I got a Dragon 32!

A place to discuss everything Dragon related that doesn't fall into the other categories.
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Commodore
Posts: 125
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2014 1:37 am
Location: UK

I got a Dragon 32!

Post by Commodore »

I have just been given a Dragon 32 (on long term loan). I never had one in the 80s, we had a VIC 20, then a Spectrum +3.
I always thought that the Dragon machines looked pretty good though.
Anyway, the one I got, it seems to work, so I'll be trying a few things out.

A great addition to my collection.
Commodore
Posts: 125
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2014 1:37 am
Location: UK

Re: I got a Dragon 32!

Post by Commodore »

Now, to further my Dragon 32 fun, I thought I would try recording some .wav files to a cassette and then try loading them into the Dragon...

Unfortunately either the Dragon, the cassette deck or the leads had other ideas...
The Dragon found all the programs I tried, but something always went wrong in the loading process.

This cassette deck works very well with several ZX spectrums, so I don't think it's that.

I typed in a short program from the manual (the beeping name one) and saved it. That part seemed to work. Unfortunately, when I tried to Load it I got I/O error.

What could be going wrong? If anybody could help I'd be grateful for some advice.
Alastair
Posts: 669
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:33 pm

Re: I got a Dragon 32!

Post by Alastair »

Welcome to the forum.

Regarding your tape problems the first thing I would do is adjust the volume level on the cassette deck, but I assume you have already tried this. Next you could bypass the cassettes and deck by using your regular computer as the tape deck, connect your Dragon's tape lead to the headphone or speaker socket on your computer and play the wave file with Audacity, or similar, to see if you can get anything to load (again you may need to adjust the volume settings). What should be tried next depends on your results with using your regular computer as a tape deck.
Commodore
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Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2014 1:37 am
Location: UK

Re: I got a Dragon 32!

Post by Commodore »

OK, thanks Alastair. I shall try that.

You're right, I had tried fiddling with the volume, but perhaps not extensively enough. In Spectrum Land, I tend to find that most things load with no problems anywhere between 50% and 100% of volume, so I tend to use 75%; perhaps Dragons are a bit different. I have a Sony TCM tape deck for loading tapes, but I have another cassette deck in the shed, which I might also try tomorrow as that has a rotary volume dial rather than a slider; and I think it is easier to be accurate with a dial. It also has a TONE dial, that the Sony does not have, which I suppose could be helpful.

If that doesn't work I'll certainly try your suggestion of bypassing the cassettes and deck altogether.

Thank you for the welcome. :)
Alastair
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Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:33 pm

Re: I got a Dragon 32!

Post by Alastair »

Perhaps you have set the volume a little too low? For what it is worth, I have rarely had any problem with the combination of maximum volume and minimum tone on my cassette recorder.
Commodore
Posts: 125
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2014 1:37 am
Location: UK

Re: I got a Dragon 32!

Post by Commodore »

Thanks Alastair.
That combo seems to work quite well when loading from my iPad.... up to a point.
It all seems to be loading and then the cursor stops flashing, the wav file ends, and nothing happens.

I think I worked out why, but posted it on the wrong thread, apologies for that!

Please see here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4882&p=12244#p12244

from end of page 1.

So if it is just one dud RAM chip, is that something that is easily replaceable? Are the RAM chips socketed? Could it just need re seating perhaps?

I'll try what sixxie said, but I suppose feeling for hot chips is also a good idea?
Alastair
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Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:33 pm

Re: I got a Dragon 32!

Post by Alastair »

Commodore wrote:I think I worked out why, but posted it on the wrong thread, apologies for that!
In an attempt to avoid confusion I'll continue here, and hopefully a moderator will have the means to move the relevant posts.

On switching on a Dragon ?MEM should give 24871 but I would have thought that a low amount of memory would lead to an OM (out of memory) error rather than an input/output error, but I wouldn't quote me on this!
Commodore wrote:That combo seems to work quite well when loading from my iPad.... up to a point. It all seems to be loading and then the cursor stops flashing, the wav file ends, and nothing happens.
Other forum users have reported similar problems when using certain media players - VLC if memory serves - which is why I suggested using an audio editor rather than a player, so it may be that the iPad program is at fault. I don't know enough about iPad software to make any suggestion but if you can find a free audio editor app you should try that.
Commodore wrote:The Dragon is a new system to me. I noticed that ? is short for print, the same as CBM Basic V2.0 (also by Microsoft), does that also extend to things like POKE being P shift O? etc etc. I only ask as I haven't yet had a chance to try it, and I have to pack the Dragon away after each time I've used it, so it's not set up at the moment.
The POKE shortcut does not work, if you want to practice Dragon BASIC without the need to unpack your Dragon you should check out Ciaran's emulator XRoar.
Commodore
Posts: 125
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2014 1:37 am
Location: UK

Re: I got a Dragon 32!

Post by Commodore »

The thing is Alastair I only got I/O errors when the tape was badly adjusted.

What's been happening recently is that the loading process has been working fine, I have seen the loading screens of several programs, but midway through the cursor stops flashing, and the screen freezes. I know they are different systems, but I once had a 48K ZX spectrum that unbeknown to me the extra 32 K died, making it effectively a 16K model. It appeared to work fine. I could even load a few games that I had which were 16K, so I suspected nothing to begin with, that is until the exact same effects occurred with 48K games on the Spectrum, as I have just experienced with the Dragon. That with the bad memory call, and the fact that POKE 16839, 255 PEEKED 253 would indicate a problem, I think.

The out of memory error only doesn't occur because the load has got too far.

All I need now is somebody to fix it!
zephyr
Posts: 1474
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:18 am

Re: I got a Dragon 32!

Post by zephyr »

Did your Dragon 32 come with the warranty stickers unbroken?
Image
Commodore wrote: So if it is just one dud RAM chip, is that something that is easily replaceable? Are the RAM chips socketed?
The RAM chips are not socketed. Which motherboard do you have?
http://archive.worldofdragon.org/index. ... d_Pictures
Commodore
Posts: 125
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2014 1:37 am
Location: UK

Re: I got a Dragon 32!

Post by Commodore »

Hi Zephyr. Yes the warranty stickers are all still in place; so consequently I'm not yet sure which board is in there.

Before I can open it up I should really check with my brother in law (whose machine this actually is, it's on long term loan to me) to see if he minds me opening it up with a view to it being fixed. I can't see that he would, but it's just the right thing to do in my opinion.
I think it is probably quite a late model. The serial number is 116360. I do know that in the early 80s he was a partner in a computer shop and they sold Dragons. I do wonder if this machine may have been defective from new and was a return that he happened to hang on to.

It might be helpful if I could tell him of somebody who could fix it when I ask him, as that sounds a bit more promising.

So if anybody knows somebody that can fix a poorly Dragon 32, and perhaps even upgrade it to a 64 in the process (but that is less important) please let me know!
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