Skip to main content

Adding a 5 pin DIN to an Amstrad CPC 464

After mentioning that I had gotten a CPC and attached a DIN to it so that I could connect it to the TZXDuino I have had a few requests on how to do it so I thought I'd try a guide.

You will need to purchase 180 degree 5 pin female din that is chassis mountable.





This is the type that I purchased except mine also had a mounting plate too.
The standard 6128 cassette connector is wired like this.



Each pin is numbered on the back so that you know which one you are connecting it too so don't worry if the pins are in different positions as it depends on whether you are looking from the connection side or the soldering side.


I would use different coloured wiring for each type of connection. I used the following
Ground - Black
Data Input - White
Data Output - Pink
Remote Control - Brown

At this point I added 4 male pins to the end of my wiring so that I could build a connector so that I could easily disconnect the DIN should I need to work on the cassette drive.

Next is connecting the wiring to the cassette drive Make sure that when you solder you do not create any shorts and connect the wiring as follows.



Close Up your computer and then test to make sure that it all works.

If you want to use the built in cassette recorder you just unplug the cassette leads from the DIN and use it as normal.



Where you place the 5 pin DIN on the case is up to you and the model of 464 that you have.

Here are pictures of the two types I've placed  on an early model and a later model.

Remember measure twice and cut once. That 14mm hole is pretty big and permanent once you've drilled it.






Comments

  1. Hi, I will have to do this mod on my CPC464 to be able to load CAS files from the TZXDuino. This guide is not telling me where the female DIN socket has to be placed ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It depends on your model. I try to place it as close to the cassette as possible but early models have the power and RGB port there so it's better closer to the expansion port.
      The only thing for certain is look at your CPC and where you want to place it, then look at what components are close by when the case is all closed. When you have decided where to place it, measure then measure again before you drill the 14mm hole.

      Delete
    2. Hi Duncan,

      I have finally taken a different solution. I will use a cassette adapter with a 3.5mm audio input to the TZXDuino :-). I may just need to add the remote socket somewhere if it is absolutely necessary to load into a CPC464.

      Delete
    3. And congrats for you nice piece of hardware it is working very nicely ;-). I will leave you a very positive feedback on Etsy as soon as this will be available.

      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    5. I have tried your beauty on ZX Spectrum, MSX1, Tandy COCO 1 and 2 and all is working fine :-). I am waiting the cassette adapter to test on CPC464 and Spectrum +2. I just have an issue with the Dragon32 where I have an I/O ERROR each time a program is found. Is there any baud rate setting to be used? Using the CasDuino firmware 1.19.

      Delete
    6. With the +2 the CD to cassette interface is not enough for games that use speedload routines and I would recommend adding an ear port and a switch. There is an earlier part on this blog about adding an ear port to a grey +2 (assuming it's a grey. If it's a black there are instructions on various web site).

      With the Dragon there is no way to change the baud rate but there are two load commands. CLOAD and CLOADM. Most I/O ERRORs are caused by using the incorrect load command.

      Delete
    7. Hi Duncan. I have tried the audio 'ear' mod on the Spectrum +2 Grey but that does not work. I tried to hook a female 3.5 mm audio input I have in stock but this is a stereo input jack and I do not think this is workable. I have hooked the ground to the GRN of the cassette deck PCB as per the tutorial and one of the two leads to the audio output of the cassette deck but the loading fails. I can hear the loading sound but just got a few loading bars on screen. I may need to use a mono female jack.

      https://ibb.co/imenxH

      Delete
    8. You should try adding both of the audio wires to the audio in. That might work. That or swap the audio wires.

      Delete
    9. Hi Duncan. Forgot to mention that I tried also to swap but no changes. I will hook both audio inputs of the jack to the audio in on the cassette deck and see what happens :-)

      Delete
    10. I tried again with the the two leads of the stereo female input hooked together to the audio in but not working. I have a normal loading screen but the spectrum +2 will list all the different section loaded (bytes + name) but not run the program. Also there is a lot of noise distorsion when the audio jack cable is plugged into the socket. Definitely the stereo female jack is not good. I will try to grab a mono jack.

      Delete
    11. Try grab an on/off switch too as the beeping from the scrolling of the screen can be very annoying. That's what I've done with my +2.

      Delete
    12. The loading noise is really not a problem and found it a nice 8bit feature :-). I have ordered a mono female audio jack and I think this will fix the problem.

      Delete
    13. I mean once it's finished loading you will hear a beep every time the screen changes and it's quite annoying.

      Delete
    14. Ok sorry I am somehow a noob in the Spectrum universe :-).

      Delete
    15. It's only something that happens with the +2 mod. The 128ks need more volume than a 48k it seems.

      Delete
  2. I've added pictures of what a I've added my DIN sockets to the blog so hopefully if you do decide to add one that will help.

    ReplyDelete
  3. As a temporay solution until the proper cable arrives, I connected a 5 DIN to one 3.5 jack simple cable. It is not working, is that normal?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TZXDuino Firmware 1.16, 1.17, and an updated TZXDuino Instruction Manual

  TZXDuino 1.16 In TZXDuino 1.15.3 I added a bug that lowered the volume of some Spectrum TZX files and all ZX80/81 TZX, O, and P files so they didn't work for many people. I fixed this for 1.16. You can download TZXDuino 1.16 from here.   TZXDuino 1.17 The MAXDuino team added ORIC TAP playback functionality to their firmware which I have adapted to TZXDuino. I don't have an Oric Atmos to test it on so I have been recording the playback and loading on Oricutron and everything I have tried has worked. Obviously things may be different on a real machine. Team MAXDuino have also added a speed up function for Oric TAP files which I will add to TZXDuino 1.18 but so far I have been unable to get it to work correctly. You can download TZXDuino 1.17 from here.   And finally there is the updated instruction manual which now tells you how to access Turbo mode for the Electron, ZX80, and ZX81. It also says for Oric but that has not been implemented yet. You can download the pdf of v1.2 fo

And Now For Something Completely Amazing.

 When Andrew Beer and I came up with this idea the intention was for people to build their own and many people have but once in a while someone comes up with something so amazing it really needs to be shared. JamHamster came up with the idea of fitting a TZXDuino in a cassette. Originally it was powered by USB and had a 3.5mm Ear socket but it looked amazing. Then he added a battery so that it was self powered. Then he added a head from a CD to cassette adapter. Then he added a switch under that head so that when you press play on the Cassette Recorder it plays the file you've selected. And the TZXCassette was born Because he is a great guy he's also uploaded the instructions on how to build one to Github and you can download the instructions and build your own. Now at the moment there is no REM control it may not work as well with a CPC 464 as it does with with a Spectrum +2 but it is a stunning piece of electrical engineering and a work of art in my opinion.

New CAS/TZXDuino firmware

New firmware . TZXDuino 1.15.3 Adapted the MAXDuino ID19 code and TurboMode for ZX80/81. To access Turbo Mode for ZX80/81 and Electron please switch Turbo Mode On in the menu Also added UEF Chunk 117 which allows for differing baudrates in BBC UEFs. Added a Spectrum Font for OLED 1306 users converted by Brendan Alford. Option added to userconfig.h Added File scrolling by holding up or down buttons. By Brendan Alford. Download from here. CASDuino 1.24 Added a Spectrum Font for OLED 1306 users converted by Brendan Alford. Option added to userconfig.h Added File scrolling by holding up or down buttons. By Brendan Alford. Download from here.