Booting A1200 from Zip/Jazz drive possible??

[MarkAshley]

Yes it will work. You have to build an interface which connects to the parallel port in order to make it work. Go to aminet and search for ppazip to find the details. I haven't actually looked at the schematics but this is from the readme:

  The Iomega ZIP 100 drive is available with a choice of either a SCSI
  or a parallel port interface. Unfortunately the parallel version could
  not be used on an Amiga - until now!

  This project consists of both hardware and software - a small interface
  that connects to the Amiga's parallel and joystick ports, and a driver
  file which causes the ZIP drive to operate like a standard SCSI device.

Once you have built the interface and got your zip drive working, you can do what I suggested in my first post (using a boot floppy to boot from the zip disk).

Mark

[Amiduffer]

MarkAshley wrote:
Yes it will work. You have to build an interface which connects to the parallel port in order to make it work. Go to aminet and search for ppazip to find the details.

Once you have built the interface and got your zip drive working, you can do what I suggested in my first post (using a boot floppy to boot from the zip disk).

Mark

Hell's bells. That would be pretty wild if I could finangle something like that together. I'll check it out, I got nothing else to lose, except a doorstop that looks like an Amiga1200.

Amiduffer

[Amiduffer]

Well, this will be a little tricky...

The only way I've gotten files off the Aminet is to use the office PC, save it on a 720k IBMformated disk, and use crossdos to then transfer it to my Ami. That's when I had a HD. I have currently, only my 3.1 WB disks to boot up with, and for the life of me, can't remember where CrossDos was or how I got it. Didn't CrossDos come included with 3.1??

I this doesn't work, could someone mail me an Amiga formated disk with the ppazip program and files unpacked, I'll send you a $ for your troubles.

Amiduffer

[MarkAshley]

Yes I believe the crossdos filesystem and PC0 filesystem are on the Storage3.1 floppy. Just copy the files to the relevant locations on your Workbench disk and you can mount PC0 from your Workbench disk. You can then use your IBM formatted floppy to transfer the file to your Amiga and view the file.

Please keep us up to date with how you're getting on - I for one would be really interested to hear if you manage to pull this off!  :-)

[Amiduffer]

Doh! All you had to do was look in the instruction manual, and there's a whole chapter on crossdos.

Guess I'll give it a look tonight!! I've got the disk and the file off aminet so here's crossing my fingers \/

Amiduffer

[hppacito]

There are two version of those Zip drives, the normal one and the "plus" version, that actually says Plus in yellow on the front.

It has also a switch in the back to select the id from 5 to 6. That one works both in parallel mode and in SCSI mode with the same cable.

Regarding PCMCIA booting, ca I hook a Flash hard disk there and use it as a hard disk, or only ram/rom cards work there ?

[Amiduffer]

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH Crap! The crossdos isn't functioning! Gad!! So damn close.

I put the PC0/PC1 into the proper directory, clicked on em, and it says they're mounted, but, a PCdisk I've used before to transfer files isn't showing up, or even a DOS5 boot disk that i've used with PCTask isn't showing up. I must be missing something!!  

Any ideas?

Amiduffer

[MarkAshley]

1. Did you put CrossDOSFileSystem in L:?
2. Is the diskette double density?
3. If yes to 1 and 2, try putting a diskette in the drive then formatting PC0:. In my experience, formatting on the PC doesn't work with CrossDOS, I always have to format it on the Amiga first.

[Amiduffer]

quote]
MarkAshley wrote:
1. Did you put CrossDOSFileSystem in L:?
2. Is the diskette double density?
3. If yes to 1 and 2, try putting a diskette in the drive then formatting PC0:. In my experience, formatting on the PC doesn't work with CrossDOS, I always have to format it on the Amiga first.[/quote]

Uhhhhhhhhhhh.

I'm not sure about CDFS in L:, I'll get back to you on that Everything used to be automated on my HD, so that all I had to do was click on a menu choice, now, it's like the old days of my A1000, lots of disk swapping.

yes, the disk is DD.

[MarkAshley]

Once you're booting from your zip drive the disk swapping won't be an issue, as it will be as though you were booted from a hard drive.

You need the CrossDOSFileSystem in L:. PC0: won't work without it. Check this and let me know.

[Amiduffer]

YeeeeeHAAAAA!! One hurtle cleared! I put CrossDOSFilesystem in L: and BAM! the disk showed up, just like it should.

BUT!!!

Trying to unpack that sucker turned out to be a major hassle. LHA did'nt seem to want to unpack the files. It would state that it was successful, and no files would be unpacked. Then after ALL sorts of combinations, it finally spit them out.

And looking at the diagrams, it doesn't look too bad. I just have to find a joystick connector, a box for the parallel connector, wire, and some time. Apparently, if you hook the wires wrong, you can kill the CIA chip, so I want to be very carefull.

Then I have to, somehow, cram the three driver files into my already (nearly full) workbench disk. I guess some files will have have to get voted off the island.

But, the moral to be learned, is, where on the planet, can you run an operating system off a 780k diskette? I think you know the answer

Amiduffer

[MarkAshley]

Yeeeaaaahhhhh, well done  :-)

I've got my miggy all set up again now so I'll have a look at the schematic tomorrow and see if there's any hints I can offer.

[Amiduffer]

Yeeeaaaahhhhh, well done  :-)

I've got my miggy all set up again now so I'll have a look at the schematic tomorrow and see if there's any hints I can offer.

Thanks. I'll need a little help in translating the schematic into amiduffer.

For instance, it lists
                       1-8 (zip drive pins)
                        0
                        |
                        |
                        0
                       1-8 (Parallel port pins)

Does that mean that you connect 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, etc.

Amiduffer

[MarkAshley]

I assume you're looking at buff.iff and nobuf.iff.

Yes where you have 2-9 on the Amiga side and 2-9 on the Zip side, that means pins 2 - 9 are connected straight through from the Amiga to the Zip drive.

I don't know whether you need the buffered or unbuffered version. If you're able to, I would build the buffered version just in case the unbuffered doesn't work.

[Amiduffer]

MarkAshley wrote:
I assume you're looking at buff.iff and nobuf.iff.

Yes where you have 2-9 on the Amiga side and 2-9 on the Zip side, that means pins 2 - 9 are connected straight through from the Amiga to the Zip drive.

I don't know whether you need the buffered or unbuffered version. If you're able to, I would build the buffered version just in case the unbuffered doesn't work.

Ok, I'll give it a try, if you can help me decipher the schematic. The unbuffered version is about enough for my skill level, but the buffered version is something I've never attempted to try before. It's the kind of language I haven't got the hang of yet. I assume I'll have to pay a visit to Radio Shack soon. As soon as I get the stuff together, let's put it together  :hammer:

Amiduffer

[MarkAshley]

If you are a confident solderer, then the buffered version will be easy. When you go to RS get the components for the buffered version, and also a 14 pin DIL socket for the 7407 IC (so you don't have to solder it directly and risk damaging it). You will also need some veroboard (copper stripboard) and I can easily convert the wiring diagram from ppazip in to a stripboard layout including the correct pins to connect to the 7407.

If however you are not confident to do this, go for the unbuffered version as it does not require any components or striboard soldering, it's just soldering wires to connectors.