AN ATARI TAPE INTERFACE — A simple FSK interface permits loading and storing programs on a conventional cassette recorder ra coy |. 7 we thing you earn quickly when | \ J cccnpater revolution’ is tha, your computer's initial purchase price may have been drt-cheap, the oth- er things you need to make it useful—like a cassette recorder or disk drive, printer, and other peripheral devices—generally cost far more than you'd expect. The computer itself may ‘urn out 0 be the least expensive part of Your system, and it becomes a case of the tal wagging the dog It is difficult to justify purchasing a peripheral that costs more than the computer with which it was designed to ‘operate. Having purchased an Atari 400 | computer for less than S80 (including | an Atari rebate) from a local hobby- | and-toy store, Teouldn’t quite bring m; | self to pay more for the data recorder than I had for the computer. If you be- | long in the same category and own a | standard cassette player/recorder of de- | cent quality, oF if you already own an ‘Atari recorder and find that it's not January 198 Peete setup ofthe tape interface By Randy Carlstrom Quite as reliable as you'd like it to be, read on—for less than 520 you now hhave access to the wealth of Atari css sette programs. | Circuit Description. The Atari dota ventional a se the fre quency-shift keyed (FSK) modulator circuit is incorporated into its design, rather than being an integral part of tne computer, asis usually the case. This er- ticle describes simple single-chip FSK interface, designed 0 operate with the ‘Atari computers, based on the Exar XR-2211 integrated circuit, This inter- face will permitloading and storing pro- grams using a conventional casseite tape recorder. Basic operation of the FSK tape in- terface is shown in Fig. I. The moduls- tor section accepts digital pulses frem the computer (representing the pro- ‘gram or data in the computer that isin the process of being stored) and con- verts them into audio tones, which are Cro readily “stored” by a tape recorder. In the case of the Atari computers, a logic lis represented by a $327-Hz tone and a logic Oby a 3995-Hz tone. The demodu- lator section performs the reverse oper- ation. It accepts the recorded data tones | from the tape player and translates | them back into thei original binary for- mat, The resulting pulses are then sent on to the computer for final processing. (if this sounds strangely similar to a ‘modem, it's because the two are almost | identical in operation. The only differ- ence is that the tones are sent between @ computer and tape deck via a cable, rather than back and forth over tele- | phone lines.) A block diagram of the XR-2211 in- rated circuit is shown in Fig. 2. The small, numbered circles are the package pin leads. This versatile device contains an input preamplifier, a voltage-con- | trolled oscillator (VCO), two phase de- | tectors, two voltage comparators, and a reference voltage source. These func- tional blocks are internally connected to n“Peripherals may wind up costing more than the computer itself.” form a phase-locked loop (PLL) When a signal of sufficient amplitude is present at the FSK input (pin 2), the loop formed by phase detector A, R2, and the VCO attempts to track the input frequency. If the input signal is within the capture range of the PLL (the range of frequencies over which the loop can lock in), the VCO will track any small cchanges in the input frequency. The re- sulting changes in the VCO control voltage atthe output of the phase detec- tor (pin 11) are filtered by C2 and the data filter, C# and R4. This signal is a facsimile ofthe original data and is am plified and shaped by comparator A. In verter Q/ provides the proper data po- larity for the computer. Typical waveforms are shown in Fig. 3 Phase detector B, filter C5 and RS, ‘and comparator B form a lock-de circuit. Any time the input signal falls outside the PLL's capture range (or if the input signal is lost), pin 6 of compar- Fig.9. ie} eas PoecUa 8 Timing diagram forthe circuit shown in Fig. 4 ator B is low. This pin is usually con | ‘nected directly to the FSK. demodula tor’s output (pin 7) to prevent chatter, should the PLL become unlocked. | |The input