Floppy disk emulator

[Echoes]

Anyone know of a good and cheap (diy, maybe) HW floppy emulator?
I mean something that you plug in the FD0 connector on the motherboard and it lets you use an SD, thumb drive or internal memory.

I saw the DTX-200 from Data Storage which seems great, since it can emulate 3.5", 5.25" and 8" disks, but I guess it costs more than what I can earn in one year.

I know that something like that exists for the Amiga (the "HxC Floppy Drive Emulator" for example) and other machines, but I'm wondering if there's something that can work on an IBM PC and emulate something more than a standard 1.44mb 3.5" disk...

[amouse]

To save you some time I would comment that I collected all the different Hardware emulators I could find here

http://maben.homeip.net/static/S100/DISK/index.html

I too have seen the Datex , plug replacement MFM disks based on SD cards, and like you I nearly fainted when I saw the price. (It is over 1000 GBP to put reader in the picture).

It would be great if the HxC folks could compose a web page that would actually allow you to buy their product, after all their existing website keeps telling me how great it is :-)

My current and rather flawed advice would be to get second hand Seagate ST 251 , MFM drives. They are both reliable and fairly easily available through sources like ebay. As we speak there is one spinning about 10cm's from me now. It's been on for over 200 hours in the last 2 weeks , and just keeps on spinning.

regards marcus.

[Echoes]

To save you some time I would comment that I collected all the different Hardware emulators I could find here

Brilliant. Thank you SO much!

The HxC is nice (well not so cheap but well under 1k GBP) but it doesn't work with 5.25" disks.

And I'm sorry but maybe it's because it's late, maybe I drank too much wine today, but I cannot understand what you can do with the ST 251... it's an hard drive not a floppy drive :confused:

[Chuck(G)]

And I'm sorry but maybe it's because it's late, maybe I drank too much wine today, but I cannot understand what you can do with the ST 251... it's an hard drive not a floppy drive :confused:

You spin it very slowly... :)

[MikeS]

They do that by themselves well enough...

But I suspect it was Marcus who'd had a little too much wine...

[Echoes]

You spin it very slowly... :)

Do I have to spin the entire drive or should I spin only the platters? ;)

[amouse]

Ah yes, indeed wine .. my achilles heel.

Er the point I was not making very well is ...

Whilst a floppy disk emulator is interesting, it would be even more essential to have a MFM hard disk emulator.

Currently I have sources for NEW 3.5, 5.25 and 8" diskettes, but the same cannot be said for hard disks. so for me the real worry is that one day my MFM drives will stop a working, then I'll be majorly screwed.

[Chuck(G)]

Do I have to spin the entire drive or should I spin only the platters? ;)

Drink enough wine and the drive will spin itself.

[hargle]

Currently I have sources for NEW 3.5, 5.25 and 8" diskettes, but the same cannot be said for hard disks. so for me the real worry is that one day my MFM drives will stop a working, then I'll be majorly screwed.

Nah, you just dump MFM for more modern IDE controllers and drives.
here's what I'm talking about (ok, self promotion) and a link for your collection.
http://wiki.vintage-computer.com/index.php/XTIDE_project

[kb2syd]

Nah, you just dump MFM for more modern IDE controllers and drives.
here's what I'm talking about (ok, self promotion) and a link for your collection.
http://wiki.vintage-computer.com/index.php/XTIDE_project

OK, but how do I make that work in my Tandy 6000? Oh, wait, you don't. A nice generic drop in replacement for MFM would be really nice for non PC type machines.

[Echoes]

Currently I have sources for NEW 3.5, 5.25 and 8" diskettes, but the same cannot be said for hard disks. so for me the real worry is that one day my MFM drives will stop a working, then I'll be majorly screwed.

Well, then you could send me a few 5.25" disks :)
It's fottutamente (just guess what it means, I didn't want to sound too rude) hard to find them here. How much do you pay them?

I could send you a bottle of the finest diy italian wine :mrgreen:

[amouse]

For real diskettes (and I've refreshed over 1000 diskettes with new stock in the last 3 years ) ...

5.25" 350K diskettes: US eBay. ... Because several old US military systems used to use this media, they are available NOS (New Old Stock) from suppliers now and then, in batches of 100 (10 boxes of 10)

5.25" 1.2MB .... variously available on eBay . I use eBay UK

8" .... One or two companies on the net, and via eBay UK. I've ordered over 200 this way.

3.5" 1.44MB formatted ... goto your local "idiot" PC supermarket. They're normally still available retail, but probably not for too much longer . Stock up now!

BUT STILL!
Give me a decent solid state emulator that I can actually buy (not just read about) at a fair price ... pleeeease.

[MikeS]

Nah, you just dump MFM for more modern IDE controllers and drives.
here's what I'm talking about (ok, self promotion) and a link for your collection.
http://wiki.vintage-computer.com/index.php/XTIDE_project
-------
I think most of us are aware of and pretty impressed by what you and Andrew are accomplishing, but there are more computers using MFM drives than are dreamed of in your XT-centric philosophy... ;-)

In Marcus' (and my) case, specifically Cromemco systems with totally closed multi-user Cromix OSs running on 68000/010/020 CPUs, no info whatsoever on drivers etc. etc.; it would really be nice to have a transparent MFM <> IDE/CF/Whatever bridge/emulator for the day when all our MFM drives have sought their last track...

Maybe your next project? We'd probably even pay $100.00... ;-)

[MikeS]

For real diskettes (and I've refreshed over 1000 diskettes with new stock in the last 3 years ) ...

5.25" 350K diskettes: US eBay. ... Because several old US military systems used to use this media, they are available NOS (New Old Stock) from suppliers now and then, in batches of 100 (10 boxes of 10)

5.25" 1.2MB .... variously available on eBay . I use eBay UK

8" .... One or two companies on the net, and via eBay UK. I've ordered over 200 this way.

3.5" 1.44MB formatted ... goto your local "idiot" PC supermarket. They're normally still available retail, but probably not for too much longer . Stock up now!

BUT STILL!
Give me a decent solid state emulator that I can actually buy (not just read about) at a fair price ... pleeeease.
.....
And if anyone needs any 3.5" DD (720/800K, no HD hole) disks for abt .50+S ea, I have a few, new bulk.

[Jeff_HxC2001]

Brilliant. Thank you SO much!

The HxC is nice (well not so cheap but well under 1k GBP) but it doesn't work with 5.25" disks.


yes it does ! you can ask for new floppy files images support or floppy format support on this forum :

http://www.torlus.com/floppy/forum/index.php

Jeff / HxC2001

[amouse]

HXC emulator .... yes it does

Well I think it can only do these things if you actually have one, something which as I have previously commented on is not so straightforward.

(Of course I'd be very happy to be proved wrong)