TRS-80.org » Wayne Lemons

The LemonAid Loader

Matthew Reed — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:49:34 +0000

The LemonAid Loader was a device which greatly improved the ability of the TRS-80 to load programs using a CTR-80 or CTR-80A cassette recorder. It was designed by Wayne Lemons and sold through his company, Lemons Tech Services. The LemonAid Loader was available in two versions: the original which cost $12.99 (later $19.99) and a “deluxe” improved version which cost $18.99 (later $23.50). Both versions were compatible with the Model I and Model III, although cassette filtering was especially useful on the Model I.

The LemonAid Loader was described this way by a product announcement:

The Cassette Gazette

Matthew Reed — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:02:19 +0000

Back in 1983, Lemons Tech and KWIK Software advertised a one issue joint newsletter named the Cassette Gazette. The Cassette Gazette described the products sold by the two companies, mixed with operational advice and interesting facts about using cassettes with the TRS-80. It appears to have been written by Wayne Lemons, the founder of Lemons Tech. I received my copy back in 1983, and it has always been a favorite of mine.

No-Fuss Any-Speed Hardware – The Cassette Gazette Page 14

Matthew Reed — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:42:39 +0000

The Cassette Gazette was a 1983 one issue advertising newsletter that was a joint production of Lemons Tech and KWIK Software. The Gazette described the products sold by the two companies, mixed in with operational advice and interesting facts about using cassettes with your TRS-80. It appears to have been written by Wayne Lemons, the [...]

TRS-80 Cassette Software – The Cassette Gazette Page 13

Matthew Reed — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:38:54 +0000

Integrated Tape – The Cassette Gazette Page 12

Matthew Reed — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:49:51 +0000

Which Loader For You? – The Cassette Gazette Page 11

Matthew Reed — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:13:19 +0000

How Tape is Made – The Cassette Gazette Page 10

Matthew Reed — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:56:21 +0000

Product Review – The Cassette Gazette Page 9

Matthew Reed — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:15:07 +0000

When the owner of an overworked cassette system considers purchasing a mass-storage device for his computer, the possibilities are enormous. Aside from the classic diskette drive, there are companies which promote stringy floppies, hard disk drives, tape drives (such as those used with mainframe computers), and even an 8-track cartridge system to store programs. Unfortunately, each of these systems has one significant drawback: cost. Lemons Tech Services and Kwik Software each offer a unique alternatives; a “cassette loader” for $17.99 to increase cassette reliability and a “cassette operating system” for $26 which can decrease loading time by as much as a factor of six.

Volume Setting – The Cassette Gazette Page 8

Matthew Reed — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:22:29 +0000

From page 12 of the Cassette Gazette:
There are two signal types used for TRS-80 cassette storage: ‘Pulse’ (Model I & III 500 baud and Model I 2x-6x KWIK), and ‘FSK’ (Model III 1500 baud and 2200 baud). Let’s not get into the technical reasons ‘why’, but we use the following thumb rules for setting the CTR playback volume:

‘Pulse’, with a LemonAid Loader: Leave the volume full up; adjustment is automatic.
‘Pulse’, without a Loader: Set the volume a little above the mid-point of the useable loading range. The 500 baud ‘useable’ range is found empirically (plain old trial-and-error method); the KWIK 2x-6x range can easily be determined during leader ‘lock-on’. In either case the range will vary with different tapes.
‘FSK’: Full up. (Yes… full up!)

Note: The setting of the volume control has NO effect whatever on the recording level. (Try it!)

TRS-80 XRX Mod – The Cassette Gazette Page 7

Matthew Reed — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:22:46 +0000

From the Cassette Gazette page 7:
We love our TRS-80’s, and will always be grateful to Tandy for providing us with this wonderful machine!

But nothing is perfect, and for good reasons the early Model I units earned a reputation for “dismal” cassette performance. The real problem was NOT the fault of the hardware, however. The CTR-80/80A (also its predecessor, the CTR-41) and the cassette port circuitry are excellent, and capable of far better than the 500 baud standard chosen by Radio Shack. Non-uniform head alignment and very poor quality ‘commercial’ duplication of program tape contributed to the problem, but the most important fault was in the ROM… the coding that set the timing loops for tape loading was simply incorrect. Radio Shack corrected the timing in the ‘new’ ROMs used in later machines, but they were not about to replace the ROMs in all the early units.