preamplifier is actually a limiting amplifier that is able to accom rmodate a wide range of input signal lev tls. Ten millivolts rms is sufficient to cause limiting, but signals as large as3 V rms can be used. This makes the PLL relatively immune tothe volume (gain) setting ofthe tape recorder ‘A schematic ofthe complete project isshown in Fig. 4. Resistors R9and RII form a 40-dB attenuator betweeen the computer's FSK output and J2, which connects 1 the microphone input of the recorder. Approximately 10 mV rms is delivered toJ2 during program save op- tations, providing the proper record ing level for most recorders. The value of R9 can be changed (or it can be re moved) if necessary to suit the require | ments of your tape recorder g'2%.' & Fig. 2. Block dlagram of the XR-221 1 integrated circuit Construction. The cassette ccan be built using any convenient con- struction technique and can be hou: in its own enclosure or mounted inside the computer's case. If the latter meth ‘od is chosen, two holes must be drilled in the case for mounting J/ and J2. The five power and 1/O connections from the interface board can be soldered di rectly to the mounting pins of the com. puter's serial 1/0 connector. (This elim inates P?, and the serial 1/O connector is left free for with other peripherals.) However, this method is recommended only for the skilled and/or dauntless since the computer’s warranty is automatically voided Alignment and Operation. One ad justment is necessary to ensure reliable ‘operation of the interface. It involves setting the free-running frequency of the PLL's VCO. The following steps outline the procedure: 1. Connect an chmmeter between pin 12of ICI and ground. Adjust R/3 until the ohmmeter indicates approximately 21 kilohms, then disconnect the ohmmeter. 2, Connéet a shielded cable from the earphone or speaker jack of a cassette recorder to JI (EAR) of the interface Place a program tape in the recorder ‘and rewind it completely. If the inter face wasn't installed inside the comput er, make certain plug PI is plugged into the computer's serial I/O connector at this time. Turn on the computer power. 3. Press the PLAY button on the re- corder. The first 10 seconds or so of the tape should consist ofa steady 5327-Hz tone, which can be verified by listening {0 the television speaker. During this period, adjust R/3 so that pin 11 of JCD is —2.6 V with respect to pin 10. If you don't have access to an chmmeter or | voltmeter, you can center R/3 and slow | ty.adjust it until the program loads suc Computers & Electronicscessfully through the interface ‘Operation of the cassette interfuce is similar to that of the Atari data reco er. Programs can bel y following the instructions that accompany the program cassette. As a program is load ee you will hear a buzzing sound from the television speaker. This is normi and indicates that the Atari is happy with the data itis re the je recorder. When sa on tape, f given with the programming language used Remember to RECORD button fon the record If the interface was aligned properly as outlin ms should Toad very reliably, since this has pr a Atari 4 recorder. If ence any problem he recorder’s volum: tone controls. If that doesn’t help. th not be quite up to par, in w se a g00d tape-head clea be in orde [Errors occu beginning ofa loading sequence can often be attributed to leaving an inst ant of tape leader befor ta began on he tape, (The o doesn't really begin accepting data from the recorder anti approx 0 seconds af ter the RETURN key has been pre pe that refuses to oad past a certain point (usually at the sam where in d me cheaper tapes of most certain to succeed Bit-Copying Tapes. It isa simple mat ter tomake backup copies of any of your tapes using the cassette interface and the circuit shown in Fig. 5. This circuit simply lates the serial data stream from the demodulator, bit by bit and conseq n't care if the program is BASIC, machine language or even copy-protected. A second tape Fecorder “listens in” on J3 while the first recorder is playing the original pro gram tape through J! (Fig. 6) So,” you say, “why not just patch two recorders together to duplicate tapes?” This method will work, in gen eral, if you bd quality recording