Enjoy your internal speaker with beep again in Ubuntu or Debian

Latest GNU/Linux distros do not load by default the module to sound the internal beeper of the computer.

If you want to listen to it again you have to type the following commands:

sudo modprobe pcspkr
sudo apt-get install beep

Now you can listen to it until you reboot your computer beep.

If you want to make the change permanent you must edit the file /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf and comment out the line that disables the internal speaker:

blacklist pcspkr

Now you get:

# blacklist pcspkr

Now you can enjoy the shrill and charming sound of the internal speaker again ;-)

 

Plug a stereo output to a mono input, the "mono emulator"

I want to plug my 8 bit computers tape port (input) to my new stereo cassette player another stereo set as my smartphone, a mp3 player, my raspberry pi in order to play games.

The idea is simple, plug all ground/mass conection together and stereo right and left signal to mono one.

To connect the stereo source to a computer with a homemade port, i.e. ZX Spectrum +2A or Commodore 64's tape unit, I make a cable with two male connectors, one stéreo and another mono, like this:

But If I want to make an adapter to an Amstrad CPC6128 or MSX tape cable the connections will be the same but mono connector will be female.

If I want to record in tape I need to this cable two times.

Also I can make a specific adapter for new smartphones (CTIA connection) or for my raspberry. At this cases we change the male stereo connector for an 4 contacts jack where most external connection will not be connecter (MIC or Video signal), ground will be the next connection.

If you use a very old mobile (OMTP connection), ground and MIC are swapped.