Commodore CASSIOPEI User manual

CASSIOPEIv2. 0
USER MANUAL
this manual is intended for
firmware version: V20191027 or higher

It was the year 1987 when I've got my very first computer, the C64 of which I have many fond
memories, mostly playing games and some first steps into assembly programming. Although the C2N
Datasette was sufficient at first (it was cheap), I was very happy once I've got my first disk drive. Years
later I've bought an Amiga 500 then a 1200 and finally a PC and then another one, and another one,
etc. Though all computers fulfilled my needs the C64 will always be the model which is the closest to my
heart.
But it was only after I bought an SX-64, in 2004, that I tumbled into the retro scene. It was 2006 and I
designed the 1541-III which was the first “fully functional .D64 MMC/SD-card reader emulating a real
drive using the IEC-bus, in a case”. I learned a lot from that project and it got my retro fire burning. It
may be fun to know that the 1541-III was the inspiration for the MMC2IEC, which evolved into the
SD2IEC which is now the low cost solid state alternative for a 1541 disk drive in the retro computing
scene. Though I haven't worked on or with these devices, I feel slightly proud because my little 1541-III
project has sparked the interest in the retro scene for these kind of devices.
I'm no gamer I'm just a technician who loves to build the things that were impossible or “out of reach”
(expensive) during the glory days of the C64. Now with today's micro-controller technology things are
much easier.
After the success of the 1541-III, it became time for something new, A device that would work on ALL 8-
bit commodore computers. Simply because many 8-bit Commodore computers do not have an IEC-bus.
That device was the Cassiopei. It was a very successful project, I learned a lot from it, mostly about the
history of the technology inside the Commodore computers. Because I needed to program very close to
the hardware it forced me to understand why things were done. And while doing so, I noticed why
newer Commodore models had things differently or improved over the older models. Then 2 years after
the release of the Cassiopei I decided it was time to improve the concept by using the ESP8266. This is
a very powerful processor capable of Wifi and lot's of computing power. So this little device is going to
power the next generation of Cassiopei's. It uses mass storage SD-card technology and an integrated
web interface so you can easily configure the Cassiopei.
I hope you enjoy the use of the Cassiopei and Commodore(s)
Kind regards, Jan Derogee
I would like to thank:
- My family, for allowing me to work on my project during the evenings and weekends.
- The retro community, mainly the HCC “Commodore gebruikers groep”
- Arthur Jordison for making “CBM program studio” (the perfect tool for ASM and BASIC coders.)
- Luigi Di Fraia for sharing his knowledge about TAP files and loaders
- Gideon Zweijtzer for sharing his knowledge about tape related signals and C64 RUN related info
- All the people who worked at/for Commodore and created these machines and their documentation.
In order to honor Commodore this document prefers the spelling of the word kernel as “kernal”. The
spelling of this word actually started as a simple mistake but it was copied many times before really
noticed. From then on this alternative spelling was adopted by other authors in many following
Commodore related documents.
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Table of Contents
1 The Cassiopei..............................................................................................................................5
1.1 Buttons................................................................................................................................5
1.2 Display................................................................................................................................6
1.3 Speaker................................................................................................................................7
1.4 Additional stands.................................................................................................................9
1.5 Frontplate logo differences................................................................................................10
1.6 Wifi network security........................................................................................................11
1.6.1 Supported protocols...................................................................................................11
1.6.2 Hidden networks........................................................................................................11
2 Configuring the Cassiopei.........................................................................................................12
2.1 Wifi (menu item “Wifi”)....................................................................................................12
2.2 NTP functionality (mostly intended for GEOS).................................................................13
2.3 Computer model (menu item “Comp”)..............................................................................16
2.4 Operating modes (menu item “Mode”)..............................................................................16
2.5 File (menu item “File”)......................................................................................................17
2.6 Settings file........................................................................................................................18
2.7 Determining the IP address of your Cassiopei....................................................................19
3 Configuring the SD-card...........................................................................................................20
3.1 SD-card requirements........................................................................................................20
3.2 Usage and limitations........................................................................................................21
3.3 Required folders in the root of the SD-card........................................................................21
3.4 Required folders inside computer specific folders..............................................................22
3.5 SD-card removal tips.........................................................................................................23
4 The web-interface.....................................................................................................................24
4.1 File manager......................................................................................................................25
4.2 Settings..............................................................................................................................26
4.3 Info....................................................................................................................................27
5 Cassiopei menu program...........................................................................................................28
5.1 Starting the menu program.................................................................................................28
6 Using PRG files........................................................................................................................30
7 Using TAP files.........................................................................................................................31
