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There are many types of encoding schemes to store data on cassette tapes. Different manufacturers invented/chose different schemes: some proved to be faster or more reliable than others. Therefore some formats are much more common than others. Most of these formats are known by name i.e. Novaload, Cyberload etc and supported by FinalTAP/TAPClean.

I contributed to the study and description of some of these and other yet unsupported schemes. Part of this information is available here.

The official DC2N project homepage

The DC2N diary I keep while working at it is available here.

The DC2N ancestor, lptc2n, project page is available here.

The official D1541 project homepage

The D1541 diary I keep while working at it is available here.

This is a system icon in 3 different sizes, suitable for TAP files. Right click on one of the links below and select "Save as" to save to disk.

TAP icon downloads
TAP-true-color.ico	True color icon
TAP-256-colors.ico	256 color icon
TAP-16-colors.ico	16 color icon

TAPClean is a console utility whose key features are:

• Detects and retrieves information about TAP and DC2N DMP file contents.
• Tests and reports on the integrity and condition of the files.
• Performs structural corrections and optimizations.
• Develops a library of all detected files as their binary equivalents and allows content exporting.
• Allows conversion to audio format (.AU or .WAV) so TAPs may be played out and recorded back to cassette tape.

TAPClean Front End downloads
tapcleanfe-rel-20090618-gtk.zip	Windows (all versions) with GTK+ runtime
tapcleanfe-rel-20090618.tar.gz	Debian Linux with GTK+ / Ubuntu
tapcleanfe-rel-20081225-sol10x86.tar.gz	Solaris 10 x86 with GTK+ (beta)
tapcleanfe-rel-20090618-user-manual.zip	Release 20090618 user manual
tap-convert-rel-1.3-dos.zip	Batch file to convert TAP files to V0
tcrep2html-rel-1.2-win32.zip	Convert the TAPClean plain-text report to HTML!

This is a TAP and DC2N DMP file monitor to inspect tape image contents.

TAPStudio2 downloads
tapstudio2-rel-0.3-gtk.zip	Windows (all versions) with GTK+ runtime
tapstudio2-rel-0.3.tar.gz	Debian Linux with GTK+ / Ubuntu

This is a TAP and DC2N DMP file monitor to inspect tape image contents. It can also be used to edit DMP files and save them as TAP.

TAP Studio Win-32 native downloads
tapstudio-rel-1.3.0-win32.zip	Windows (all versions)

The libtap library package provides a useful C API that can speed up the production of software that writes TAP files and the cross-development of C64 software. It provides full support for TAP v1 only.
This API comes in the form of a static library (.a) for the GNU toolchain (C/C++ programs), both for Linux and Win-32.

Loaders currently supported:

• CBM Kernal loader, both for program files and sequential data files
• Trilogic v3.2 loader, with or without a bootable CBM file containing the turbo loader
• Turbo Tape 64 loader

Libtap library downloads
libtap-rel-20090418-win-mingw.zip	Windows (all versions) + samples
libtap-rel-20090418-gcc.tar.gz	Debian Linux / Ubuntu + samples
libtap-rel-20090418-user-manual.zip	User manual

An idea of what users can do by using the libtap library is given below:



This is a project of mine, Tape Maker, that remasters TAP files using prg files.

The libcbmhires library package provides a useful C API that can speed up the production of software that decodes CBM hires (bitmap, sprites, fonts) and the cross-development of C64 software.
This API comes in the form of a static library (.a) for the GNU toolchain (C/C++ programs), both for Linux and Win-32.

Current features:

• Export CBM bitmap image to XPM data
• Export CBM sprite data (single or multiple images) to XPM data
• Multicolor and standard modes supported
• Select transparent or opaque background color for XPM images

Libcbmhires library downloads
libcbmhires-rel-20070926-win-mingw.zip	Windows (all versions) + samples
libcbmhires-rel-20070926-gcc.tar.gz	Debian Linux / Ubuntu + samples
libcbmhires-user-manual.zip	User manual available soon

An idea of what users can do by using the libcbmhires library is given below:



The demo programs' output files were opened with an image viewer (included within the libcbmhires archive).

TAPMoni is a TAP file visualization tool that converts the apparently senseless bytes in a TAP file into easily understandable "graphic pulses". It doesn't require any deep experience about the TAP stuff, thus being a little helping hand for anyone wanting to (better) understand the data structure beyond raw TAP file bytes or just check a newly MTap-imported tape while still in MS-DOS mode.

