Tutorial: access HD, ED and up to 14mb floppies using FlashFloppy on a stock ST

Everything related to using the HxC Floppy Emulator hardware on your Atari.

Moderators: DrCoolZic, mr.vince, Moderator Team

User avatar
leech
Atari God
Atari God
Posts: 1473
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:26 pm

Re: Tutorial: access HD, ED and up to 14mb floppies using FlashFloppy on a stock ST

Post by leech »

wongck wrote: Mon Feb 19, 2024 1:26 am
leech wrote: Sat Feb 17, 2024 6:12 pm I actually meant the opposite, can I use all of the floppy image formats on the HxC 2001? I bought two of them ages ago before the Goteks really kicked off, and I love that they use SD cards instead of USB Flash sticks, but having to convert everything to .hfe was the annoying part. I think the newer versions of those supported more formats, but I don't think there is a firmware update for the old Lotharek built HxC 2001s, are there?
It is true that current model of SD HxC can use all those format. The SD HxC model just need to flash to the newer firmware.
Yours is from 2001 ? Mine is before 2010 I guess or earlier.... I cannot remember.... getting old.

Anyway what I remember is that my SD HxC model can be flashed to the newer firmware that supports more formats but it turns it to read-only device. Which is not optimal for my usage. My SD HxC lack the proper amount of SRAM and there was some instructions to "upgrade" it to more SRAM. (I think it is SRAM or may be something else). Unfortunately soldering is among the things I am lousy at, I did not do the upgrade and so stuck not being able to read those format when I reverted back to the last read/write version.

My guess is that you can flash the newer firmware (or the the last version supported by your model), if you do not care for writting on to the SD/floppy.
Or looks like your are OK with soldering.... and so may attempt that SRAM (better say hardware) upgrade.
Not sure when I bought mine, I thought that was just the model. It is a Rev F, which I believe is the last version of that made.
Always annoyed that the Goteks used USB cards instead of the more "floppy-like" SD cards. Which is why I really like Centuriontech's GoEX. But they are always out of stock...
Atari 8Bits: 800xl, 600xl, XEGS, 800, 130xe, 130xe (VBXE, U1MB, Stereo POKEY)
Atari STs: 1040STf (broken shifter), 1040STe, Mega STe, TT030, Falcon (CT60e, SuperVidel)
User avatar
wongck
Ultimate Atarian
Ultimate Atarian
Posts: 13529
Joined: Sat May 03, 2008 2:09 pm
Location: Far East
Contact:

Re: Tutorial: access HD, ED and up to 14mb floppies using FlashFloppy on a stock ST

Post by wongck »

leech wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 4:28 am Not sure when I bought mine, I thought that was just the model. It is a Rev F, which I believe is the last version of that made.
Always annoyed that the Goteks used USB cards instead of the more "floppy-like" SD cards. Which is why I really like Centuriontech's GoEX. But they are always out of stock...
I purchased a 4GB micro USB stick for it, which just protrude few mm out. Looks better than having a long stick out. LOL.
My Stuff: FB/Falcon CT63 CTPCI ATI RTL8139 USB 512MB 30GB HDD CF HxC_SD/ TT030 68882 4+32MB 520MB Nova/ 520STFM 4MB Tos206 SCSI
Shared SCSI Bus:ScsiLink ethernet, 9GB HDD,SD-reader @ http://phsw.atari.org
My Atari stuff that are no longer for sale due to them over 30 years old - click here for list
User avatar
leech
Atari God
Atari God
Posts: 1473
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:26 pm

Re: Tutorial: access HD, ED and up to 14mb floppies using FlashFloppy on a stock ST

Post by leech »

wongck wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 2:57 am
leech wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 4:28 am Not sure when I bought mine, I thought that was just the model. It is a Rev F, which I believe is the last version of that made.
Always annoyed that the Goteks used USB cards instead of the more "floppy-like" SD cards. Which is why I really like Centuriontech's GoEX. But they are always out of stock...
I purchased a 4GB micro USB stick for it, which just protrude few mm out. Looks better than having a long stick out. LOL.
Ha, I found these.
DSLRKIT 32GB USB Flash Drives Slim Thumb Mini Nano Micro Waterproof https://a.co/d/eL4rHZA
Atari 8Bits: 800xl, 600xl, XEGS, 800, 130xe, 130xe (VBXE, U1MB, Stereo POKEY)
Atari STs: 1040STf (broken shifter), 1040STe, Mega STe, TT030, Falcon (CT60e, SuperVidel)
phjanderson
Atariator
Atariator
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2023 12:51 pm
Location: Netherlands

Re: Tutorial: access HD, ED and up to 14mb floppies using FlashFloppy on a stock ST

Post by phjanderson »

Update: I added images for HD floppy capable machines, included in the HD/ folder, these provide higher throughput by using a 500 kbit/sec data rate (tested on an Atari Mega STE configured for HD floppies)

See: https://github.com/phjanderson/flashflo ... ee/main/HD
User avatar
metalages
Captain Atari
Captain Atari
Posts: 475
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2013 5:14 pm
Location: France
Contact:

Re: Tutorial: access HD, ED and up to 14mb floppies using FlashFloppy on a stock ST

Post by metalages »

Jeff_HxC2001 wrote: Thu Jul 27, 2023 6:31 am There is no need to any special configuration file on the HxC Floppy emulator and Gotek with the HxC firmware for this : This is an HxC feature since more than a decade ;).

To create one with the HxC software : "Disk Browser" -> Choose one of the big disk format -> "Create Disk" -> Drag and drop some files if you want -> "Save/Export". Done.

Anyway : Be aware that some TOS versions limit the number of usable tracks (you can't go above track 85) and that too much sectors on a track will increase the access time so much that you may trigger some read/write timeout errors.
Does the 3.42MB DD format work on STE TOS 1.6 (or 2.06) ? (I can see the files but then the drive can not read those files correctly)
User avatar
leech
Atari God
Atari God
Posts: 1473
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:26 pm

Re: Tutorial: access HD, ED and up to 14mb floppies using FlashFloppy on a stock ST

Post by leech »

I could be wrong, but you probably need the updated hardware for 1.44mb? I have only tried these in my Falcon.
Atari 8Bits: 800xl, 600xl, XEGS, 800, 130xe, 130xe (VBXE, U1MB, Stereo POKEY)
Atari STs: 1040STf (broken shifter), 1040STe, Mega STe, TT030, Falcon (CT60e, SuperVidel)
User avatar
metalages
Captain Atari
Captain Atari
Posts: 475
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2013 5:14 pm
Location: France
Contact:

Re: Tutorial: access HD, ED and up to 14mb floppies using FlashFloppy on a stock ST

Post by metalages »

In hxc software there are a bunch of big floppies for hd and one for dd of 3.42mb. I have understood the target rpm was lowered for this in order to keep the same bitrate but maybe there are other aspects i have missed ?
Post Reply

Return to “HxC Floppy Emulator”