7.1 Swapping/flipping the tape (change TAP file during playback).........................................32
7.2 Stopping the TAP file mode...............................................................................................32
8 Supported computer models......................................................................................................33
8.1 Commodore VIC-20..........................................................................................................33
8.1.1 What to do when a VIC-20 program does not run?.....................................................35
8.1.2 VIC20 BASIC start address due to memory configuration.........................................36
8.1.3 Writing a program that works on all VIC-20 configurations.......................................37
8.2 Commodore 64..................................................................................................................39
8.3 Commodore C16/Plus4......................................................................................................40
8.4 Commodore 128................................................................................................................41
8.5 Commodore PET/CBM 20XX series (build-in tape drive).................................................43
8.6 Commodore PET/CBM 20XX and 30XX series................................................................45
8.7 Commodore PET/CBM 40XX series.................................................................................47
8.8 Commodore PET/CBM 80XX series.................................................................................49
8.9 Commodore CBM 500 series (not supported)....................................................................51
8.10 Commodore CBM 600 series (not supported)..................................................................51
9 Backup/restore tapes.................................................................................................................52
9.1 Test your datasette for basic functionality..........................................................................52
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9.2 Which tapes should you use?.............................................................................................53
9.3 Condition of source tapes...................................................................................................54
9.4 Datasette maintenance and repair.......................................................................................55
9.4.1 Belt replacement........................................................................................................56
9.4.2 Pinch roller problems.................................................................................................58
9.4.3 Tapehead cleaning......................................................................................................59
9.4.4 Tapehead (azimuth) alignment...................................................................................60
9.5 Backup a tape....................................................................................................................64
9.6 Restore a tape....................................................................................................................64
10 Voltmeter function..................................................................................................................65
11 Virtual file mode.....................................................................................................................67
11.1 Cross development..........................................................................................................69
12 Compatibility of the Cassiopei................................................................................................70
13 Upgrading the Cassiopei's firmware........................................................................................71
13.1 FW Update through webinterface....................................................................................71
13.2 FW Update through SD-card...........................................................................................73
14 Additional software for the Cassiopei......................................................................................74
14.1 PETSCII_player.prg + CBM PETSCII video converter...................................................74
14.2 BBS_terminal.prg............................................................................................................75
14.3 To be released in the future: VIC20 full motion video.....................................................76
14.4 To be released in the future: Disk_wizard.prg..................................................................76
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1 The Cassiopei
Cassiopei stands for: CASSette IO
Peripheral Expansion Interface.
You can use it to load single file
games and/or programs. Or to
backup restore tapes and disks,
however the backup/restore
function of for disks is still under
development but is mainly software
that runs on the CBM computer to
transfers the data between the
Cassiopei and the disk.
Below you see a picture of how the
Cassiopei looks like, there is the
edge connector at the side of the
Cassiopei, which allows it's to
connect to your CBM's cassette
port. Because almost all 8-bit CBM
computers feature such a port (C16
and plus4 require the CBM tape
connector adapter) the Cassiopei
becomes a very useful device. The
basic idea about the Cassiopei is
that it is completely self supporting
as it has many ways of configuring
it and does not require special software on a PC or other kind of computer system, you can
configure it using a browser or by simply removing the card and inserting it in a normal card
reader. The Cassiopei is also great for cross development due to it's quick and easy transfer of data
to your CBM computer. This functionality is heavily used during the development of the menu
programs and other Cassiopei related software.
1.1 Buttons
Play: When the computer says “press play on tape” you press this button (it loads the file
as selected previously in the menu program).
Menu: When the computer says “press play on tape”, but you want to choose the file you
want to load, then you press this button. The computer will now load the menu file.
Sett.: Press this button when you want to change some settings using the display, without
loading anything into your CBM computer.
Reset The Cassiopei resets when the CBM's power is cycled, but this is not always
desirable. Therefore the reset button allows you to reset the Cassiopei manually.
The buttons as described above also function as navigation keys (UP, SELECT, DOWN) when
browsing through the menu(s) of the Cassiopei. Or to stop/play, rewind or wind the “tape” during
TAP file playback.
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1.2 Display
The Cassiopei has an OLED display which is small but very practical. As it allows the user to
easily configure the device or to see what he/she is doing when loading TAP files. Below is an
image of what the screen would look like configured for a C64 computer (PAL version).
You can see on the line labeled “Mode” that it is configured for using PRG files (using the
fastloader of the Cassiopei) and the line labeled “file” indicates that it will load the file
“PACMAN.prg” which is stored in the games folder (indicated on the line labeled “path”).
