Need info on Datasette plug (cable colour order)

[RobertK]

Hi all,

I have a presumably working C2N Datasette, but the previous owner has unplugged all the individual cables from the plug. All I have to do is simply put those cables back in - but in what order??

Could any of you please do me a favour: open the plug by removing the screw and look inside (from above - where the commodore logo would be, that way you plug it into the rear of the VIC). In what order are the coloured cables inside connected to the plug?

Please tell me the order like this: e.g. red, green, NOTCH, blue, etc. "NOTCH" stands for the piece of plastic that fits into the VIC's notch to prevent the plug from being inserted upside-down.

Maybe I should add that my datasette is an older version, look at http://www.vidgame.net/COMMODOR/CDATTA.html: below there is a picture of two different versions - mine looks like the one on the left. I hope that inside they are quite identical and the cable colours are the same.


Thanks in advance for your help,

Robert

P.S. I actually have a black 1531 datasette (with a C64-plug adapter) some 100kms away from my home, and I have already told my dad to bring it along for me so that I can check it out, but this will take a week or so, and I just CAN'T WAIT to load some games into my newly acquired VIC

[carlsson]

blue, brown, white, red NOTCH green, black

[RobertK]

blue, brown, white, red NOTCH green, black

Hmm, I just connected the cables as you told me, but it's not working yet.

First of all: the datasette is under power, I can wind, play, etc., so I assume GND and 5V are connected properly.

But whenever I try to load a program, the VIC keeps "searching" without finding any program.

I tried to save a program, and this seemed to be working correctly (the red light also went on). But when I later listened to that tape, I could hear just a faint hum, but definitely no beeps.

Interestingly, the VIC realizes when I press the play button, and it stops the motor after saving a program. So I thought that MOTOR and SENSE were connected correctly and I just swapped READ and WRITE, but this didn't help either.

BTW, my black cable also has an orange one connected to it. I don't know, maybe your datasette is indeed a little different than mine...?

And on http://www.gm.iwarp.com/c16.htm, they have exactly the same cable colours as you, but there it says: "note: wire colors may vary!".

Maybe anyone else has an idea what could be wrong. Anders, thanks anyway!


Regards,

Robert

P.S. The meaning of the connectors (in the same order as above) is:
Sense, Write, Read, Motor NOTCH 5V, GND

[carlsson]

Err.. sure, the cable colours may be different. The only way to be sure is to open the unit and see which lead goes where. The circuit board seems to be colour coded - red goes in R, green at G, brown at BN etc. My board has the following inputs, from left (outmost) to right (inmost):

R R G B B B W BN and the blue goes into the middle.

There is no extra orange on the black lead. Maybe this will help you find the correct order, or the truth may be that the drive is misaligned or broken, which is why the R/W head doesn't read or record much on the tape.

[carlsson]

I even verified with the old-style C2N (the more narrow, taller without an azimuth hole), and the cable colours were identical to what I posted, except for that the black one had an orange attached too, just like you wrote. I also have another broken new-style C2N, and yet again, it shows the same colour scheme. Three out of three looking the same way.

[RobertK]

The circuit board seems to be colour coded - red goes in R, green at G, brown at BN etc. My board has the following inputs, from left (outmost) to right (inmost):

I'm not sure what exactly your board looks like, but on my board, there is no writing or anything, and the wires are connected to various places on the board, i.e. not in one line.

I also have another broken new-style C2N, and yet again, it shows the same colour scheme. Three out of three looking the same way.

Seems that the wires are indeed connected correctly and there must be some other problem. As I said, the drive is under power and MOTOR and SENSE both seem to work, so there are just two wires left, which are READ and WRITE, and I've tried both combinations...

or the truth may be that the drive is misaligned or broken, which is why the R/W head doesn't read or record much on the tape.

I always thought that a misaligned drive can still record, but you can only load programs that were saved on that drive. Can it be so misaligned that it can't record anything?

Anyway, I'll see if my 1531 drive will work with my VIC, and I can check the presumably broken drive with my C128 - which is unfortunately 100kms away from my home, and I won't get there until christmas. I'll try some C64 tape alignment utility to check if the drive is misaligned. I also have a 1571 floppy there and an LPT transfer cable, so I'll be able to try all kinds of things there.

And if I can't get the datasette running, I will still try to find a WHITE 1530, because a black 1531 just doesn't look right with a VIC

Luckily, 1530 drives are easy to find on eBay and very inexpensive. So I think there is no real need for further investigation.


Thanks for all your help,

Robert