Floppy replacement - USB to FDD?

[danbeaver]

Is it really that simple?  A 20 buck Gotek USB device off ichyBay plus a $4 buck USB-to-UART device, solder a few pins, download a couple of things, and then in 30 minutes, boom a replacement drive that holds a ton of ADF's?

I am afraid to say that to settle my interest in the topic, I did just that.  But now the case is being painted to a nice Amiga beige and drying.

P.S., it may have been less than 30 minutes

[XDelusion]

Is it really that simple?  A 20 buck Gotek USB device off ichyBay plus a $4 buck USB-to-UART device, solder a few pins, download a couple

More or less. I believe I paid barely over $20 US shipped for the Gotek, and maybe 2 bucks for the programmer, maybe a tad bit more? I'd have to rechek my Ebay, but ya it was cheap cheap cheap and it was easy to reprogram once I found the drivers that worked with my set up.

I did a quick and dirty solder job as I did not feel like waiting for my pins to come in, though I have even seen a video on Youtube where a guy flashed his drive using my Paper clips to make the connections with the cables, so there really isn't much to it. Four connections, plug into PC, load driver, load software, flash and done. Worst case scenario you might have to use the Gotek Reset Jumper, but I didn't need to.

On a side note, I am a crapy electrician and not advanced by any means of the word. In fact I can barely manage to wipe my own butt correctly. So again, if I can do it, ANYONE can do it!

[danbeaver]

Well, butts aside, I didn't use 0.1" pins, but bits of stiff wire and it worked perfectly the first time.  The device is 10 times easier to use than an HxC and way cheaper.  I just wish the box came in proper Amiga colors.  Maybe that is why some folks are charging $67+ for them on eeuhBay?  Perhaps they should offer them in the colors of the rainbow, or pink for girls, blue for boys, yellow for...

[XDelusion]

Well, butts aside, I didn't use 0.1" pins, but bits of stiff wire and it worked perfectly the first time.  The device is 10 times easier to use than an HxC and way cheaper.  I just wish the box came in proper Amiga colors.  Maybe that is why some folks are charging $67+ for them on eeuhBay?  Perhaps they should offer them in the colors of the rainbow, or pink for girls, blue for boys, yellow for...

How about Red or any other color in the world aside of pink for girls, cause I'm so SICK of seeing PINK everywhere!!!!

[Jeff_HxC]

...The device is 10 times easier to use than an HxC and way cheaper....

ohh 10 times ? seriously ? Does it support DMS files,extended ADF files, IPF,... ?
Does the write support working correctly ?
 

[danbeaver]

ohh 10 times ? seriously ? Does it support DMS files,extended ADF files, IPF,... ?
Does the write support working correctly ?
 

Yes, my calculations put it at 10.168 times easier to USE.  No bloody conversions on a PC to get it to work and other crap.  And $20 USD with free shipping.  And how many years did it take for the HxC write support?  Do I give a flip about DMS or  IPF?  No.

[XDelusion]

When I can get a full (uncracked) copy of the ever elusive Citadel in IPF format, then I'll be a happy camper. In the mean time, if I would need that to work on my Gotek, I simply convert it to ADF on my Amiga, MorphOS machine, or what ever.

In the mean time, I was trying to contact a dude who was selling Citadel for $50, but he never wrote back...

...I don't even know why I'm so hard pressed to get a copy of that game. Perhaps because I've NEVER been able to get it to run fully via Whdload? Or because it was one of the first FPS' I ever played on my old Amiga 500. Not sure, but I want it!!!

[danbeaver]

Whispering...     I did invest in a Kryoflux and set it up in a drive case with drive and PSU for conversions, so I can archive or make images as needed, but on the Amiga the software really needs a GUI.  And for me it is way more useful than a HxC.

[Jeff_HxC]

....And for me it is way more useful than a HxC.

Exactly - it is clear that you don't need it.

[danbeaver]

Vide Supra.

[Lurch]

Owning both a HxC and a Gotek I'm using the Gotek more. I like the LCD on he HxC though, just didn't like converting ADFs all the time.

Although at the time the HxC was the only real option that I could find.

Use to have the HxC installed in my A1200 case and it looked really good. But my A1200 is in a tower now so don't use the floppy that much anymore.