Knowing that the files for a C64 are stored in the folder C64 on the root of the SD-card and that
PRG files are located in the folder PRG of the corresponding computer model, the full path for the
game will be “C64/PRG/games/PACMAN.prg”. But as you might expect, that would never fit onto
the small screen.
The top line shows that the Wifi settings are configured and functional, as the IP-address released
for the Cassiopei by the network is shown. The values are shown with trailing zeroes to keep the
alignment a little easier, these zeroes do not need to be entered into the browser. If the Cassiopei
wasn't able to connect then there could be a problem with the password. But it could also be that the
Cassiopei cannot properly receive the signal coming from your router, experimenting with the
distance of between the Cassiopei and your router. You could also experiment with the position of
the antenna(s) on your router (if possible, if not try rotating the router 90 degrees). For long
distances a Wifi repeater can be of help.
The next line shows the time as released by the NTP server, you may use this for GEOS but no
other program is able to use it, so most users will have this option disabled.
The bottom line shows the voltage of the 5V power supply as available on the cassetteport.
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Wifi:192.168.002.036
Time:ntp disabled
Comp:C64 PAL
Mode:PRG fast
Path:games/
File:PACMAN.prg
Pow.:5.12 Volt

1.3 Speaker
The Cassiopei has a build in speaker, this is a very small and discrete speaker. It doesn't make a lot
of noise, but it does produce sufficient volume in a quit room to hear exactly what you need to hear.
The speaker outputs it's sound through the holes of the backside of the Cassiopei, it is a very simple
piezo-type speaker. This means that is has a very limited frequency range, so don't expect hearing
hifi sounds when playing back your audio cassette of Queen in your connected datasette. This
however is a thing that's impossible anyway because the datasette itself already digitizes the sounds
with it's build-in 1-bit digitizer. Meaning that analog audio will sound very limited and clipped no
matter what kind of speaker amplifier you connect to it.
The switch on the front of the Cassiopei has 2 positions, the text next to the switch is a bit difficult
to read. Therefore it is easier to refer to the upper or lower position instead of the 'W' or 'R'
position. To make a long story short, if the Cassiopei produces noises that you don't want to hear,
just flip the switch.
Upper position of the switch is called 'W'
When the switch is in this position the speaker will produce the sound coming from the Cassiopei
going into the CBM and the external datasette.
This means that if you want to playback a .TAP file and want to listen to it's sounds, then you must
set the switch in this position.
If you want to record a TAP file onto a real tape (by using a real datasette connected to the
Cassiopei's datasette connector) AND want to listen to it's progress, so that you know when to stop
the recording, then you must set the switch in this position.
Lower position of the switch is called 'R'
When the switch is in this position the speaker will produce the sound coming from the tape being
played by the real datasette connected to the Cassiopei's datasette connector. This may be of use
when you want to digitize a real tap (convert it into a .TAP file).
You also place the switch in this position when you don't want the Cassiopei's loading sounds.
Note for PET users:
The PET series 20XX and 30XX do not have an internal speaker. Therefore games make no sound.
Originally this wasn't a problem, but users soon figured out that they could create sound by
attaching an amplified speaker to the CB2 signal of the userport. This rumor quickly spread around
and some games started to utilize this possibillity. Eventually Commodore realized that adding a
simple speaker to their design, utilizing the CB2 signal, had a positive effect on the userbase. Not
only would games with sound run without problem on new and standard hardware. Programmers
already knew how to use it. And the beauty of it all is that it didn't require any difficult or
expensive parts to the design of the new PET series.
HOWEVER… the CB2 sound method had a little side effect, it seemed that the #2 cassetteport
(which is the internal cassetteport on all PET's without an integrated datasette) was affected in it's
functionality. This was caused by a problem in the 6522 VIA chip. In other words, cassette didn't
work when sound was made. This however, wasn't a big problem. Just turn off sound before
starting to work with tape and nobody will ever notice that there is a problem. But the Cassiopei,
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has a speaker, and when the Cassiopei is placed on the internal port cassette of a regular PET, then
when the speaker switch is in the upper position, sound of the CB2 audio signal will come out of
the Cassiopei's speaker. This unintentional functionality can be of benefit to those who don't have a
speaker on their PET but who do wish to experiment with simple sound on their PET.
Keep in mind that not all games will load from cassetteport #2, as some games are rather big and
require the use of a cassetteport buffer area in RAM that is also used by the Cassiopei's fastloader.