it has been the How nuthor’s experience that many of the Gegrade with time, especially those that are favorites of the family con Stantly being sed and abused. You can be surethat a “patched” duplicatemade from such marginal tapes will be even more marginal! Ttis recommended that the alignment Sanuary 1988 } shore pin Fig. 4. Schematic ofthe interface. C1,C12—001-pF, 5% polyes UF ceramic capacitor 3 B.C OF ceramic capacitor (Co_-0.005-jF ceramic capacitor 5 —0.002-F ceramic capacitor C11 C15—1-pF electrolytic or tantalum Pr O-HF electrolytic or tantalum | IC1->xR-2211 FSK demodulatortone de- er (Exar) SXA-2206 function gonerator (Exa) 3-—Miniature phone jack 3-pin Atari mating plug ‘The following are %-W, 5% carbon resis- tors uniess otherwise specifi: Ri—t8 kiohms R2—75 klohms 4100 klohms RG AZI,RZ2—5 Ri RAA12,A15,A23—89 klohms AG;A16—470 ohms (selected, see text) 10,9147 kilohrs kilos of the modulator circuit in Fig. 5 be per- formed with a frequency counter. With the counter connected to pin 2 of IC2, | 9 to ground and adjust R/8 for Hz. Remove the short from pin 9 and adjust R20 for $327 Hz. (Note that the ‘computer must be turned on to | make these adjustments.) If you don't PARTS LIST | the demodulat The wiring side of P1 is shown. n13,A18,R20—10-Klohm trimmer poten tiometer a14—200 ohms Ri7—20 kllohms F19—15kilohms Misc-—Suitably etched and, drilled po ‘board or pert board; IC sockets; 5-con ductor cable; solder; enclosure: etc. Note: The following are available from ‘RC Systems inc, 121 W. Winesap Fd. | Bothell, WA 98012: Kit of parts for Cassefte intertace/duplicator, in- Gluding etched and drilled pe board, No. AK-1, for $29.95. Also available ‘separately from the same source: Kit of parts for cassette interface only, No. AK-2, for $19.95; etched and Urilied pe board for intertace/ duplicator, No. AB-1, for $5.00; ‘etched and drilled pe board for ci Sette interface, No. AB-2, for $4.00; Xa-2211 IC tor $5.25; XR-2206 IC for $5.00; Atari 13-pin mating plug, No. ‘AP-1, for $6.50, Please include $1.75 ‘shipping and handling on all orders. Washington state residents, add | 7.8% sales tax. | have acess toa frequency counter, you | can use the following alternate procedure: 1. With a jumper wire or shielded ca- ble, connect J3 of the modulator to JI of *. Short pin 9 of [C2 to ground and adjust R78 until pin 11 of Clis +2.6V ~Train at home Insparetime! eam tal. atthe ofie, or at | home...comipuer operations, applications 8nd programing! Learn how and why a computer can help | you Learn to write your own computer pro rams. How to program in BASIC. How to Undorstand and use more than 80 BASIC ‘commands and functions, How 10 Use pre packaged software and change It to moet {Your special needs. How to make sense of the overwmeiming maze of books, informa tion and advice available at your local com- uter store. 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SEND FOR FREE FACTS! eee | | Metals tow con feain conputcr spptcs: | | lem rogamingardoperstonst omen iors » —! ! 1 Haat ! = — famed with respect to pin 10. 3, Remove the short from pin 9 and short the base of QJ (the lead that connneets to 8) to ground. 4. Adjust R20 until pin 11 of ICI is 2.6 V with respect opin 10. Remove the short from QJ and the connection between JI and J3. Since [C1 i acting as a frequency dis criminator during these adjustments, the accuracy of these adjustments will depend on how accurately R/3 was se The value of R16 sets the recording level at J3, which may need to be selected to suit the drive requirements of the sec ‘ond recorder (odulator and demodulator interconnections. Fig. 5. Schematic ofa circuit to remodulate the serial data, The operation of the demodulator is not affected in any way by the modula tor and can remain connected perm: rently. In fact, it's a good idea to have the computer load the original tape dur- | ing the duplication process. Ifthe origi nal tape loads successfully, you can be reasonably certain the duplicate copy is The remodulation process does a marvelous “cleanup tapes. In fact, use my duplicates all the | time, saving the originals for backups. Also, I don't get so upset now if my re corder gets hungry and chews up a $40 job of marginal Competers & Electronics