Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

HxC Floppy Emulator on Amiga support
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mdbenson
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Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by mdbenson »

I have a new Rev F SD HxC Emu from Lotharek (thank you for replacing it) and have hooked it up to my Amiga 4000. I have ID0A and ID1B ON and not other switches (this version uses DIP switches not links) on. I am sure this is correct for Amiga?

The Amiga will boot happily from a Amiga Workbench 3.1 image, the AUTOBOOT.HFE and also the Alde demo image that is in the QuickInstallImages pack for Amiga. I have repeated this at least 5 times and it works flawlessly.

If I boot from my hard drive into Amiga OS 3.9 BB2 the Workbench will not recognise any disks including the ones that worked as boot disks. If I insert an image into Disk A or Disk B I get a greyed out Floppy Icon on the Workbench and DFO: UNRECOGNISED and the disk seek noise makes a sound like it is failing to read the disk (same as a real Amiga floppy does when you insert a disk it can't mount).

This is strange!? Have I missed something or is this a known issue?

Jeff
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by Jeff »

known issue and i have maybe the firmware to solve it. Do you want try it ?

mdbenson
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by mdbenson »

I can give it a go as long as it's not going to fry my HxC :)

Give me the file and instructions about how to load it and I'll test it.

Jeff
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by Jeff »

mdbenson wrote:I can give it a go as long as it's not going to fry my HxC :)

Give me the file and instructions about how to load it and I'll test it.
email sent.

mdbenson
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by mdbenson »

It booted okay from my Workbench 3.1 disk but I got a couple of read errors (stepping retrys where the heads sit and go daah-dah daah-dah) crop up, one during boot and one when copying everything from the Workbench disk to the RAM Disk (a standard disk integrity check on Amigas). I managed to copy all the files, a 'Retry' in the Workbench 'Read Error' requester actually got past it okay. Were I to take a guess you are having problems picking up the tracks from the HFE file correctly?

I booted from the hard drive to WB 3.9 BB2 and... nope it still won't mount the image :( I'm getting DF0: Unitialized like I was before (sorry was NOT UNRECOGNISED).

DIPs are still set at ID0A and ID1B. There is no twist between the drive and the main board floppy header (it is the other side, 'passed' the drive and has nothing on it).

Jeff
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by Jeff »

Are you sure to have updated to the V1.7.4.0 ? please check the printed version on the hxc.

If yes i send to you another one to test.

mdbenson
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by mdbenson »

Yeah I checked the version number on the screen after updating and before I tested it. I'll give the new file a shot.

Incidentally, do you have to turn the HxC off and on again at the power to reload the firmware or does it boot it right after the update?

Jeff
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by Jeff »

mdbenson wrote:Yeah I checked the version number on the screen after updating and before I tested it. I'll give the new file a shot.

Incidentally, do you have to turn the HxC off and on again at the power to reload the firmware or does it boot it right after the update?
No it restart automatically after the update.

mdbenson
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by mdbenson »

Ah. Well. I appear to have discovered what was wrong with the FIRST HxC I had. I am back to the first problem I had with the LCD displaying nothing but a set of blocks across the top of the screen and no text! I let Lotharek know that's possibly the problem with the other one :)

HOWEVER the disk now mounts in Workbench just fine. I still get one read error copying the files to RAM disk, and sometimes some odd head seek noises but that might just be HxC moving over to side 2. Occasionally the LCD screen displays a few ? ? ? but otherwise it's stuck with the bar across the top.

So now it works okay but I can't see anything on the damned screen!

P.S. I'm leaving for work now so I won't be able to test further until I get home. See you in a few hours!! :)

mdbenson
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by mdbenson »

I have looked at this again this evening to just confirm my work.

I re-flashed 1.7.2.0 to the HxC, then re-flashed 1.6.0.0 and confirmed that it definitely is the 1.6.0.0 firmware that causes the weird screen issue. I don't know if it's JUST on Amiga 4000 or if it happens on other computers too.

