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+--- Thread: SVI-CAS Rev 4 Digital Tape Drive Review (/thread-349.html)
SVI-CAS Rev 4 Digital Tape Drive Review - ChickenMan - 20-07-2021
Recently had a play with a SVI-CAS Rev 4 Digital Tape Drive for Playback & Recording. Basically its a digital unit to replace your old Cassette player for playing and saving computer programs. Instead of needing tapes, this unit uses WAV files on a SD card.
The unit was originally made for the Spectravision SVI-318 but now has direct support for Apple II, TRS-80 CoCo, Dragon, MSX, Sinclair, Amstrad, Acorn, Commodore, Oric, ZX Spectrum and others. Used for playback of CAS, TAP, TSX & TZX files and Recording of TAP files. But it also has a Generic Mode for playback of WAV files for other Retro Computer such as the Microbee, TRS-80/System-80 and any computer that accepts WAV files as an input. Unfortunately in Generic Mode it cant Record.
So to test run the unit, I copied a number of Microbee Tape WAV files that were both Converted and Original recorded files of both 300baud and 1200baud types. The unit accepts WAV files of 22050Hz to 9600Hz frequencies, Mono & 8bit which most of our files comply with. Then fired up my Microbee PC85.
The unit needs a 9v power supply and a FAT32 formatted SD card. The Microbee RED plug on the gray lead plugs into the far left socket and power in the far right socket at the back of the unit. Powered up it defaulted to Generic Mode and presents you with this colourful screen
Leave all the settings at default and click on FILES button which then gives you a directory of the files on the SD card. You can also use Folders if needed.
Select your file with up & down keys and click the Folder button (next to the Home button) you are them presented with this screen
You then press the middle large speaker button to start playing and your presented with this screen
On your Microbee, in BASIC type in LOAD (or CLOAD if using on a Disk based Microbee) but dont press RETURN yet. On the SVI-CAS unit press the O button to turn that off, then press the |> start button and immediately press RETURN on the Microbee. It then comes up with this for a couple seconds
and shortly after, the file starts playing and starts loading into the Microbee as per normal. Screen changed to show progress
and when the tape finishes loading, the screen changes to
and this game auto started
I found all the Converted and Original files I tested all loaded error free except one file that was out of spec and came up with this error
I also tried loading a few Microbee TAP files but all came up with the same Not Supported error, as expected. One original recorded 1200baud file came up with a Bad Load on the Microbee about 10% through.
The unit can also RECORD but unfortunately in Generic Mode it cannot. But in all the other supported computers it can save a file in TAP format only. So I thought, if I change mode to Spectrum ZX81 and try saving to TAP and then try Loading it back in, would that work. So, changed mode to Spectrum ZX81 and from the main Menu clicked the RECORD button. The screen then askes you to enter a name for the file
When thats done, get your Microbee ready to save the file with SAVE "TEST", or whatever name you want, but dont press RETURN yet. On the SVI uit, you press the large Tape button in the middle and screen changes to a Ready screen
Shortly it changes to a RECORDING screen then press RUTURN on the Microbee and it starts recording the TAP file to the SD card. Screen now looks like this with the Image Size slowly increasing.
When the saving on the Microbee finishes and your back to a cursor, then on the SVI-CAS tap the square red button to stop the Recording, and the screen will now says COMPLETED.
You now have a TAP file on the SD card which can be loaded into your Microbee, in Spectrum ZX81 mode, as described above but loading the TAP file rather than a WAV file. Unfortunately the TAP is not compatible with the ubee512 emulator.
So in conclusion, the SVI-CAS is a very easy to use unit for loading WAV files into your Microbee instead of using a bulky Cassette player with tapes. I used a Microbee PC85 here but see no reason why any other Microbee cant be used. File saving is of little use for the Microbee but probably okay for all the other types of Computers the unit handles specifically.
RE: SVI-CAS Rev 4 Digital Tape Drive Review - emujoust - 27-07-2021
Thanks for review. I’ve got the device myself and I love it.
Would you mind checking the recording feature again? I have used the generic recording feature successfully on my Bee (standard series 3 128K). In one of your photos it says “WAITING” meaning it is waiting for you to press the record button. Other modes like ZX81 won’t work on Bee but luckily the generic record works well from my experience.
RE: SVI-CAS Rev 4 Digital Tape Drive Review - ChickenMan - 27-07-2021
Thanks for that, but unfortunately I no longer have the unit as I've returned it to the owner, so cant test any further. In Generic Mode every thing was basically Grayed out and simply could not save, as the manual also quoted. But worked fine in ZX81 mode saving and loading the TAP to the Microbee. Maybe you have a different model as I believe there has been a few.