Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: alexandrohipolito on April 09, 2011, 09:25:20 AM
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Can I install floppy drive1.44 on Amiga 600? If can I, which models and brands that ?
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You can install an Amiga high-density floppy, of course. There are very, very few PC floppy drives that can be used with an Amiga, and even fewer that can be used as high-density drives. There are a few old threads on getting this small population of drives working. Do a search here for 'chinon'.
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Can't use them as HD 1.86mb format though without a Power Computing interface board and even then needs a driver.
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http://www.freewebs.com/computolio/amiga_floppy_compatibility.html
What you really want is a Chinon FZ-357A
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Can I install floppy drive1.44 on Amiga 600? If can I, which models and brands that ?
You can install a high density floppy drive in an A600. The specific capacity isn't 1.44(MB) though, that's for PCs. (Or to be precise it's 1440KB, or 1.41MB.) But Amiga high density floppys are 1760KB, or 1.72MB. I have a Sony model MPF920-E high density drive in my A1200. It doesn't require any special board or driver, it's just plugged in at the usual floppy bay where the original 880KB one would be. I'd be surprised if this is any different for an A600.
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You can install a high density floppy drive in an A600. The specific capacity isn't 1.44(MB) though, that's for PCs. (Or to be precise it's 1440KB, or 1.41MB.) But Amiga high density floppys are 1760KB, or 1.72MB. I have a Sony model MPF920-E high density drive in my A1200. It doesn't require any special board or driver, it's just plugged in at the usual floppy bay where the original 880KB one would be. I'd be surprised if this is any different for an A600.
Hi Mizar, you can't use your Sony MPF920-E at 1.72MB though ?
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Hi Mizar, you can't use your Sony MPF920-E at 1.72MB though ?
Yes, I can. It's a high density floppy drive, so I use 1,760KB floppies in it. I can also cover the upper left tab hole on high density floppies and use them as low density 880KB floppies too.
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I have a Sony model MPF920-E high density drive in my A1200. It doesn't require any special board or driver, it's just plugged in at the usual floppy bay where the original 880KB one would be. I'd be surprised if this is any different for an A600.
That will only be recognised as an 880k drive.
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=29589 (http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=29589)
The only way you'll get more than 880k with that drive is using this software:
http://aminet.net/package/docs/hard/HiDensity
Which doesn't use the standard amiga 1.76mb disk format, it uses gcr and IIRC it trades reliability for space.
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That will only be recognised as an 880k drive.
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=29589 (http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=29589)
The only way you'll get more than 880k with that drive is using this software:
http://aminet.net/package/docs/hard/HiDensity
Which doesn't use the standard amiga 1.76mb disk format, it uses gcr and IIRC it trades reliability for space.
No, my high density drive actually is recognized as a 1760KB (1.72MB) drive. It doesn't use GCR. I never knew about that software. In that thread the guy seems to say that the HD MPF920-E is only recognized by the A1200 as low density 880KB... unless he's saying that the hardware reconfig he did fixed that.
But the MPF920-E is indeed a high density drive. It looks like that Aminet package is used to do a high density format with the original Amiga Tech. internal floppy drive (880KB), not a real HD drive.
If indeed it requires some kind of extra board to use a HD drive as 1760KB, then apparently there must be one in my Amiga. I originally ordered my system from the dealer with a HD floppy drive in it, so perhaps they installed the necessary extra equipment to use it. But they never said anything about that and there wasn't any extra cost to do it. I've also been inside my system recently and didn't notice anything obvious of extra hardware attached. There is a very thin "board" at the opposite end of where the floppies insert, that has connections to the drive, but IIRC it didn't seem to have electronics on it. That would be the only possibility of a HD expansion board. I'll have to get the photos I took developed. I also do not have any special floppy disk driver on my system.
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Yes, I can. It's a high density floppy drive, so I use 1,760KB floppies in it. I can also cover the upper left tab hole on high density floppies and use them as low density 880KB floppies too.
You can't format to 1.76mb Amiga format though without extra hardware.
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But the MPF920-E is indeed a high density drive. It looks like that Aminet package is used to do a high density format with the original Amiga Tech. internal floppy drive (880KB), not a real HD drive.
The Amiga Tech A1200's shipped with high density drives, however they could only be used as 880kb drives as they don't spin at half speed when you insert a high density floppy disk.
High density disks have double the amount of space per track, so if you spin the disks at the same speed then you need to process the data at double the speed. The Amiga can't do that, so you have to slow the data down to low density speeds. Either by slowing the motor down or by reading the data into a buffer and then passing it to the Amiga at a slower speed.
Even if you had a floppy drive that would spin at half the speed, you also need to find someway of getting the motherboard to generate the correct id for a high density drive. I'm not even sure an a500/a600/a1200 can do that, on the a3000/a4000 there are jumper settings on the motherboard to do it.
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Even if you had a floppy drive that would spin at half the speed, you also need to find someway of getting the motherboard to generate the correct id for a high density drive. I'm not even sure an a500/a600/a1200 can do that, on the a3000/a4000 there are jumper settings on the motherboard to do it.
Of course they can - but there are "stupid" drives that need software and then smart ones like in my A500's DF0: that just work.
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Of course they can - but there are "stupid" drives that need software and then smart ones like in my A500's DF0: that just work.
It's not the drive, it's the addon hardware....
http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=703163&postcount=6
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psxphill, What PLCC chip did he use?