Now these games are rare, but keep it in mind your games doesn't run and then try to load it from
the other cassetteport.
Placing the Cassiopei on your internal cassetteport isn't very convinient, as it requires you to
constantly lift the top of your PET in order to press a button on the Cassiopei. Also the support feet
of the Cassiopei are not suited for placing the Cassiopei inside your PET. Also the wifi
functionality of the Cassiopei cannot be guaranteed to work properly, because the PET is
significantly obstructing the signal with is heavy metal case. Therefore to make a long story short,
enabling speaker functionality by placing the Cassiopei on the internal (#2) cassetteport is a nice
feature but it is not it's intended use and therefore is not recommended.
For all PET 2001 users that do have a build in datasette, the internal port is #1 and the external port
is #2. So for those users it may be an interesting thing to be aware of.
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1.4 Additional stands
In order to make the Cassiopei fit all computermodels, some additional stands are required.
Fortunately, these stand come with your Cassiopei. You'll need these stands for the PET/CBM
series of computers and for the C128D (plastic version). These stands prevent the Cassiopei from
dangling in mid air while being connected to your computers cassetteport. The stand firmly touches
the table and therefore creates a solid and stable situation, allowing you to safely use your
Cassiopei.
In order to attach a stand to the Cassiopei, remove the back cover and slide the stand with the
smallest slot gently over the cassetteport connector.
The place the back cover back onto the Cassiopei and the Cassiopei is ready for use.
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1.5 Frontplate logo differences
The Cassiopei V2.0 has been produced with 2 different logo's. Though this minor change in looks,
might confuse some people and therefore some explanation is given here. Though the frontplates
slightly differ, the electronics inside are completely identical and therefore the functionality is
completely the same!
Cassiopei V2.0 outline style logo Cassiopei V2.0 filled style logo
On the left the frontplate has the CASSIOPEI logo in an outline style, on the right the Cassiopei
logo is more solid and below it the text V2.0 is printed. From the outline style logo only 10 have
been made, therefore these models are to be seen as collectors items. If you see somebody with a
Cassiopei with this type of frontplate, then respect this person from being one of the first 10 people
of owing this great device.
These frontplate changes were made because the filled style text is to be expected to be more
durable but also the make it more stand-out on the frontplate. The text V2.0 was added to indicate
more clearly that this design of the Cassiopei is not to be confused with the first Cassiopei (shown
below). The first Cassiopei has no display, requires USB + PC software to install files, has no WIFI
and only has 8MB of storage room, etc.
the first or “original” design of the Cassiopei
The first or Original design of the Cassiopei is simply called, Cassiopei and not Cassiopei V1.0,
although that would not be entirely wrong. But you must see it like this: there is the movie “Back to
the future”, “Back to the future 2” and “Back to the future 3”. The movie “Back to the future 1”
technically was never made, because at the time nobody knew that there were going to be 2
sequels.
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1.6 Wifi network security
1.6.1 Supported protocols
The Cassiopei is based on the ESP8266, this is known to be supporting the WEP or WPA/WPA2
authentication, or open networks.
The Cassiopei has been developed using a WPA2 wifi network and it is suggested that the
Cassiopei is only to be used in such a network environment. This because WPA2 is the most
modern and secure method of security protocol as supported by the Cassiopei.
1.6.2 Hidden networks
Networks that do not broadcast their name (and are to be considered hidden or invisible) cannot be
used by the Cassiopei. This because the Cassiopei searches for their name in the list of available
networks, hidden networks will not show up in that list and will therefore be considered
unavailable.
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2 Configuring the Cassiopei
When using the Cassiopei there are a few settings that are really important, make sure that these are
properly configured before you use the Cassiopei. You may configure the most used settings by
pressing the “Sett.”-button on the Cassiopei. Other settings like the IP-address or virtual file mode
settings can only be changed by modifying the contents of the settings file.
When pressing the “Sett.”-button on the Cassiopei the
menu (shown right) will appear. You may navigate
through this menu with the three buttons next to the
display.
“Play”-button moves the cursor up
“Menu”-button select the item under the cursor
“Sett.”-button moves the cursor down
It is important that when you are done changing your
settings that you store them to the settings file of the SD-
card. This can be done by selecting the “Exit” item in the
menu. The the screen (shown right) will appear.
The item “Cancel” leaves the exit menu and does nothing.
The item “Exit” leaves the entire menu and does nothing.
The item “Exit & save settings” leaves the entire menu but also saves the settings to the settings file
on the SD_card. This is the correct way to exit the menu after you changed one or more settings.
