TAPES UNDER CONTROL

One of the major omissions of the Spectrum design was its inability to control external devices such as a tape cassette deck. The Tape Controller from Ness Micro Systems remedies the failing and also provides an in-built BEEP amplifier.

The controller is housed in a small black box which can be placed alongside the computer and has leads to the EAR and MIC sockets of the tape deck and Spectrum. Another lead connects to the Spectrum power socket, and two more leads connect to the remote sockets on two tape decks.

If you do not want to use two separate decks for loading and saving, a connector is provided to join both leads to one deck. On the front of the controller are two switches. One controls whether the unit is to be used as a tape controller or as an amplifier. The other has three positions; up and down are used to load and save programs - without the need to remove leads as is normally the case; in the middle position the controller will control the cassette motor of the relevant deck by detecting a pre-set BEEP frequency. Also provided is a volume control and two LEDs which show how the unit is set up.

Inside the case are two tone-decoding circuits, one for LOAD and one for SAVE, which are pre-set to respond to different BEEP frequencies, Those pre-sets can be changed if more than one controller is being used. Each decoder controls a relay, toggling it on and off as required, so that only one can be on at any time.

Priced at £19.95, or £16.95 in kit Form, both plus £1.50 p&p, the controller represents good value.

Ness Micro Systems, 100 Drakies Avenue, Inverness IV2 3SD.

HARDWARE WORLD

With ever-increasing amounts of peripherals available for Sinclair computers, users are finding it more and more difficult to know what to buy. We present a buyer's guide to joysticks, keyboard and printers and review the best of the rest from the 1984 add-on market.

The last year has brought about a vast change in the sort of add-ons available for the Sinclair machines. Many are technically brilliant while some would have made Heath Robinson blush. There are few add-ons still being produced for the ZX81, with even fewer new ones, but there has been an avalanche of Spectrum designs, and the start of what promises to be an interesting range for the QL.

The most popular areas of interest - printers, joysticks and keyboards - are dealt with in separate sections but there have been some very innovative designs produced in other areas.

TAPE CONTROLLER

If however you are content with using cassettes then the Tape Controller from Ness MicroSystems might be a worthwhile addition to your system. It gives you the ability to control an external device, such as a tape cassette deck, and also provides an inbuilt BEEP amplifier.

The controller is housed in a small box which sits alongside the computer. Leads connect to both the EAR and MIC sockets of the tape deck and Spectrum. Another lead connects to the Spectrum power socket, and two further leads connect to the remote sockets on two tape decks. If you do not want to use two separate decks for LOADing and SAVEing a connector is provided to join both leads to one deck.

On the front of the controller are two switches. One selects whether the unit is to be used as a tape controller or as an amplifier. The other has three positions; up and down to load and save programs, without requiring the removal of leads as is usual, and in the middle position the cassette motor of the relevant deck can be controlled by detecting a preset BEEP frequency. Also provided is a volume control and two LEDs that show how the unit is set up. The instructions that come with the controller are very thorough and include a short machine code routine to allow you to save a program without pressing a key.

That is particularly useful in a filing program as you can process data from one deck to another without the need for human intervention.

Tape Controller, £19.95, or £16.95 in kit form, plus £1.50 p&p, from Ness Micro Systems, 100 Drakes Avenue. Inverness IV2 3SD.