The A500 plus has the Gotek, but it also has an A590 with a SCSI card reader which gets used more as CFCard/HDDs are more useful :-)

Might sell the HxC, tempted to look at the Mist though :-)

[Drummerboy]

The only thing about the HXC floppy emulator is the .adf files need be converted to other format and thats process increase the the file size from 880kb to 2.2MB, or exist any way to convert the files without
Make big the file?

[Jeff_HxC]

"Convert all the time" ? I don't understand. Is your SDCard too small ?
Are you aware that you can drag&drop your adf/eadf/dms files on the batch convert window to make to "conversion" as simple as a file copy past on the SD ?
Maybe that the GUI need to be improved... Someone want to help me ? :
http://sourceforge.net/p/hxcfloppyemu/code/HEAD/tree/HxCFloppyEmulator/

The HxC and its HFE format is a true floppy emulator. The HFE file format have all pulses present on the magnetic support.
By this way this make the device very versatile and able to work on any kind of system and format without the need to reprogramming the firmware and pass the tests & validation stage again and again and again with all the possible introduced bugs...
This is exactly this point that make the huge success of this product . (http://hxc2001.com/showroom/index.html)

Be sure that we will not do something specific into the firmware (ex: direct ADF support) not because this is impossible,
but because this will make the thing specific to one format on one kind of machine.
This is an "Universal Floppy Disk Drive Emulator", not only an ADF player.
No interest at all to transform it to one very specific kind of .ADF player...

And anyway since the very first argument to buy this kind of thing is the price, i thing that i have already lose too much time by writing this post .
We don't plan to sell it to 20$, so no need to lose time on a specific firmware for the few units to sell to the amiga community...
Any new marvellous features will not change this fact.
(Note: Don't worry for us -> Thing are going very well in your side, thanks to the versatility of the HxC. We are on lot of kind markets since 1/2 years   )

BTW : About these 20$, how much goes to the developer ?

[danbeaver]

Looking at your user name, you would not have any reason to validate your existence by defending the aforementioned device, would you?

[XDelusion]

Looking at your user name, you would not have any reason to validate your existence by defending the aforementioned device, would you?

Think I'll change my name to Gotek Jones.

[gertsy]

Well got my USB RS232-TTL in the mail on Friday.!!!
Today got some time to soldered jumper pins onto my GOTEK. Being extra careful. I'm an average solderer.
I chose the solder option vs wire because I was afraid of shorting something out.
Tested my solder job with the continuity checker on my multi-meter.  All good. Also checked for shorts between neighbouring pins. All good.
Hooked it up the USB RS232-TTL to the GOTEK and plugged in the USB.  After a little Windows driver auto installing I now have a COM port 3.
Fired up the Flash Loader software, Selected COM 3, Next, it saw the GOTEK..Yippee. Nuked that nasty PC firmware.  Then loaded the CortexAmigaFloppyEmulator_1.05a.hex firmware successfully. Remember to select the "Hex" file type to load first.(Not in the instructions)
Unplugged the USB RS232 TTL from my PC.  Removed the wires and "Program" jumper from the GOTEK.
Moved the Jumper on the drive to S0 (Drive 0)
Tested it on my A500. Took a sec to figure out you have to stage the ADFs in slots before you can select them with the buttons on the drive.  But the menu is simple and usable from the cursor keys.
So now have 4GB USB waiting for 999 Games. With Cannon Fodder playing softly in the background on my A500.

Time to buy some more...

For anyone that wants to know, this is the GOTEK drive I got :http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/191014653063?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
And this is the USB RS232 TTL : http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/400356015296?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

FYI I noted down the Wire colours to GOTEK pin for the USB RS232 TTL
Wire Colour   :   GOTEK Pin. (As shown in the picture on the website)
Red wire： 5V goes to 5V on drive power plug.
Black wire： GND goes to  VSS on drive power plug.
White wire： RXD goes to TX (Top middle pin) on Drive
Green wire： TXD goes to RX (Top forth pin from left) on Drive
Yellow wire： RTS (Not required)
Blue wire： CTS (Not required)

Reminder of the website to get the Firmware and instructions: http://cortexamigafloppydrive.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/transform-the-gotek-floppy-emulator-into-an-amiga-floppy-emulator/

Cool