When you have learnt to write programs that enable the Electron to do things for you, it will soon become obvious that you need to make a copy of these programs for future use. One very good reason being that when you switch off the Electron, everything you typed into the computer is forgotten. The Electron gives you the facility of recording your programs onto cassettes for future use (just as you might record music).

Not only this, but you can then play back pre-recorded programs for the Electron which other people have written, and make them work on the Electron.

This chapter tells you how to set up your cassette recorder for saving or loading programs. These programs will show you some of the things the Electron Microcomputer can do.

First of all, you need to connect a suitable cassette recorder to the Electron.

The sort of lead you need to connect the Electron to a cassette recorder depends on what type of sockets are fitted to your cassette recorder. One end of the lead must have a 5-pin or 7-pin DIN plug fitted, and this plugs into the socket on the left hand side of the Electron case marked 'CASSETTE' - you will find the name engraved on the bottom of the case immediately below the socket.

The following wiring diagram shows the wiring of the CASSETTE socket on the Electron as you look at it from the mating side.

Your nearest Electron dealer or hi-fi dealer should be able to help provide the correct lead if you have any problems, especially if you show him the drawing.

PICTURE HERE

To help you out of immediate difficulties however: if your cassette recorder has a 5-pin DIN socket for record/playback, then you can use a standard 5-pin DIN to 5-pin DIN lead between the Electron and the cassette recorder. The only disadvantage of this is that the Electron will not be able to control the cassette recorder's motor (assuming that your cassette recorder has the facility for externally pausing the tape while it's playing). This facility isn't absolutely necessary, but it does mean that instead of the Electron stopping and starting the tape automatically, you will have to do it manually.

If you find that you are listening to the Introductory Cassette via the cassette machine's internal speaker, you may want to insert a plug into the earphone or external loudspeaker socket to stop it - computer programs sound like a screeching noise which is not pleasant! If in doubt, ask your local hi-fi dealer how to do this on your particular machine.

If your cassette recorder has a motor control facility and you are using it, then you can ignore any messages asking you to stop the tape - this will be handled by the Electron automatically. All you need to do is to press the PLAY button on the cassette recorder when you first start loading the first program (explained in chapter 4) and leave it on.

If your cassette recorder does not have motor control, then you must stop the tape as indicated by the computer.

You are now ready to use the Introductory Cassette.