I put back 1.7.4.0 and have tried this:
  • It still will not mount a valid, bootable Workbench 3.1 disk
  • It will not mount one of the 'empty' disk images
  • Formatting an unreadable 'Empty' HFE file via Workbench has lead to it failing. First at 16%, cylinder 12, then the second time at 37%, third time at 28%.
  • Booting from the valid WB3.1 disk had a read error at block 239 or there about, on a second attempt at block 1694 (076/080 S:0), a third time at block 1565 (070/080 S:0)
  • Even when successfully reading it makes sounds like it is struggling to access some blocks, head-scrubbing across the 'disk' and then carrying on reading.
It seems to be getting 'out of step' somehow and failing to access different tracks correctly, but in nearly all cases (except formatting and mounting disks) the errors are recoverable and a 'Retry' and it carries on. Again, I have not tested with anything other than a Amiga 4000 so I can't say if it's a problem with Amigas, or even just the AGA chipset. If you want I can try it in my A1200 at the weekend?

Jeff
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by Jeff »

There is an issue with OS3.9 and firmware 1.7.0.0 and up. Problem : No idea at all what is the cause, and i don't have the 3.9 and only have classic A600/A500... Hard to debug this.

For the LCD : Known issue with this old firmware and the lastest rev F board. I will send you an patched 1.6.0.0 firmware to solve this.

mdbenson
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by mdbenson »

Thanks. I appreciate the effort :)

Hanzu
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Re: Amiga 4000

Post by Hanzu »

Hi

I have Amiga 4000 and HxC Floppy Drive Emulator Rev F with firmware v1.8.2.40.

It reads Workbench 1.3, 2.0 or 3.1 disk with no problems and once loaded, finds any of those as second disk (DF1:) with default DIP settings of ID0A and ID1B.

I have not tried with installed OS3.1, OS3.9 or OS4.1 Classic yet so I could comment troubles of mdbenson and before I even try, I would like to hear you (both) comment if it is possible to use HxC Floppy Drive Emulator Rev F with real floppy drive connected to the same cable?

I tried to put real floppy drive as DF0: and HxC Floppy Drive Emulator Rev F as DF1: but it shows "DF1:????" when I try to a Workbench disk. So now I have a bunch of questions:

1) If I set ID1A ON and ID0B OFF, ID1B OFF, ID2B OFF, ID3B OFF. Should it work as DF1: with real floppy drive being before the cable twist and HxC after the cable twist.
2) If I leave ID1B OFF, ID2B OFF, ID3B OFF is HxC set as one drive only?
3) If I want to use it as DF1: should I set ID1A OFF, ID2A OFF, ID3A OFF and ID1B ON instead?
4) If I want to use it inside external floppy drive case should I set is as ID2A ON and ID3B ON assuming those would mean DF2: and DF3:
5) Amiga 2000/3000 and 4000 models can understand a maximum of 2 internal floppy drives (DF0: and DF1:), so is setting HxC inside external floppy case and use it as DF2: and DF3: the only option to use real floppy drives DF0: and DF1: with them?

mdbenson what is you status with your Rev F today and have you tried with OS3.9 with latest firmware?

mdbenson
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by mdbenson »

I was just getting back around to seeing if new Firmware was available as I got my Amiga 1500 back up and running with AmigaOS 3.9 and ran into the same issue with the HxC2001 as I had on the 4000.

So, no, I haven't tried the firmware recently but I will do this weekend if it will help.

I also have some issues using the Hxc2001 in-line with a real floppy drive in my A1500. It's recognising the HxC2001 okay but not the other floppy drive. Might be the compbination of bad firmware, 3.9 and me not having it setup, though.

Jeff
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Re: Amiga 4000 - boots but won't read in Workbench?

Post by Jeff »

Yes please update...
All of this look likes to be an old story to me...
The issue with fast Amiga was solved some months ago.

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