Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

HxC Floppy Emulator Ensoniq Keyboards/Samplers support
another_SD1
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:48 am

Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by another_SD1 »

Each "HFE" fine will show up on the drive as a separate disc.
You have to convert first EDV files to HFE files.

And yes, you can copy those HFE files as many times you want on that SD card, and then format them right in the SD-1.

ddick76@gmail.com
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2016 4:26 am

Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by ddick76@gmail.com »

I discovered that the newer version of the emulator software (2.xx) does not work on Windows 98. So, I downloaded an older version (1.6.xx) to try over Christmas break.

Also, I thought the files went on the SD card with the EDV extension, not the HFE extension. Can someone clarify that? I haven't installed my drive yet to test it, but I did copy the OS 4.10 EDV file straight to the SD card. Do I need to convert it to HFE for some reason?

Lastly, I just downloaded the "Blank Disc" image and the 2 versions of the OS (just in case) and I realized the OS discs are ca. 800 kb, which is abut what I expected to see. However, the blank disc is much smaller (13 kb). That doesn't seem right to me. I assumed the blank disc would have a header and a zero or random fill to make it the full 800 kb. Am I missing something? I'm off work all next week and I'm trying to get all of my info together.

mondo1976
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Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2015 3:54 pm

Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by mondo1976 »

The blank disk is that small because EDV is a compressed format (albeit very primitive) and it's blank so there's nothing but redundant data.

ddick76@gmail.com
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Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2016 4:26 am

Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by ddick76@gmail.com »

OK. I didn't realize it was compressed. I realized there was a lot of redundant zeros when I opened the file in a hex editor. I also noticed the head on the blank fine is different than the header is the OS images and the head file posted earlier. I'll play around with it. Am I right, though, that the edv files just go straight on SD card and the emulator will read the edv files? Thanks again. Hopefully, this thread will help other folks, too.

ddick76@gmail.com
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Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2016 4:26 am

Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by ddick76@gmail.com »

OK, new drive is installed (hardware part was easy). I took the EDV files for the OS and blank discs from earlier in this post, converted them to HFE files, copied them along with the configuration file to the SD card and they worked. Now, my problem is trying to copy my old discs.

I am having trouble because the only computer I have with a floppy disc is a windows 98 machine. I found an older version of the HxC software that does run on windows 98. However, when I tried to dump a disc, I got a message about the fdrawcmd driver not being installed (low level floppy driver). I went online and found the driver, but then realized that it does not work under windows 98. I ended up downloading ImageDisk 1.18 from http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/img/index.htm and it was able to read the discs and make a raw image. However, there was some junk data in the form of m.m.m.m. etc. in the file. I deleted that, then added the header and made the file end on an even 0000 before adding the 1A footer. I converted that to an HFE file, which loaded on the emulator, but when I tried to access it with the SD-1, I get an error message (Bad Device ID). So, either the disc is bad to start with, or I messed up something in the editing.

ddick76@gmail.com
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2016 4:26 am

Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by ddick76@gmail.com »

So, apparently the HxC software recognizes IMD files. I took a blank disc image, saved a couple of junk sequences to it on the SD-1, and then formatted the disk. I then opened that disc in the floppy emulator software and exported it to an IMD image and opened it in a hex editor. The file looks very similar is structure to what I am getting when I copy the discs on my old Win 98 machine. The question is, how do I fix the formatting to get rid of the device ID error.
Attachments
Editted EDV File.zip
File edited to add header and 1A tail.
(181.99 KiB) Downloaded 407 times
Original IMD File.zip
Original file copied using Image Disk.
(182.26 KiB) Downloaded 399 times

ddick76@gmail.com
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Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2016 4:26 am

Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by ddick76@gmail.com »

I think I figured it out. Using HXC Emulator Software, Hex Edit 4.0, and ImageDisk 1.18.

1) I ripped them from the floppy to and IMD file using ImageDisk 1.18 on Windows 98.
2) I opened the IMD File in the HXC Emulator and exported it as an IMG file to correct some of the formatting.
3) I opened the IMG file in Hex Edit 4.0 and copied the header from the OS 4.10 disc (Header file had an error at A0h [00 in header file, 80 in OS 4.10 File) to replace m.m. from 0 to 1FFh.
4) I added "1A" as the only entry on the last line (C8000h)
5) I'm not sure if it is necessary, but I replaced all of the m.m.m.m. sequence at the end of the file with zeros. (Checked this, and it is NOT needed)
6) Saved with EDV file extension from Hex Edit 4.0.
7) Loaded the edited EDV image in the HxC Emulator software and exported it as an HFE file.

I'm going to go try one more disc before bed to see if it works again, or if I just got lucky.

mondo1976
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Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by mondo1976 »

I don't get why you're converting a raw disk image to EDV. Just rip the floppy as a raw image, convert it to HFE with HxC software and be done with it. EDV is a waste of time unless you already have an image in EDV.

There is really no reason to create EDV files in 2016. Real floppies can be read with Omniflop, et al and HxC can use HFE.

