(HP 41 or 71B) Transfer data on cassette-drive into virtual drive: HowTo?

[floppy]

Hello,
during Stuttgart 2024, the question was asked how to copy data in a cassette into a virtual drive (on a PC or PI ).
Before I get the cassette drive and connect it with a pilbox in a loop (connected to a PC or raspberry PI) and an HP71B, can I get here a feedback if it will work?

I think of..
CAT :1 (in the basic prompt) -> will show the programs/data AA BB CC.. XX of the cassette drive (assuming it is the first in the loop)
I will have to find the address of the virtual drive in the loop (behind the pilbox): lets assume it will be :2
Then the copy should be COPY AA:1 TO :2
then .. BB .. CC.. all files
Any advice is welcomed if it could work before I start to gather the hardware.

[Craig Bladow]

For the HP-41 see the Mass Storage Operations section in the Extended I/O Module Owner's Manual.

[Dave Frederickson]

Can you connect the tape drive to a PIL-Box and to Emu71 through ILPer?

Then COPY file:3 TO :2

where :2 is the default virtual drive and the tape drive is after the PIL-Box at :3.

[Dave Frederickson]

(10-26-2024 11:51 PM)Dave Frederickson Wrote:  Can you connect the tape drive to a PIL-Box and to Emu71 through ILPer?

Then COPY file:3 TO :2

where :2 is the default virtual drive and the tape drive is after the PIL-Box at :3.

EDIT: I now recall a LEX file that will copy all the files from a tape to a virtual disc. I did this for Bob about ten years ago. The LEX file was called MCOPY, but since then Sylvain developed a program called TAPEDUMP that reads the tape sector by sector.
https://hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-16513-...#pid144808

[rprosperi]

Yes, the MCOPY LEX file works fine in general, one just uses the command

COPY : S TO : D (with no spaces between : and letters - added here to prevent emojis.... <sigh>)

where S is the source drive ID and D is the destination drive ID. There are warnings in some old notes (somewhere...) that warned that having the ROMCOPY LEX file installed could affect how the MCOPY LEX works, but I never encountered the problem. That said, I have only copied 4-5 tapes this way, so I can't really say it's bullet-proof or well-tested, rather that casual use did not reveal any problems.

Sylvain's program is quite extraordinary, but that was intended for extracting data from a tape that was written using non-standard equipment, so more of low-level byte-by-byte data grabber than media copying utility.

[twoweims]

Do I need the EMOJI LEX file to be able to enter those commands?

[J-F Garnier]

(10-27-2024 03:16 AM)twoweims Wrote:  My Collection: ... HP-150, Portable+, HP-86, Integral PC.

Are they all HP-IL equipped ? (the Portable+ is of course)

J-F

[J-F Garnier]

(10-26-2024 10:14 PM)floppy Wrote:  during Stuttgart 2024, the question was asked how to copy data in a cassette into a virtual drive (on a PC or PI ).
Before I get the cassette drive and connect it with a pilbox in a loop (connected to a PC or raspberry PI) and an HP71B, can I get here a feedback if it will work?

My ILvlif program (on my site) can make an image to a PC file using the PIL-Box.
My site says that ILvlif has not been tested with the cassette drive, but it has since been successfully used in that way.

J-F

[Dave Frederickson]

Don't forget to replace the pressure pads on the cassettes. To save some work, you can replace the pad on just one spring and then use that spring/pad on subsequent tapes.

[floppy]

(10-27-2024 07:42 PM)Dave Frederickson Wrote:  Don't forget to replace the pressure pads on the cassettes. To save some work, you can replace the pad on just one spring and then use that spring/pad on subsequent tapes.

I never had a cassette in my hands. Can you elaborate your thoughts with pictures?
Then when I will get the drive and the cassette, I will know what to do.

[Dave Frederickson]

(10-28-2024 04:21 PM)floppy Wrote:  

(10-27-2024 07:42 PM)Dave Frederickson Wrote:  Don't forget to replace the pressure pads on the cassettes. To save some work, you can replace the pad on just one spring and then use that spring/pad on subsequent tapes.

I never had a cassette in my hands. Can you elaborate your thoughts with pictures?
Then when I will get the drive and the cassette, I will know what to do.

Look here.
https://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-21...#pid184811

Here's Tony Duell's tape repair guide.
https://www.hpmuseum.org/guest/duell/rep82176.pdf

Here's a pic of some repaired tapes. Sorry it's a download. I can't seem to be able to insert pics anymore.
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=downl...s68oi95YOy

Dave