2.1 Wifi (menu item “Wifi”)
The Cassiopei has a wifi interface to connect to your home network. With this you can transfer files
using a normal webbrowser or you can transfers files for cross-development. It can also be used for
uploading new firmware into the device. The network settings like SSID and KEY cannot be
changed through the menu, it requires removal of the SD-card and manual change of the settings
file. However to quickly enable/disable wifi, this menu can be used.
Because in most cases the wifi functionality is not used or required but it does makes the Cassiopei
slower, because it will search for the network upon booting of the device. Meaning that every time
you switch on/off your CBM, the Cassiopei will attempt to connect to the network. Now although
these actions only take a few seconds, for the die-hard gamer, this is precious gaming time wasted.
Keep in mind that changing these settings require the device to be rebooted.
In some special cases the wifi network you are trying to connect to simply does operate properly
(for example an overloaded wifi network at a retro computing convention), causing the Cassiopei to
infinitely wait… preventing it to boot… preventing you from disabling wifi through the settings
menu, leaving you with an unusable device. But fortunately, there is an escape for this very
annoying situation. During the wifi connection state the Cassiopei allows the user to press the
“Sett.”-button, this immediately aborts the wifi network searching loop and also disables the wifi in
the settings file. Allowing you to continue gaming.
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>Wifi:disabled
NTP :disabled
Comp:C64 PAL
Mode:PRG fast
File:PAC MAN.prg
Exit
>Cancel
Exit
Exit & save settings

There are 3 modes in which this setting can be set: “disabled”, “enabled” and “enabled, show QR”.
When the setting “enabled, show QR” is selected, the OLED screen will show a QR-code instead of
the settings. This allows the user to quickly scan this code and connect to the cassiopei. This saves
the user the trouble of reading the IP-address from the tiny screen and typing it in. Unfortunately,
because the OLED screen is very small, it is difficult to capture the QR-code for some models of
mobile phone camera's. However, there are very cheap (plastic) clip-on lenses available (in
discount stores and on the internet. For approx 2 Euros (2 dollars) you can buy these macro
photography lenses for your phone. But a simple 5x magnifier lense should do the trick just as well.
The QR code, holding the IP-address of the Cassiopei, is just
another feature that might be handy for some people, but
most likely not for all. The QR-code disappears the moment
you press the sett. button on the front panel of the Cassiopei
or when you load something, just like the normal display
would. The CBM voltage is also shown in the top-right
corner of the display, allowing the user to monitor the
behaviour of the power supply. More info about that further
on in the manual.
2.2 NTP functionality (mostly intended for GEOS)
NTP stands for Network Time Protocol and an NTP server is a website where you can retrieve the
current time. The Cassiopei is able to connect to such an NTP server and therefore knows the exact
time. And when you use the menu program (by pressing the MENU button after giving the LOAD
command) the TI and TI$ clock values will be set to the value of the current time (if you have NTP
and WIFI enabled). So if you have a program for your CBM that requires the current time in TI or
TI$, you don't need to set these values manually, because the Cassiopei will set it for you (as long
as you use the menu program to load your program). If you would load your program directly (by
pressing the “PLAY” button after giving the LOAD command) then the menu program isn't started
and TI and TI$ aren't changed. However… because almost no computer had a realtime clock,
software that did require the current time, would ask the time when started, so although your TI and
TI$ values are already correct, the program you want to use it for most likely still requires you to
type it in. Now that not very useful, so if this would be the case, you can always alter that program
(if it is a BASIC program) yourself. Unfortunately, not much programs care about the exact time.
Even the special time string variable TI$ in Commodore's BASIC (just type PRINT TI or PRINT
TI$ to see it), isn't used by any serious applications.
So you might think that some NTP functionality isn't really useful. And you are probably right... in
fact depending on the speed of your network and the NTP server availability, it may even slow
things down. Because network connection first needs to be made then time needs to be retrieved
and this happens every time you reset/reboot your system. Therefore, unless you really want to use
it, it is best to disable this option.
There is however one very serious application that does benefit from an accurate clock (although it
doesn't use TI or TI$ at all), is GEOS. So if you are serious GEOS user, then this NTP function
might be useful to you. Just use GEOS are you are used to, but make sure that the Cassiopei is
plugged in and configured for NTP use. This is how it works:
On power-up or after a reset, the Cassiopei will connect to the wifi network and via that network it
will visit the specified NTP server. From there it get's the current time and uses it to set it's own
internal clock and synchronizes that clock automatically approximately every hour. In the mean
time you have started GEOS, the drives spins as the Cassiopei does it work. After a small minute of
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5.00V
192.168.002.002

loading the GEOS starts the autoexec file that reads the time information from the Cassiopei and
the internal clock of your CBM is set to the appropriate time value. If the Cassiopei is for some
reason not plugged into your CBM then the autoexec will detect that and handles appropriately and
GEOS caries on with it's business.
