
>> back in. Does the Model 1 use the same .do that the 100 does? (I think they
>> don't use extensions because they use different commands for basic vs
>> machine programs, but?)
>>
>> One tape has three files on it: PMEXP, PMACT, and PMTSKD. They all have
>> filenames six letters or less. The other tape has a file calles CASSET,
>> which is also six letters.
>>
>> I am using AC adapters with both the tape player and the computer, and
>> I've typed sound off before starting trying to load. The tape player is a
>> CCR82, and the volume is set to P, which typically gives me good results
>> (but these are home brew tapes).
>>
>> Any other tips or suggestions would be appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> J White
>>
>>
