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Posted By

Chicken
on 2010-06-28
10:09:03

Re: Power supply

Yes, that is possible. Some games load fine with slightly misaligned heads and for others it's just a bit too much sometimes. I think most ppl had a game that would load only every other time.
In this case I'd suggest to only test within a -270° to +270° range. You should find a position that suits most tapes.

Since you can always turn back the screw to the starting position you can't make it worse. So it's really worth a try.

Posted By

Red_Machine
on 2010-06-28
09:55:09

Re: Power supply

Well, I have a game that loads every time no problem, and the others seem to load when they want to rather than when I want to play them. Would a misaligned head allow some programs to load fine and others only intermittently?

Posted By

Chicken
on 2010-06-28
09:51:12

Re: Power supply

Yes, 9V/1.85A should be fine.

LOAD ERRORS and not finding programs at all sounds more like a datasette problem, i.e. a misaligned head.

Games with turbo tapes are especially picky. Also, some old tapes have dropouts and just can't be loaded correctly any more. Unfortunately, this happens but it's not the rule. Many tapes (if stored carefully) work fine after more than 20 years.

Have you saved a test file that loads fine all the time? If this works (i.e. saved and loaded with the same misalignment) you should try to adjust the read/write head.

There's a small hole in the datasette's housing and you need a tiny screwdriver to align the head. Personally, I think it's much easier to take off the housing completely (it's easy, you can't break anything), thus having better access to the small screw.

Mark the current position of the screw with a permanent marker or something like that and then turn in it 90° clockwise. Try to load a game (or two, or three). If it can't find the file (the tape counter should be somewhere around 009-016), turn the screw another 90°.
If you turned the screw more than 720° and you still can't load, turn it back to the starting position and do the same counter clockwise. You can do smaller (45°) steps, too.

I have used this trial and error procedure many times and it worked fine for me. Usually, you'll find some position that loads most tapes.

Some ppl prefer to align the head by "ear". This can be done with a small program that plays back what's on the tape. You still need to adjust the head. If the sound is "clear" the position is fine.

I think, this was discussed here before and I'll try to find that thread!

Posted By

Red_Machine
on 2010-06-28
09:07:17

Re: Power supply

Thanks for the prompt reply. The Sinclair is rated at 9v and 1.85a, so from what you've said, it seems like it's actually fine. What else do you think could be causing my games to only load when they want to? Sometimes they'll all load fine, others they will come up with loading errors, sometimes it won't even get to the "Found (insert game name here)" stage.

Posted By

Chicken
on 2010-06-28
09:01:21

Re: Power supply

Hi there and welcome to plus4world

The original C16 PSU isn't exactly the best so you might be better off buying a generic one with at least 1A (more doesn't hurt, especially if you are using a datasette which draws the power from the PSU via the C16, too) and 9V.

You'll find some useful information on the plug dimensions in this thread:

http://plus4world.powweb.com/forum/18545

For your CPU's sake I'd get a good PSU first.

Posted By

Red_Machine
on 2010-06-28
06:26:27

Power supply

Hey guys, great site you have here.

I recently bought a C16 off eBay and the guy had the wrong power supply for it (a Sinclair one) and the machine is running very temperamental and sometimes unstable. One of my retro friends said that the power supply was most likely causing it, so I was wondering if anyone here had a spare one they could sell/give to me? I would very much appreciate it!