So this way the Cassiopei gives you realtime clock functionality without the trouble of setting the
time manually. Also, where a conventional real-time-clock requires a battery to maintain time and
will eventually drifts, the Cassiopei does not require batteries and it's always accurate (as long as
the NTP server can be reached). This does however means that in order for the NTP functionality to
work you do need an accessible wifi network (and configure the Cassiopei to use it).
The enable=flag, NTP server URL and timezone settings for this function are defined in the settings
file (see chapter settings file for more info regarding this and other settings).
Below an example of some lines from the settingsfile that have the NTP server enabled:
NTP=1 ;Enable NTP client (0=OFF, 1=ON)
There are many NTP servers available on the internet, so therefore the URL setting for this function
can be configured to any URL you'd like, although the standard value (time.nist.gov) should be
sufficient in most cases. The line below defines the URL of the NTP server we want to connect to:
NTPSERVER=time.nist.gov ;example: time.nist.gov
An NTP server gives you the time in UTC format. Meaning that you need to adjust this with an
offset determined by your timezone. The line below allows you to define your timezone as an offset
from UTC in seconds. So when you live in an area that has a timezone of UTC+1 (one hour past
UTC), then the timezone settings should be set to 3600.
TIMEZONE=3600 ;deviation from UTC in seconds (3600 is UTC+1)
But when you also use daylight savings time, then you need to add an extra hour (3600 seconds).
This means that the required timezone settings should be 3600+3600=7200.
TIMEZONE=7200 ;deviation from UTC in seconds (7200 is UTC+2)
The timezone setting is defined in seconds because in some parts of the world, timezone differences
require a higher resolution then hours. There is no DST (daylight savings time) setting and
therefore if required, an extra offset due to DST needs to be combined with the timezone setting.
This was done intentionally to keep the time related code as simple as possible. Because
automatically correcting for DST is pretty complicated due to all sorts of different switch-over
moments around the world. During the design of the Cassiopei it was not even sure if DST would
remain in use at all. So when realizing that implementing a complicated (and most likely buggy)
algorithm possibly obsolete in a few years was not efficient (considering not any people will be
using the time function at all) it was decided not to implement automatic DST at all. The only
negative effect to this decision is that the user needs to correct the timezone setting twice a year.
If you want use this NTP time information on GEOS then you require the use of an autoexec file
that must be installed on your GEOS disk. One option is that you convert (you could use the
Cassiopei's D64 Disk Wizard tool) one of the already modified disk images
(GEOS_20_with_CASSIOPEI_NTP.D64 or .D81). These images are GEOS boot disks with the
Cassiopei driver already installed. These ready to use images are stored on the SD-card of the
Cassiopei in the folder: _manuals_and_tools\GEOS.
However, you may decide to go the complicated way and install the driver manually onto your own
GEOS disk. This driver file is located on a .D64 image stored on the SD-card of the Cassiopei in
the folder: _manuals_and_tools\GEOS In order to use it, you first need to convert this .D64 file to a
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real disk (you could use the Cassiopei's D64 Disk Wizard tool). Then copy the autoexec file from
this disk onto your GEOS bootdisk.
Perhaps a more practical way could be that if you already have (or intend to make) a D64/D81
image of your GEOS disk, that you copy it onto that image using Dirmaster (a tool also on the
Cassiopei's SD_card, located in the folder: _manuals_and_tools\Windows). And then changing that
modified disk image back into a real disk.
Below is how the driver (or autoexec file) looks like on your GEOS system. When this file is on
your GEOS bootdisk it will be stated automatically upon booting of GEOS.
So in order to make this happen you must copy it to your GEOS boot disk. And that's all, then
remove the disk with the Cassiopei driver on it, do with it whatever you want, you don't need it
anymore. Because the next time you start GEOS, it loads the copied driver file automatically and
sets your clock based on the time information from the specified NTP server as accessed by the
Cassiopei.
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2.3 Computer model (menu item “Comp”)
The computers that Commodore made (from PET to C128) have a tape protocol that is all very
similar, however they are not 100% compatible. Therefore it is very important that the Cassiopei
knows on what Commodore computer it is being used. Therefor if your are working with a C64
PAL computer, then choose this model from the list of available models.
