UEFReader 1.20 RC

 

What is UEFReader?

 

UEFReader is short for UEFAudioFileReader. UEF files are commonly used to store images of BBC Micro, Acorn Electron and Acorn Atom cassettes. UEFReader enables Java Sound applications to convert these files back into sounds that a BBC Micro, Acorn Electron or Atom can understand. Armed with a Java Sound application (such as say jlGui) and a cassette lead, you can then play all those old games time and time again on your 1980s Acorn machine. This should remove the need for command line utilities; 20Mb wave files, audio editing software and/or cassettes.

 

Installation

 

Sorry to say that at this time the set up is a little complicated. It consists of two steps and you need to be aware of two things,

 

  1. Where your Java Runtime Environment(s) is (are) installed, and
  2. If you intend to use jlGui as your player, where it is installed and which JRE it is using.

 

Copy the uefreader JAR file into your Java Runtime Environment’s lib/ext directory.

 

If you are using jlGui as your player, you will need to modify its jlgui.ini file so that the line

 

allowed_extensions=m3u,pls,wsz,snd,aifc,aif,wav,au,mp1,mp2,mp3,ogg,spx

 

reads

 

allowed_extensions=m3u,pls,wsz,snd,aifc,aif,wav,au,mp1,mp2,mp3,ogg,spx,uef

 

Usage

 

Depends on your media player, but with jlGui just add UEF files to your play list and away you go.  JlGui does not like all UEF files for some reason, so consider yourself warned.

 

Known Issues

 

  1. Some UEF files refuse to play in jlGui. I could be wrong but I don’t think UEFReader is at fault.
  2. In jlGui certain UEF files will always fail at the same point. For instance, my copy of Imogen will always fail after loading the SPRDATA file. This does not happen in my command line diagnostic.

 

Changes

Since 1.1

  1. Now complies completely with the 0.10 Specification Draft 21.
    1. Supports the new phase change block.
    2. Supports defined tape data blocks.
    3. Security waves.
  2. Baud rates now handled correctly.
  3. High tone with dummy byte now handled correctly.

Since 1.0

  1. Two baud rates are now supported, 1200 and 300 baud. NB 300 baud is untested.
  2. Support for all but two of the 0.10 UEF specification tape chunks has been added (untested).
  3. The bug that made 1.0 worthless has now been fixed. I recommend all users upgrade

Contact

Serenwib at sourceforge dot net

Thanks

UEFReader 1.20 would have never seen the light of day had it not been for

  1. Thomas Harte and Fraser Ross.
  2. Stairway To Hell.