1k/sectors is supported in read only mode (you can test it), but there are no enough memory in the pic18f4525/4620 for the write support.Pryanick wrote:1k/sec is very usefull for using HxCFE under ZX-Spectrum. There is an iS-DOS operating system. Some ZX-clones in ex-USSR use iS-DOS operating system. After publishing PCB HxCFE my version on my web site I had questions about using HxCFE under iS-DOS (iS-DOS uses 1ki/sec). But nothing can be done - 1k/sec not supported /yet/.
I think, Jeff, we have anough free memory in 4620 to make 1k/sec support. But I have no hardware to test it.
Problem assembling SDCARD version
Jeff,Jeff wrote:1k/sectors is supported in read only mode (you can test it), but there are no enough memory in the pic18f4525/4620 for the write support.Pryanick wrote:1k/sec is very usefull for using HxCFE under ZX-Spectrum. There is an iS-DOS operating system. Some ZX-clones in ex-USSR use iS-DOS operating system. After publishing PCB HxCFE my version on my web site I had questions about using HxCFE under iS-DOS (iS-DOS uses 1ki/sec). But nothing can be done - 1k/sec not supported /yet/.
I think, Jeff, we have anough free memory in 4620 to make 1k/sec support. But I have no hardware to test it.
My SD card emulator now is working fine, I have used Pyranick's design as a basis (acknowledged by Pyranick) and have enhanced it and created a professional 2-layer PCB from it.
I have also tested write support for 512 bytes/sector and 1K/sector. 512 bytes/sector works fine under DOS on a PC. 1K/sector does freeze the emulator. I have tried to format the floppy using the program ImageDisk (see here: http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/img/).
Using ImageDisk you can create / read / write almost any non-standard sector format on a PC. When I try to format with 1K/sector, double sided, MFM 500k I get the message "No FDC interrupt" after a few seconds and the emulator seem to be freezed (I have to reboot the emulator). Also, another special DOS software which writes 1K/sector disks gives me a "Bad CRC error" after writing attempts. In this case the emulator also freezes. I am using a Sandisk 1GB SD card (if that matters).
Please don't get me wrong Jeff, this is by no means any critics, I just wanted to let you know that 1K/sector write support is still not fully working, at least on my system. You did a wonderful job with your emulator projects and I really appreciate this !
Best regards,
Sven
Jeff, yes I will do so tomorrow.Jeff wrote:Could you retry the 1K write test at 250kbits/s ?
Have you ever worked with ImageDisk by the way? It is extremely feature rich and could be a great test tool for your emulators since you can work with almost every imaginable floppy format with just one tool.
I'll let you know my findings with 250kbits/s. Just for the record, my SD card was freshly formatted during my tests.
Best regards,
Sven
yes i know ImageDisk, it's a great tool.This is why i support the imd file formatshprivat wrote:Jeff, yes I will do so tomorrow.Jeff wrote:Could you retry the 1K write test at 250kbits/s ?
Have you ever worked with ImageDisk by the way? It is extremely feature rich and could be a great test tool for your emulators since you can work with almost every imaginable floppy format with just one tool.
I'll let you know my findings with 250kbits/s. Just for the record, my SD card was freshly formatted during my tests.
Best regards,
Sven
.OK, I should have known that a floppy expert like you know this excellent software, sorry for my ignorance..Jeff wrote:yes i know ImageDisk, it's a great tool.This is why i support the imd file formatshprivat wrote:Jeff, yes I will do so tomorrow.Jeff wrote:Could you retry the 1K write test at 250kbits/s ?
Have you ever worked with ImageDisk by the way? It is extremely feature rich and could be a great test tool for your emulators since you can work with almost every imaginable floppy format with just one tool.
I'll let you know my findings with 250kbits/s. Just for the record, my SD card was freshly formatted during my tests.
Best regards,
Sven
I have tried today with 250kbits/s with 1K sector size, 9 sectors per track and get the same result:
- The ImageDisk formatter tries to format track 0
- The emulator shows "Track 0" in the display
- After a few seconds the emulator shows "WETO" at the end of row 2 in
the display (write error timeout)
- ImageDisk shows "No interrupt from FDC - press ENTER for main menu"
With 250 kbits/s the emulator does not freeze, I can press the "Select" button and can choose a different file. In 500 kbits/s mode the emulator freezes, it does not show the "WETO" text in the display and I have to restart the emulator.