Another idea is to have a simple buffer that is "DD" to the Amiga with 2x sectors. And "HD" to the floppy drive. Could possible be implemented with a MCU.
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psxphill, What PLCC chip did he use?
Another idea is to have a simple buffer that is "DD" to the Amiga with 2x sectors. And "HD" to the floppy drive. Could possible be implemented with a MCU.
That's similar to how the A4000 does it, the data is read in slower than PCs would.
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Digiman:
Then apparently I have extra hardware, cause I can format 1.72MB disks as well as read them.
The Amiga Tech A1200's shipped with high density drives, however they could only be used as 880kb drives as they don't spin at half speed when you insert a high density floppy disk.
psxphill:
Amiga Tech A1200s already had high density drives in them? I had to order one specifically instead of having a low density one supposedly. Then he credited the amount for the low density one off the high denisty one for only including it, as I recall.
Mine must be one of the smart drives, cause it's always worked like a normal high density drive. And perhaps the dealer did one of those implementations mentioned, like the PLCC.
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Digiman:
Then apparently I have extra hardware, cause I can format 1.72MB disks as well as read them.
psxphill:
Amiga Tech A1200s already had high density drives in them? I had to order one specifically instead of having a low density one supposedly. Then he credited the amount for the low density one off the high denisty one for only including it, as I recall.
Mine must be one of the smart drives, cause it's always worked like a normal high density drive. And perhaps the dealer did one of those implementations mentioned, like the PLCC.
I did mean a regular Commodore A600 or A1200s not resurrected A1200s from ESCOM etc. I know they had different drives which is why I never bid on them on ebay etc. Interesting that they can read/write HD Amiga format disks.
Any more info on this anyone? I would be interested in getting an AT A1200 now if I can get a HD disk formatted on it.
(otherwise it ain't worth the ass ache with all the problems the AT A1200 disk drive has loading older/tricky disk formats on original games)
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I did mean a regular Commodore A600 or A1200s not resurrected A1200s from ESCOM etc. I know they had different drives which is why I never bid on them on ebay etc. Interesting that they can read/write HD Amiga format disks.
Any more info on this anyone? I would be interested in getting an AT A1200 now if I can get a HD disk formatted on it.
(otherwise it ain't worth the ass ache with all the problems the AT A1200 disk drive has loading older/tricky disk formats on original games)
They can't read/write HD disks.
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Digiman, No the idea is to let the MCU/FPGA read the data at full speed. And then deliver them to the Amiga at half speed. Using a buffer in the MCU/FPGA.
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I did mean a regular Commodore A600 or A1200s not resurrected A1200s from ESCOM etc. I know they had different drives which is why I never bid on them on ebay etc. Interesting that they can read/write HD Amiga format disks.
Any more info on this anyone? I would be interested in getting an AT A1200 now if I can get a HD disk formatted on it.
(otherwise it ain't worth the ass ache with all the problems the AT A1200 disk drive has loading older/tricky disk formats on original games)
Well I meant ALL Amigas except A4000.
This ESCOM/Amiga Technologies HD floppy version is news to me, anyone else got info on how to spot one? Usually I only consider C= 1200 as KS3.1 doesn't interest me, only reliable disk drives :roflmao:
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Digiman, No the idea is to let the MCU/FPGA read the data at full speed. And then deliver them to the Amiga at half speed. Using a buffer in the MCU/FPGA.
Ahh OK A4000 halves spin speed to essentially do the same job. Bit of a botch for a £2000 machine!
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(otherwise it ain't worth the ass ache with all the problems the AT A1200 disk drive has loading older/tricky disk formats on original games)
My HD drive can handle older and tricky disk formats on games and what-not with no prob. (the Sony MPF920-E)
mongo:
Yes Amiga Tech. A1200s can read HD disks... mine can. I must say I didn't realize mine was so special in this regard.
:hammer:
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My HD drive can handle older and tricky disk formats on games and what-not with no prob. (the Sony MPF920-E)
mongo:
Yes Amiga Tech. A1200s can read HD disks... mine can. I must say I didn't realize mine was so special in this regard.
:hammer:
No A1200s can read HD disks without additional hardware. Not yours, not anyone's.
You most likely have one of these installed : http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=381
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No A1200s can read HD disks without additional hardware. Not yours, not anyone's.
You most likely have one of these installed : http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=381
Nonsense. I use a Chinon FZ-357A HD 1.76MB floppy drive for years now in
both my A1200 & A600. They can read/write 1.76MB HD or 880K DD
disks without any modifications or problems!
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My HD drive can handle older and tricky disk formats on games and what-not with no prob. (the Sony MPF920-E)
mongo:
Yes Amiga Tech. A1200s can read HD disks... mine can. I must say I didn't realize mine was so special in this regard.
:hammer:
@Mizar
Any chance of throwing some photos up online for us to see the drive and what it connects to? I recently acquired a late release A1200 and I'm curious to get mine reading HD disks.
Cheers,
ck
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Nonsense. I use a Chinon FZ-357A HD 1.76MB floppy drive for years now in
both my A1200 & A600. They can read/write 1.76MB HD or 880K DD
disks without any modifications or problems!
I just recently bought a couple of FZ-357A, I use one of them in my A3000 and the other in an A500+. They both plugged in and worked straight off. No jumper settings or anything.
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I just recently bought a couple of FZ-357A, I use one of them in my A3000 and the other in an A500+. They both plugged in and worked straight off. No jumper settings or anything.
Yeah.... that's what I meant. Just plug 'n play!