[Coco] ignoring tape errors

[Mark Anderson]

There was a tip in the May 1987 issue of the Rainbow. It was called ‘A Minor Adjustment’.

“I/O Errors encountered when using a tape system on your CoCo are quite frustrating. There are so many places for these errors to occur. Similarly, there are a thousand techniques for solving them. I found one that works 99 percent of the time. Use a small Phillips head jeweler’s screwdriver to adjust the head azimuth of the playback head.

First, disconnect the recorder from the CoCo, set the volume to a comfortable level and play the tape. On the CTR-80 and CTR-81, you will find a small hole near the Radio Shack name on the front panel. There is a small screw in this hole. For the CCR-82, the screw is just to the left of the playback head in the tape compartment.

Now, turn the screw slowly from side to side while listening to the tape. Adjust the screw until you hear the clearest, crispest sound possible. This is the point at which your tape has the best chance of loading. Keep in mind, you will probably have to re-adjust the screw for other tapes. However, it isn’t that much of a hassle in comparison with the I/O Errors.”