In that post that I made where you found out about all the Windows 98 utilities, etc. then I also included a special Ensoniq boot disk (http://torlus.com/floppy/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2040). That's all you need to convert EDV to a real floppy and then you just rip the real floppy and make it an HFE. That's the "proper", surefire way to do it as the EDV should flawlessly uncompressed when the floppy is written. There's no need to monkey about. You're making it way too difficult. EDV to floppy, floppy to HFE.

Please... anybody that's converted their EDVs to raw and/or HFE floppy images, do the world a favor and share them and then promptly forget about EDVs.

ddick76@gmail.com
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Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by ddick76@gmail.com »

Because I tried that and the keyboard gave me a device ID error because the header information was wrong. I could probably edit the header info and save it as a raw file, then convert it to a hfe file. Honestly, what got me started on EDV as a file format is the table of devices on the HxC site. Beside the SD-1 it specifically says that it must be and EDV file, so I originally thought that was going to be what got copied to the SD card.

At any rate, I know my idea works, so after I go through the 40 ish discs I have, it will not be an issue anyway. I didn't see the custom tool you posted until just now. Now all the discs are in a compressed IMD format, which the only way I found using what I had available was the approach I outlined above. I just posted in case I ever needed again or in case it helped someone else out.

Also, I tried tried simply converting the raw image file (img) to hfe and got the device ID error. Copying the header from the original operating system disc is the only thing that worked.

Also, difficulty is in the eye of the beholder. It works, so I'm happy. Honestly, happier that I pieced together a functional solution. I'll give your software a try when I get home, though.

I also couldn't find a version of omniflop that works with windows 98. I found omni disk, but it was harder to use than the image disk utility.

Also, the EDV file I ended up making is really nothing more than an IMG file with the SD-1 disc header added and the file extension changed. Not really a big deal.

mondo1976
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Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by mondo1976 »

ddick76@gmail.com wrote:I didn't see the custom tool you posted until just now.

Also, difficulty is in the eye of the beholder. It works, so I'm happy. Honestly, happier that I pieced together a functional solution. I'll give your software a try when I get home, though.

Also, the EDV file I ended up making is really nothing more than an IMG file with the SD-1 disc header added and the file extension changed. Not really a big deal.
Ah, I posted directly after you in that other thread, so I thought you must have.

While it's true fdrawcmd is needed for floppy disk ripping through HxC Software, Windows 98 works under DOS so all the native disk image utilities still work. In other words, you can use all the old school Ensoniq, Akai, etc. disks with all the original software people used back in the day, so you can go to and from EDV, EDM or make Akai OS disks, etc. directly which is sometimes better than the imaging only features of HxC or Omniflop. So that's an added benefit, and you can still use a plethora of disk imaging utilities if you want to create/write raw files. If you use the correct tools then Windows 98 is kind of the best of both worlds because you can use every old utility with direct floppy access, and then you can manipulate HFE files under HxC.

But hey, courses for horses, right? Or is it more than one way to skin a cat? All's well that ends well, as they say.

NateofCA
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Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 4:53 pm

Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by NateofCA »

Hi. It's been a long time since this post thread was active so I hope I can get an answer from one of you. I bought a HxC floppy disk emulator from someone on Ebay for my VFX-SD and having trouble figuring out how to VFX-SD disks converted to HFE files that will read on the VFX. I'm techy like you all with using hex editors and also the Geibler tools. The guy I bought the drive from included blank HFE files on a USB stick which have file size 2,049,024 bytes and first off I can't figure out how he created those HFE files using the current HxC2001 GUI software. I've tried several of the formats including the Ensoniq EDM and Mirage configs of course. In the HxCEmulator software I see there is a config file format with .fpf extension that can be loaded. Maybe someone can send me a correct one of those to work. So far the resulting HFE files I'm getting that are close in size are 2,008,064 in size. In hex editor I see one byte with value 0x07 that is different in the header from the 0x00 value in the blank HFE files the user gave me. I've changed the '07' to '00' and it seemed to work for an image file I had converted using a tool I mention in next paragraph in that the VFX was actually seeing the VFX data in the file, However when I tried to load something I get a 'drive not ready' error.

I have Geiber EDV files and also image files created with a set of 'VFXTools' I found online which work pretty well for creating images of VFX disks on a Windows 98 PC I have and they are very similar to Geibler EDV files upon investigation in a hex editor. I've read through all the replies in this thread but maybe missed the answer to the HFE config format. I also tried images I created using Omnidisk. Anyway; I'm pretty frustrated with this so far. Thanks a bunch for any help.

URecken
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Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2021 11:02 pm

Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by URecken »

Hello!

Can anyone please share some files i can dump on a Thumb drive and test to see if it works
im really frustrated and cant get anything to load on The SD-1 Floppy emulator...

HELP PLEASE :-)

Jeff
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Re: Converting SD-1 disks to .edv files

Post by Jeff »

URecken wrote:
Tue Oct 04, 2022 3:55 pm
Hello!

Can anyone please share some files i can dump on a Thumb drive and test to see if it works
im really frustrated and cant get anything to load on The SD-1 Floppy emulator...

HELP PLEASE :-)
Hello,

Which emulator and firmware are you using ?

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