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Arduino based TZX and TAP (currently only ZX spectrum and Amstrad CPC flavour) file player.
(Excuse the badly written code, I'm working on that ;) )

Parts Used

  • Arduino (I used a Nano, but this should work on any NANO compatible)
  • SD card module
  • 16x2 I2C LCD
  • Small audio amp, I used an LM386 module, but any headphone type amp should work
  • 5 x Buttons (micro switches are best, but any should work)

Installation

Not All Libraries Are Equal!

With so many variations on the SD, LCD I2C, and TimerOne libraries i thought I'd include them here. So to prevent any hair pulling moments use these versions of the libraries.

Wiring

All buttons and the motor control pull the pin to GND.

Arduino Pins:
06 -> MOTOR CONTROL (Connected to one side of the 2.5mm socket Only used on some CPC models)
07 -> BUTTON (ROOT)
09 -> Output (To Amp)
10 -> SDCS (SD Card chip select)
11 -> MOSI (SD Card MOSI PIN)
12 -> MISO (SD Card MI PIN)
13 -> SCK (SD Card SCK PIN)
A0 14 -> BUTTON (DOWN)
A1 15 -> BUTTON (UP)
A2 16 -> BUTTON (STOP)
A3 17 -> BUTTON (PLAT)
A4 SDA 18 -> LCD SDA
A5 SCL 19 -> LCD SCL


LCD PINS:
SDA -> Arduino A4
SCL -> Arduino A5
VCC -> 5v
GND -> GND

SD CARD PINS:
GND -> GND
3.3V -> NC
5V -> 5V
SDCS -> 10 ARDUINO
MOSI -> 11 ARDUINO
SCK -> 13 ARDUINO
MISO -> 12 ARDUINO
GND -> GND
 

Usage

Wire up as above, and program the Arduino using the IDE.

Drop some TZX/TAP/CDT files onto a FAT32 formatted SD card, plug it into the TZXDuino, and power on.

Up/Down buttons move through the files, Play starts playback.

To get files to load first time you'll need to adjust the volume until you get a strong signal on the Spectrum / CPC. Once you've got a strong signal you should able to load most files as if you were using a normal tape.

TZXDuino

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