This computer model setting is also used to allow the Cassiopei to hide all the files intended for
other computer models. So when you are working with a C64, you might not want to see the files
intended for your VIC20. Therefore on the SD-card there are folders for each computer model. Do
not rename these folders and only store files for that specific computer model. This way you'll be
having a filesystem that is organized, keep it that way and you'll be fine.
PAL/NTSC or 50/60Hz system compatibility
The Cassiopei is a device that can be connected to many computer models and from all the models
that Commodore made there is a PAL or NTSC version. And for the version with a build in
monitor, there is a distinction between 50 or 60Hz.
Therefor the Cassiopei settings allow you to select PAL/NTSC or 50/60Hz when you select the
computer model. This setting is very important as it determines the timing for the .TAP file
playback and for the loading of the fastloader program.
2.4 Operating modes (menu item “Mode”)
The Cassiopei is more then a TAP file player or cassette emulator. It can operate in different
modes, these are the four modes of operation:
PRG slow
This mode will allow the user to load a PRG file with normal speed. This is the most basic mode of
operation, it uses no speedloaders of any kind. It uses the normal Commodore kernal loader and is
therefore the slowest method of loading from tape. However, it is also the most reliable as it 100%
compatible with the Commodore loading methods. This might be of help when working with
computers that are modified or are unable to work with the fastloader for whatever reason.
PRG fastloader
This mode will allow the user to load a PRG file with a very high speed, more then 50x faster then
normal. This is the preferred mode of operation for working with the Cassiopei.
TAP
This mode will allow the user to playback TAP-files. More information about the use of TAP files
further on in this manual.
Virtual file
This mode is useful for cross development, as it allows a programmer to load a PRG file directly
from the PC's harddisk instead of loading it from the SD-card. This allows for fast loading and
testing without making modifications to the SD-cards filesystem. More information about the use
of the virtual file mode further on in this manual.
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2.5 File (menu item “File”)
This is simply the currently selected file, or in other words, the file that will be loaded when you
press play (after you typed LOAD on your CBM computer). This setting needs to be changed when
you have changed the computer model and/or operating mode.
The Cassiopei DOES NOT alphabetically sort the file entries. The files entries are shown in the
same order as they are stored on the filesystem of the SD-card. Folders (a.k.a. sub-directories) are
supported by the Cassiopei therefore you can store your files in a convenient way, making it easier
to find your files.
To keep file selection as simple as possible, the files need to be stored in the correct folders. A
.TAP file for the C64 needs to be stored in the folder C64/TAP. And a .PRG file for the C64 needs
to be stored in the folder C64/PRG. And in these folders you may create new folders. Below the
screen of the file selection.
You may navigate through this menu with the three
buttons next to the display.
“Play”-button moves the cursor up
“Menu”-button select the item under the cursor
“Sett.”-button moves the cursor down
The only way to exit this menu is by selecting a file, if for some reason there are no files stored
onto your SD-card then the only way to exit is by pressing the “Reset”-button on the Cassiopei.
Every .PRG file shown is proceeded by it's start and end address. This way you instantly see the
size of the file. This information is very important for VIC20 users. Because the VIC20 is very
picky regarding it's start address depending on the memory expansion used.
Every folder is indicated by the word “directory” and when selecting this entry the contents of that
folder are shown. The entry “..” moves you back one level in the file tree. Meaning that if you've
entered a directory (going one level higher into the tree) selecting “..” makes you go back again (a
method also used by MS-DOS).
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> ..
$0801-0849 C64test
$0801-4BF8 diskdoc
directory games
$0801-5B34 pinball

2.6 Settings file
You may configure the most important settings by pressing the “Sett.”-button on the Cassiopei. Other
settings like the hostname (the name shown in your router), the IP-address or virtual file mode settings,
NTP server settings, etc. can only be changed by modifying the contents of the settings file. Below the
contents of a settings file. You can modify this textfile using any kind of text editor, for example the
application “Wordpad” on MS Windows is very useful. Everything after the character ';' will not be
interpreted by the Cassiopei and can be effectively used for comments. Please be aware that there are
some size limitations, these are indicated close to the relevant entry.
The settings file is located on the card in the folder “_system_” and is named “SETTINGS.TXT”.
