Transferring Data from Spectrum Microdrives

[RWAPSoftware]

Here's a good question from a customer of mine...

He has quite a lot of data on ZX Microdrive cartridge and wants to be able to
use that data with a Spectrum emulator running on PC.

What is the easiest way of transferring the data into a format that can be used
with a Spectrum emulator. Also - which emulator should I recommend??

Rich Mellor
http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk

[J.G.Harston]

Post by RWAPSoftware
What is the easiest way of transferring the data into a format that
can be used with a Spectrum emulator. Also - which emulator should
I recommend??

What I have done to transfer my cartridges is catalogue each microdrive
using something like the HiSoft extended catalogue program
[http://www.mdfs.net/Software/Spectrum/Microdrive/HiSoft/], copy each
file over the RS232 link [MOVE "m";1;"filename" TO "b"] to another
computer and create a TAP file of each cartridge, setting the file
attributes from the catalogue listing.

This is ok for a handful of cartridges, but not if you have dozens.
I've been meaning to automate the process, but it the amount of data
I had to transfer didn't make it a priority.

What emulator should he use? What platform does he want to use it on?
I use Speculator and occasionally Z80Em on RISC OS.

[Jonathan Needle]

Hi Rich,

Post by RWAPSoftware
He has quite a lot of data on ZX Microdrive cartridge and wants to be able to
use that data with a Spectrum emulator running on PC.

Using Spectaculator, you can use the *MOVE utility on the Introduction
cartridge to do this this:

Real Speccy:
- Connect the MIC output of the Spectrum to the line-in on your PC's sound
card
- Load the *MOVE utility

Spectaculator:
- Load the *MOVE utility
- Create a blank Microdrive cartridge (for the copy of the real cart)
- Enable "Load from Audio source"

// Now for the copying process

Spectaculator:
- In the *MOVE utility, choose to restore a Microdrive cartridge from tape

Real speccy
- In the *MOVE utility, choose to backup the Microdrive cart to tape

As the real speccy backs up the cart and saves to "tape", Spectaculator on
the other end is loading from this "tape" and restoring the contents to the
.mdr file :)

With thanks to Geoff Wearmouth for pointing out the *MOVE utility.

Cheers,

Jon.
--
Jonathan Needle
Spectaculator Creator
http://www.spectaculator.com/

[Geoff Wearmouth]

Post by RWAPSoftware
Here's a good question from a customer of mine...
He has quite a lot of data on ZX Microdrive cartridge and wants to be able to
use that data with a Spectrum emulator running on PC.
What is the easiest way of transferring the data into a format that can be used
with a Spectrum emulator. Also - which emulator should I recommend??

I have found that Spectaculator with the Boost Sound option selected
enables me to transfer files effortlessly from Spectrum to PC using only
the original tape lead.

It does however depend on the soundcard.

Plug one end of the tape lead in the 'MIC' socket of the Spectrum and
the other in the line_in or mic socket of the soundcard.
(I've forgotten which)
Start the emulator and shut every other application down.

On the Spectrum enter

10 CIRCLE 128,88,50
20 SAVE "test" SCREEN$
30 GO TO 20

and run

In the emulator type

10 LOAD "" SCREEN$
20 GO TO 10

If you can get a 6K file to transfer then

Load the intro version 2 cartridge on both the real and emulated
Spectrum and use the transfer program to transfer files from microdrive
to tape on the real Spectrum and from tape to microdrive on the
emulated one.

Providing your microdrives have no bad files then it works superbly with
no need to press any prompts.

I did try and write a program to transfer cartridges with bad sectors
but it was only occasionally successful and needs a re-think.

[RWAPSoftware]

Thanks for all the info - this should be added to World of Spectrum somehere
(or the FAQ).

Rich Mellor
http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk