dfx: Amiga - PC floppy interface.

[GadgetMaster]

Compatible with Amithlon, UAE, possibly Classic Amigas & AmigaOne. Provides the ability to Read and Write to Amiga floppy disks on a standard PC floppy drive.  Aiming to provide functionality for Classic Amigas also. So they can use inexpensive High density floppy drives.  The board is designed to go between Floppy header and Floppy drive. Separate ROM for target hardware.  Extra ROMs purchaseable as an add-on.  More Details to follow.
 
All enquiries to: dfx@boing.net

Source: DFX Webpage (No real content has yet been added to the website)

[Lo]

I want one!  (2?) :-D

[Argo]

interesting....
I'll be making sure to keep my eye out for this.

[System]

I want one too. It'll be a great addition to my Amithlon box!

David

[Kronos]

"classic Amigas"

Hmmmm me thinks of something .....

I really like to play my old ganes on the real thing instead of UAE,
but the floppies are a BIG problem these days.

Getting new DDs is allmost impossible, and HDs won't work for long.

So would it be possible to use games with this  adapter ?

Maybe only the first half of a HD-disk ?

Or even better, some sort of mass-storage (LS120) with multiple
games on it ?

[Zadoc]

I really like to play my old ganes on the real thing instead of UAE,
but the floppies are a BIG problem these days.

Getting new DDs is allmost impossible, and HDs won't work for long.

So would it be possible to use games with this adapter ?

Have you looked into maybe buying a Kylwalda floppy adapter?  They are relatively cheap ($15-$20USD) and allow you to use PC HD 3.5" floppy drives as 880k drives on the Amiga.  A nicer bonus is that if you own a Catweasal, the Kylwalda will let you to boot off the PC floppy where as a Catweasal alone unfortunately lacks that ability.  However, you can boot off of the Kylwalda alone with or without a Catweasal.

[Kronos]

@Zadoc

The drive is NOT the prob (have several of them in top condition),
but the disk are !!

Formating HDs to DD works, but not for long.

[Seehund]

This looks very promising!

Having to find an ancient or rare mobo with an ISA slot and an expensive expansion card just to access Amiga floppies seems insane in this day and age.

But after plugging this gadget in, will the drive still read DOS/Mac/et c. disks?

[chris]

But after plugging this gadget in, will the drive still read DOS/Mac/et c. disks?

I should think so.

Chris

[Herewegoagain]

Sounds like it will make your PC type floppy become an Amiga floppy, so you should be able to read the PC/Mac disks the way you always have.  Of course, that's in theory...and we all know what that theory does not always = reality.

[KennyR]

Well, getting it to run on an Amithlon won't be so easy as simply plugging it in and installing software for "true" Amiga PCI solutions...unless it already has an Amithlon driver. Check before you buy.

(Edited)

Oops, it is already promised to work on Amithlon. I didn't read properly. Sorry.

[Seehund]

@chris & Herewegoagain:

Sounds like it will make your PC type floppy become an Amiga floppy, so you should be able to read the PC/Mac disks the way you always have. Of course, that's in theory...and we all know what that theory does not always = reality.

Yeah, I'd expect that to be the case under AmigaOS (emulation), just pop PC0 and MAC0 in devs:dosdrivers, but will e.g. Windows be able to use the drive as usual with this thingamajig there?

Maybe We Shall See when that site gets updated.

[Kronos]

@KennyR

Why shouldn't it work under Amithlon ? And yes I've seen your "edit" ?

a) It is not even PCI.
b) The "powerpci.device" is probraly the best documented PCI-
solution available, and it easily support tv-cards.

/me just wants to know what you were aiming at

[Herewegoagain]

but will e.g. Windows be able to use the drive as usual with this thingamajig there?

Ah!  Now I see what you were saying.  I doubt it.  But you could always do a dual floppy I guess.  One with and one without.

[chris]

If this device is similar to the one Alan from Eyetech has mentioned on the AmigaOne mailing list, then it will pass through PC-style tracks (or sectors, can't remember how it works) without modifying them.  I'm not sure whether Mac or any other types of floppies will work with this device, I guess it really depends on whether standard PC disk controllers can read them or not.

Chris