[Coco] Stupid Cassette Port Tricks, (was: Re: Coco and .WAV files)

[wdg3rd at comcast.net]

From: Joel Ewy <jcewy at swbell.net>
> That's a pretty cool use for the cassette port, Mike.  I'm sure others
> have done, or at least thought of this before, but how well would it
> work (aside from being slow) to csave/cload between two CoCos using a
> null-cassette cable?  I guess if it can be done over a phone line, it
> should be doable with just a cable.  I guess one issue is that with a
> real cassette player the CoCo can pause the cassette motor, but it
> wouldn't be able to pause another CoCo.  For simple, single program
> files, this isn't critical, but some programs pause and restart the
> cassette while loading, and if the data doesn't pause the program load
> fails.  I found that out trying to load "The Glove" from an .MP3
> player.  I'd like to get another cheap one that I can hack up, allowing
> the CoCo to control the Pause/Play button with the motor relay.
> 
> Other than that, why shouldn't it work with a suitable cassette
> crossover cable?  I have more CoCos than mass storage units.  The
> cassette port could make a serviceable ultra-cheap, low-speed CoCo network.

I know damned well I'm not the only person on this list who remembers the old Network 1 and Network 2 systems from Tandy.  The Network 1 was only functional with the Model 1 (or the Model 3/4 in slow speed), the Network 2 worked with every Tandy machine that had a cassette port including the Mod 100.  I had them in my RSCC classrooms for five and a half years.  Probably dumped a gig of data through them (which is not impressive now in the days of cable internet porn, but in the early 80s at 500/1500 bps was a lot).
--
Ward Griffiths    wdg3rd at comcast.net

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