TAPMoni was born as a C2N head adjustment/diagnostic tool that reads TAP files to perform an adjustment or to point out a problem.
For alignment purposes, this program should be used just for disaster recovery. A C64 native head adjustment tool should be preferred, where available.
Current features are:

• Comprehensive and detailed procedure to align C2N head
• Helpbars provided for CBM Loader and many Turbo loaders
• Graphical output can be saved to a 256-color BMP image

Regular behaviour

A motor problem occurred

TAPMoni downloads
tapmoni-rel-1.2.5c-dos.zip	DOS and Windows

Exam20 is a VIC20 TAP file examiner I wrote to help myself fix many of those TAPs over time.
Current features are:

• Full CBM "ROM Loader" support (BASIC, PROGRAM, and SEQ files)
• Fully customizable CBM "ROM Loader" pulse widths
• Binary data can be extracted to .prg/.p00 and .seq files
• Useful and detailed error-reporting procedures

Additional support images can be consulted here and here.

Exam20 downloads
exam20-rel-1.07-win32.zip	Windows (all versions)
exam20-rel-1.07-dos.zip (DJGPP)	DOS and Windows
exam20-rel-1.07.tar.gz	Debian Linux / Ubuntu

CBM BASIC Lister (formerly C64 BASIC Lister) is a tool to generate an easily readable and printable BASIC listing of any CBM BASIC program (C64/VIC20, etc.) saved as Prg file.
Current features are:

• Optional indent-ation of cycle (and procedure with Extended sets) body, with nested cycles processing
• Optional right alignment of BASIC line numbers
• Optional blank line insertion after a RETURN/END command (and End of procedures with Extended sets)
• Simon's BASIC, Ultra BASIC (ABACUS), and Special BASIC support (and detection)
• Windows version only: Drag'n'Drop a file directly over the application icon (or a running istance's window) to open it
• Windows version only: Font selection between Uppercase and Lowercase CBM Charsets (CBM_Big.Fon & CBM_Small.Fon). You need to copy them in your "Windows/Fonts" folder
• GTK+ version TODOs: UTF CBM fontset to correctly display BASIC listings

BASIC Lister downloads
c64basiclister-rel-1.1f-win32.zip	Windows (all versions)
cbmbasiclister-rel-2.03-gtk.zip	Windows (all versions) with GTK+ runtime
cbmbasiclister-rel-2.03.tar.gz	Debian Linux with GTK+ / Ubuntu

6510 Dasm/CBM Dasm: These small utilities disassemble a binary file to C64 asm language.
Current features are:

• Automatic Org address selection for .prg files
• Optional source addresses
• Optional raw hex values
• Optional C64 Comments
• Optional Pseudo OPs listing
• Org address selection
• Optional range exclusion

• Skipping of "header" bytes, such as Org address in .prg files

CBM tools downloads
dasm-rel-2.1b-addxor-rel-1.1-win32.zip	Windows (all versions)
cbmdasm-rel-2.24-gtk.zip	Windows (all versions) with GTK+ runtime
cbmdasm-rel-2.24.tar.gz	Debian Linux with GTK+ / Ubuntu

BMP2Koala is a tool to build C64 Koala-Painter pictures from compatible PC Bitmap files and save them using one of the supported formats.
Current features are:

• Preview of the opened image with optional aspect correction
• Optional automatic selection of the background color
• Support for saving images as P00, Prg and TAP files
• Supported output image formats: Advanced Art Studio, Artist 64, Blazing Paddles and Koala Painter
• Comprehensive and detailed description of the above mentioned graphic formats
• Sample BMP file (the one shown below)

BMP2Koala downloads
bmp2koala-rel-1.2b-win32.zip	Windows (all versions)	Online Help

TapWAV is a utility that converts TAP files into audio files (WAV format) that can be directly recorded to tapes with an audio recorder plugged to the soundcard output line or burned to an audio CD for later transfer to tapes by means of a Hi-Fi system. No specific hardware is needed for this conversion.

TapWav downloads
tapwav-rel-2.5d-win32.zip	Windows (all versions)	Online Help

The old DOS version pages can be found here.

Inspect rel 2.2 win32 (console, functional) + Inspect32 (GUI, demo) downloads
inspect-rel-2.2-win32-inspect32-demo.zip	Windows (all versions)

In the above example, the options were set to decode "US Gold" turbo chunks within TAP files.

Luigi Di Fraia.

Comers since area creation: - Best viewed at 1024x768

Last Updated: 23 Jun 2009