Still very much at the tinkering stage and trying things out, as I'm very much new to the modern ZX81 world.
I've been using the java Tapeutils program on an old laptop running Peppermint Linux, with the ZX81 plugged into the headphone output and the volume set to about 3/4.
The loading of .p files seems to work pretty well.
But how might I SAVE my own programs to the laptop?
I tried plugging the ZX81 into the mic input and using audacity to record, but got a lot of noise and a SAVE signal that was barely discernable. The noise and the SAVE signal are very quiet, but of compatible level so you end up with little that's useful.
I also note that when the ZX81 is plugged into the headphone or mic socket of the laptop, the touchpad behaves erratically and I have to use a USB mouse! There's a lot of noise. This happens on both my working ZX81s.
I remember back in the day how temperamental the loading and saving was with tapes, I ended up using one cassette recorder to play and a second to record, as each seemed better at a different task.
Thanks
Ian