;Cassiopei settings file
;-----------------------
WIFI=1 ;Enable wifi (0=OFF, 1=ON)
;ATTENTION: HOSTNAME, SSID and KEY value may NOT exceed 32 characters
HOSTNAME=CASSIOPEI
;
SSID_1=MYPERSONALNETWORK
KEY_1=0123456789AA
;
SSID_2=MYWORKNETWORK
KEY_2=0123456789AB
;
SSID_3=MYFRIENDSNETWORK
KEY_3=0123456789AC
;-----------------------
NTP=0 ;Enable NTP client (0=OFF, 1=ON)
NTPSERVER=time.nist.gov ;example: time.nist.gov
TIMEZONE=7200 ;deviation from UTC in seconds (add 3600 to correct for DST)
;-----------------------
COMPUTERMODEL=0
MODE=1
USERPATH=
FILENAME=pacman.prg
VIRTUALHOST_IP=192.168.2.8
VIRTUALHOST_PORT=80
VIRTUALHOST_FILE=virtual.prg
;-----------------------
ALARM_OVERVOLT=1
;-----------------------
;
;Note:
;-----
;If you are not certain about a setting and
;want to go back to the default value.
;Then remove the related line from this file,
;the Cassiopei will detect that it is missing
;and will create the missing setting line
;into this file after you enter the menu and
;exit with: exit+save
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2.7 Determining the IP address of your Cassiopei
The Cassiopei, when properly configured, can connect to a wifi network. In order to reach the cassiopei
from your browser, you must know the IP address of the Cassiopei. Fortunately this information is
shown on the Cassiopei display. But sometimes it can be useful to know other ways of getting this
information.
One way would be to login the wifi-router that hosts the network. There you can see the list of currently
connected devices (or recently connected devices). Below is a screenshot of the configuration menu of a
router for an ordinary home network. In the list “Wifi settings” (on other routers this may be called
“attached devices”) there are 2 devices listed, both the IP-addresses are shown. The Cassiopei is
indicated by the hostname “CASSIOPEI” and therefore can easily be found. However for those who
may encounter a situation where more then one Cassiopei can be on a network, or just to personalize the
device, the hostname text can be changed. In the settings file in an entry called HOSTNAME, you may
change the default text “CASSIOPEI” into anything you like. And that will be the text that will be
shown in your routers list of connected devices.
Another way could be by using a special app on your phone. One of those apps is “Fing” but this will
not be described I this manual.
However… while using the IP-address always works, there is an easier way. But depending on the
hostname you configured, your router and your browser this may not always work. You can connect to
your Cassiopei by typing in your devices hostname followed by a / into the URL of your browser. So for
the default hostname of CASSIOPEI this would mean that the URL CASSIOPEI/ must be entered in
the browser. This is a lot more convenient then using the IP address method. Unfortunately this
functionality cannot be guaranteed for all configurations and has proven difficult for some users.
Therefore it is not promoted in this manual other then in this chapter.
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3 Configuring the SD-card
In order for the Cassiopei to be functional there has to be an SD-card inserted into the device. The
SD-card is to be inserted on the backside of the Cassiopei. The SD-card slot is accessible by
removing the back cover. Gently insert the card as shown in the picture, the label is facing upwards
and (just like the pictures below) cannot been seen from the rear. The SD-card only fits in one
manor in the SD-card slot, so if it doesn't fit, don't force it! After inserting the card into the slot,
gently push the card a little bit further until you hear/feel a little click.
In order to remove the card, gently push the card until you hear/feel a little click. Then the card can
be removed from the Cassiopei. If you have thick fingers or very short fingernails, then a set of
tweezers might come in handy.
Tip: attach a small piece of tape to the rear of the SD-card, this way you can pull on the tape to
remove the SD-card a little easier.
This SD-card has to be properly configured, with the right folders and the right files. The Cassiopei
uses an SD-card that must be formatted according to the FAT-16 (which is called FAT in MS
Windows) or the FAT-32 format. If an SD-card is not supplied with the Cassiopei or if you want to
alter the contents of the card, please consider the requirements as described below.
3.1 SD-card requirements
There are mainly 3 types of SD-cards currently (2017) at the market:
SD-card Standard Capacity (SDSC) 1MByte – 2GByte FAT-16 filesystem
SD-card High Capacity (SDHC) 2GByte – 32GByte FAT-32 filesystem
SD-card Extended Capacity (SDXC) 32GByte – 2TByte exFAT filesystem (not supported)
All SD-cards are preformatted by the manufacturer using one of three Windows disk formats of
which the exFAT filesystem is not supported by the Cassiopei. Meaning that the Cassiopei cannot
interface with SDXC cards. This all means that the maximum size of SD-card you can use with
your Cassiopei is limitted to 32GB. Which in practice is more then enough for all your Commodore
computing needs.
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