Commodore Datasette - Description and History

Description and History

The Datasette contained built-in analog to digital converters and audio filters to convert the computer's digital information into analog sound and vice versa (much like a modem does over a telephone line). Connection to the computer was done via a proprietary edge connector (Commodore 1530) or mini-DIN connector (Commodore 1531). The absence of recordable audio signals on this interface made the Datasette and its few clones the only cassette recorders usable with CBM's machines, until aftermarket converters made the use of ordinary recorders possible.

The inexpensive and widely available audio cassettes made the Datasette a good choice for the budget-aware home computer mass market. In most parts of Europe, the Datasette was the medium of choice for several years after its launch, although floppy disk drives were generally available. In the United States, however, disk drives quickly became standard, despite the Commodore 1541 floppy drive costing roughly 5 times as much as a Datasette.

The Datasette was very slow albeit extremely reliable, transferring data at around 50 bytes per second, and even the C1541 was significantly faster. Some years after the Datasette's launch, however, special turbo tape software appeared, providing much faster tape operation (loading and saving). Such software was integrated into most commercial prerecorded applications (mostly games), as well as being available separately for loading and saving the users' homemade programs and data. These programs were only widely used in Europe, as the US market had long since moved onto disks.

Datasettes could typically store about 100 kByte per 30 minute side. The use of turbo tape and other fast loaders increased this number to roughly 1000 kByte.