Jan Derogee recently unveiled a fascinating DIY project: the Commodore 1560 dual datasette—a device that Commodore itself never created. By combining two 1530 datasettes, he has built a system that makes tape duplication a breeze. While it’s undeniably useful, it arrives a few decades past its heyday.
The Commodore 1560 tackles an issue that once plagued users: the difficulty of duplicating cassette-based software reliably. Back in the day, using Hi-Fi systems for this task was notoriously unreliable due to factors like mono vs. stereo recording differences, signal saturation, tape speed fluctuations, and azimuth misalignment. Jan’s creation solves these problems with a dedicated switch and indicator system, ensuring flawless game duplication—just 40 years too late.
For those who want to dig deeper, Jan has shared the schematics, software, and full project details on his 1560 Double Decker DIY page. You can even grab the calibration tools he used for fine-tuning datasettes:
Download: C64_datasette_tools.zip
A quick note: The frequency counter software requires a special reference tape with an accurate 3150Hz tone. If you’re interested in tape speed measurement, check out the details here: 1530 Tape Speed Measurement Tool
A brilliant throwback project—just a few decades late to the party!
