Cassette Drive with Intellivision ECS

[dalves]

I've just bought an Intellivision ECS off eBay. I've read that you can do some basic programming with it, but you'll need a cassette drive to save your data. I was wondering if anyone knows what kind of cassette drive would be compatible with the ECS?

[intvnut]

Just about any cassette deck with a mic-in and earphone-out should do, if I recall correctly.

 

That said, you might also consider hooking it to your PC's sound card, saving your games to WAV files. Instead of punching record on a tape deck, record the game to a WAV file. Later, to load it, play back the WAV file. Just requires a couple patch cords from the local electronics store, and simple play/record software on your PC.

[doctorclu]

The patch cords with a PC is perhaps the best way.

 

AND, if you have a Cuttle Cart 3, few cables and loop back adapter (some assembly required) you can call a BBS or even telnet out to the interwebs on your ECS.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/168660-intellivision-as-serial-terminal/page-4?hl=serial&do=findComment&comment=3224607

 

But you reminded me I wanted to try some programming on the ECS. Thanks for that.

[+DZ-Jay]

Just about any cassette deck with a mic-in and earphone-out should do, if I recall correctly.

 

 

As someone who had an ECS back in the day, and who used the save/load feature, I can attest that this is correct. I used whatever tape-deck I had on hand. Mic-in/earphone-out, both using audio "mini" plugs (mono/single-stripe).

 

It worked, though it wasn't very reliable.

 

-dZ.

[intvnut]

 

As someone who had an ECS back in the day, and who used the save/load feature, I can attest that this is correct. I used whatever tape-deck I had on hand. Mic-in/earphone-out, both using audio "mini" plugs (mono/single-stripe).

 

It worked, though it wasn't very reliable.

 

-dZ.

 

Yep, that's effectively what we used also.

 

Ironically, my dad bought us a Mattel Aquarius cassette drive to use with it, and we could never get it to work at all. But, the more generic cassette deck I used with my TI-99/4A worked just fine. It was Texas Instruments branded (the Texas Instruments Program Recorder), but it was just a rebadged unit from GE.

 

Since then, I've used other, similar generic decks with both the TI-99/4A and the ECS. I will say the TI-99/4A was far more forgiving than the ECS. The ECS wants the tape just right. The TI-99/4A accepts a little more variance.