I have also created a 720k DOS floppy and made a IMD file out of it using ImageDisk. I can read the image with the emulator into a file using IMD but I can't write to the disk using this image, I get WEOE (write error overflow error).
Hope this helps to track it down.
Best regards,
Sven
In fact the main problem is that the imd software try to format the floppy disk before writing sectors. the "WEOE" overflow error is normal in this case. But this doesn't means that the write fail, if the image is already in 720kb format.shprivat wrote:OK, I should have known that a floppy expert like you know this excellent software, sorry for my ignorance..Jeff wrote:yes i know ImageDisk, it's a great tool.This is why i support the imd file formatshprivat wrote: Jeff, yes I will do so tomorrow.
Have you ever worked with ImageDisk by the way? It is extremely feature rich and could be a great test tool for your emulators since you can work with almost every imaginable floppy format with just one tool.
I'll let you know my findings with 250kbits/s. Just for the record, my SD card was freshly formatted during my tests.
Best regards,
Sven
I have tried today with 250kbits/s with 1K sector size, 9 sectors per track and get the same result:
- The ImageDisk formatter tries to format track 0
- The emulator shows "Track 0" in the display
- After a few seconds the emulator shows "WETO" at the end of row 2 in
the display (write error timeout)
- ImageDisk shows "No interrupt from FDC - press ENTER for main menu"
With 250 kbits/s the emulator does not freeze, I can press the "Select" button and can choose a different file. In 500 kbits/s mode the emulator freezes, it does not show the "WETO" text in the display and I have to restart the emulator.
I have also created a 720k DOS floppy and made a IMD file out of it using ImageDisk. I can read the image with the emulator into a file using IMD but I can't write to the disk using this image, I get WEOE (write error overflow error).
Hope this helps to track it down.
Best regards,
Sven
I have now created a floppy image using your Windows software with 250kbits/s (80 tracks, double sided) and I was able to format the disk under DOS. However, the formatted image was not bootable, the system freezes. I have also copied files onto the image under DOS and all seemed to work fine at the first glance. As soon as I tried to load and run the files several tracks were read and then DOS freezes (the emulator still works, I can select a new image file and proceed).Jeff wrote:In fact the main problem is that the imd software try to format the floppy disk before writing sectors. the "WEOE" overflow error is normal in this case. But this doesn't means that the write fail, if the image is already in 720kb format.shprivat wrote:OK, I should have known that a floppy expert like you know this excellent software, sorry for my ignorance..Jeff wrote: yes i know ImageDisk, it's a great tool.This is why i support the imd file format
I have tried today with 250kbits/s with 1K sector size, 9 sectors per track and get the same result:
- The ImageDisk formatter tries to format track 0
- The emulator shows "Track 0" in the display
- After a few seconds the emulator shows "WETO" at the end of row 2 in
the display (write error timeout)
- ImageDisk shows "No interrupt from FDC - press ENTER for main menu"
With 250 kbits/s the emulator does not freeze, I can press the "Select" button and can choose a different file. In 500 kbits/s mode the emulator freezes, it does not show the "WETO" text in the display and I have to restart the emulator.
I have also created a 720k DOS floppy and made a IMD file out of it using ImageDisk. I can read the image with the emulator into a file using IMD but I can't write to the disk using this image, I get WEOE (write error overflow error).
Hope this helps to track it down.
Best regards,
Sven
Can it be that my SD card is too slow? Should I try a faster card? What SD card are you using for your tests?
Sven
formating is not supported by the emulator.shprivat wrote: I have now created a floppy image using your Windows software with 250kbits/s (80 tracks, double sided) and I was able to format the disk under DOS. However, the formatted image was not bootable, the system freezes. I have also copied files onto the image under DOS and all seemed to work fine at the first glance. As soon as I tried to load and run the files several tracks were read and then DOS freezes (the emulator still works, I can select a new image file and proceed).
Can it be that my SD card is too slow? Should I try a faster card? What SD card are you using for your tests?
Sven
can you copy files (without formating) to the emulator under dos?
