FAUCET(1)                                                            FAUCET(1)



NAME
       faucet - Commodore tape image recording and playback

SYNOPSIS
       faucet [options] file...

DESCRIPTION
       This manual page documents briefly the faucet command.

       faucet  transfers  low-level  images  of  Commodore  data  tapes, often
       referred to as TAP images.

       The pulse streams are communicated via an external RS-232  device  -  a
       tape drive emulator called C2N232.

OPTIONS
       FAUCET  follows the usual Unix command line syntax, with options start-
       ing with a dash (`-').

       --     Stop processing options.  This is useful if the first file  name
              begins with a dash.

       -c device
              Specify the name of the RS-232 interface connected to the C2N232
              device.  This option is mandatory.

       -o     Record a pulse stream instead of playback.

       -p     Ask for confirmation before continuing  after  a  pause  in  the
              pulse stream.

       -v     Enable verbose operation.

       -h     Display a short command-line usage message and exit.

BUGS
       The  C2N232  device is not connected to the motor control signal on the
       Commodore cassette interface.  Thus, only partial interlocking  between
       the computer and the cassette drive emulator is possible.

       All  tape operations should be started on the Commodore computer first.
       Once a prompt for starting the  tape  drive  appears,  faucet  must  be
       invoked with the appropriate parameters.

       On  models  that  disable screen output during tape operations and wait
       for a key press once the tape header has been loaded, the Commodore key
       must  be  pressed quickly, since the C2N232 device does not receive any
       indication that the tape drive motor has been stopped.

       The serial interface of the C2N232 device  has  a  fixed  bandwidth  of
       38,400  bits  per  second,  or  3,840 bytes of payload per second.  The
       recording mode assumes symmetric pulses and represents each pulse  with
       one  character.   As  there  is no buffering in the recording mode, the
       shortest allowed pulse is about 260 microseconds,  corresponding  to  a
       maximum  frequency  of 3,840 Hz.  In playback mode, the C2N232 firmware
       revision 4 allows two asymmetric pulses to be represented in one  byte,
       which limits the maximum frequency to 7,680 Hz.

AUTHOR
       The  faucet  utility and the C2N232 cassette drive emulator device were
       designed and implemented by Marko Mkel <msmakela@nic.funet.fi>.

SEE ALSO
       c2n(1), cbmconvert(1), cbmlink(1).



                               November 3, 2002                      FAUCET(1)