I don't know how to create an 720k image with 250kbits/s for DOS. If I format a 720k floppy under DOS and then create an IMD image from the freshly formatted disk I always see that the bitrate is 300 kbits/s instead of 250kbits/s. Looking at your write code I see that it supports 250kbits/s and 500kbits/s but not 300kbits/s. Would that explain my problems?Jeff wrote:formating is not supported by the emulator.shprivat wrote: I have now created a floppy image using your Windows software with 250kbits/s (80 tracks, double sided) and I was able to format the disk under DOS. However, the formatted image was not bootable, the system freezes. I have also copied files onto the image under DOS and all seemed to work fine at the first glance. As soon as I tried to load and run the files several tracks were read and then DOS freezes (the emulator still works, I can select a new image file and proceed).
Can it be that my SD card is too slow? Should I try a faster card? What SD card are you using for your tests?
Sven
can you copy files (without formating) to the emulator under dos?
Sven
shprivat wrote:I don't know how to create an 720k image with 250kbits/s for DOS. If I format a 720k floppy under DOS and then create an IMD image from the freshly formatted disk I always see that the bitrate is 300 kbits/s instead of 250kbits/s. Looking at your write code I see that it supports 250kbits/s and 500kbits/s but not 300kbits/s. Would that explain my problems?Jeff wrote:formating is not supported by the emulator.shprivat wrote: I have now created a floppy image using your Windows software with 250kbits/s (80 tracks, double sided) and I was able to format the disk under DOS. However, the formatted image was not bootable, the system freezes. I have also copied files onto the image under DOS and all seemed to work fine at the first glance. As soon as I tried to load and run the files several tracks were read and then DOS freezes (the emulator still works, I can select a new image file and proceed).
Can it be that my SD card is too slow? Should I try a faster card? What SD card are you using for your tests?
Sven
can you copy files (without formating) to the emulator under dos?
Sven
to format a 720kb floppy disk under dos the command is :
format a: /f:720
you can also use the software to do this.
If the bitrate still at 300kbits/s the are probably a problem in the bios settings (A: set as a 5"1/2 drive)
300kbits write is not supported actually. read should works, but i never tested it.
Yes, I used the /F:720 option, however, my laptop always created 300kbits/s floppies with that option. I have now used my old desktop PC to create a proper 250kbits/s image.Jeff wrote:shprivat wrote:I don't know how to create an 720k image with 250kbits/s for DOS. If I format a 720k floppy under DOS and then create an IMD image from the freshly formatted disk I always see that the bitrate is 300 kbits/s instead of 250kbits/s. Looking at your write code I see that it supports 250kbits/s and 500kbits/s but not 300kbits/s. Would that explain my problems?Jeff wrote: formating is not supported by the emulator.
can you copy files (without formating) to the emulator under dos?
Sven
to format a 720kb floppy disk under dos the command is :
format a: /f:720
you can also use the software to do this.
If the bitrate still at 300kbits/s the are probably a problem in the bios settings (A: set as a 5"1/2 drive)
300kbits write is not supported actually. read should works, but i never tested it.
When I copy files to that image under DOS then DOS freezes after loading a few tracks (I tried to copy imd.com to the fresh 720k DOS disk image). Is my SD card too slow?
Sven
No i don't think so.shprivat wrote:
Yes, I used the /F:720 option, however, my laptop always created 300kbits/s floppies with that option. I have now used my old desktop PC to create a proper 250kbits/s image.
When I copy files to that image under DOS then DOS freezes after loading a few tracks (I tried to copy imd.com to the fresh 720k DOS disk image). Is my SD card too slow?
Sven
there are an error code on the lcd ?
Could you make the hfe file with the software, and keep it as backup then write on it with the emulator. After this, send me the 2 files.
other point : can you send me the layout of your board ?
No error code on LCD.Jeff wrote:No i don't think so.shprivat wrote:
Yes, I used the /F:720 option, however, my laptop always created 300kbits/s floppies with that option. I have now used my old desktop PC to create a proper 250kbits/s image.
When I copy files to that image under DOS then DOS freezes after loading a few tracks (I tried to copy imd.com to the fresh 720k DOS disk image). Is my SD card too slow?
Sven
there are an error code on the lcd ?
Could you make the hfe file with the software, and keep it as backup then write on it with the emulator. After this, send me the 2 files.
other point : can you send me the layout of your board ?
I'll send you the hfe files to your email address. Also the board layout / pictures.
Sven