2.8" QD Disk Emulation

General discussion forum - for all that doesn't fit in any other category.
Post Reply
Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 8092
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:12 am
Location: Paris
Contact:

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by Jeff »

So i did more tests to check if the write support is working properly : 10 QD writes with the MO5. Each disk images was successfully verified (the 400 sectors are presents with the right checksums).

The write support appears to work properly with the machine i have here.

Here is what could be wrong in your case:

- The usb stick you are using is too slow and there is some buffer overflow that corrupt the disk image content.

or/and

- The s220 does multiples write gate assertion during the track write. Need to be checked with the oscilloscope.

or/and

- The s220 use a different encoding. I currently support/decode 9.84us, 14,76us and 19,68us pulses distance. We must know if it use a longer/different pulses spacing. If this is a real MFM machine, it shouldn't but this must be checked with the oscilloscope.

or/and

There is an issue with the read part : The MO5 doesn't seems to complain but i will do a test/bench software on the mo5 machine.

What is missing here is the low level format used by the s220 to be able to validate the images.
Would be nice if you could write and post the images 0001,0002,0003 too, to check if we have a consistent content across the images.

Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 8092
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:12 am
Location: Paris
Contact:

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by Jeff »

AMSynths wrote:
Sun Aug 25, 2019 6:11 pm
Here is the file written to once by the S220.
Ok i found the glitch in your saved file : The first part of the track is repeated twice times. The size of the block match with the write buffer size (~26Kb)
That's why the track length appeared longer than it should and why the the s220 can't read it since the first one is incomplete/bogus.
Unfortunately i don't reproduce the issue with the hardware i have here, so :

I have manually fixed the data in the attached image (first part removed).

- First can you try to read the attached image ? (DSKA0000.zip)

- Can you try to save/read with another usb stick (another brand/model) ?

- Can you check the write gate signal ? Is it stable during the write ? Please also tell me how many time the s220 is writing the track.

- Try the new firmware in the newfw.zip then write on all the QD files and post them back here.
(Firmware update procedure : https://hxc2001.com/docs/gotek-floppy-e ... pdate.html)

DSKA0000.zip
(5.96 KiB) Downloaded 196 times
newfw.zip
(64.48 KiB) Downloaded 209 times

AMSynths
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by AMSynths »

I have tried with different USB sticks and they have different size and write speed, just the same.
A read of your file gives the same illegal QD message.
Updated the firmware, same results.
7 files saved - see attached.
Write Data and Write Gate - see oscilloscope trace. Gate stays on as expected. Not sure why verify has write data.
I will take a look at the read data line
Attachments
Write Gate and Write Data trace
Write Gate and Write Data trace
QDwriteTrace.jpg (83.45 KiB) Viewed 4667 times
DSKA0000.zip
7 files written to QD
(30.71 KiB) Downloaded 187 times

AMSynths
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by AMSynths »

Looking at a trace of read and write data lines it becoming clearer what happens in a disk write.
The S220 reads the QD initially, to see if it contains any sample data, it doesn't - so it continues with the write.
It is writing twice and then does a read but only if its a fresh file. The writes are longer than the read in total.
This was with the ABCD banks or A bank with a sample time of 4 or 1 seconds.

The verification failure is at the end of the second write cycle, not the read.
The read block only happens the first time the file is written to.

According to the Write Timing Diagram there should be read data coming back during the write.
There is read data coming back during the write but its much lower than normal read level.

Protect and Motor On signals are the same as the diagram - correct.
Attachments
QD Write - Read and Write Data lines
QD Write - Read and Write Data lines
QDreadwriteTrace.jpg (89.35 KiB) Viewed 4666 times

Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 8092
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:12 am
Location: Paris
Contact:

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by Jeff »

AMSynths wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:46 pm
I have tried with different USB sticks and they have different size and write speed, just the same.
A read of your file gives the same illegal QD message.
Updated the firmware, same results.
7 files saved - see attached.
Write Data and Write Gate - see oscilloscope trace. Gate stays on as expected. Not sure why verify has write data.
I will take a look at the read data line
Thanks a lot !

Image

I really don't understand what is going on with the write Gate. It seems that the s220 write the track with two separate write parts ?
Or does it write the track twice times ? I suspect that the s220 is going nuts cause of the ready signal not going high during the write process. if so this is something i can fix this easily.
Can you compare with a real QD drive ? Does the s220 do only one write sequence ?
AMSynths wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 2:03 pm
According to the Write Timing Diagram there should be read data coming back during the write.
There is read data coming back during the write but its much lower than normal read level.
I really hope that this is not a requirement and i don't think that the read data line during the write is what you have on the disk. So this sound strange to me to consider this as a verify. This is will quite hard, if not impossible, to implement this in pure software. My best bet right now is the Ready signal. i know that i don't set it fast enough to high and this is maybe why the s220 is writing the track twice times.
I think that we really need to compare the write gate behaviour with a true QD drive.

EDIT : Got it ! -> The Ready signal is asserted -> the s220 write the track -> At the end of the track write the ready signal should be de-asserted, but it is not (my fault) -> The s220 immediately try to read the track to verify it, but it fail because it is at the wrong place -> the ready signal is finally de asserted -> and asserted again -> the s220 try to write again -> new failure.
Will fix this this evening ! :D

AMSynths
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by AMSynths »

That sounds like the fix and matches the timing diagram. :D I will test the firmware on this S220, another S220 and a S10 as soon as its updated.

Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 8092
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:12 am
Location: Paris
Contact:

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by Jeff »

AMSynths wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:10 pm
That sounds like the fix and matches the timing diagram. :D I will test the firmware on this S220, another S220 and a S10 as soon as its updated.
attached the new fw (3.4.1.7)

please write to the images and post them back here (even if working ;) )
newfw3.zip
(63.11 KiB) Downloaded 229 times

EDIT : -> Archive updated for a small fix.

Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 8092
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:12 am
Location: Paris
Contact:

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by Jeff »

Jeff wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 8:42 am
AMSynths wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:10 pm
That sounds like the fix and matches the timing diagram. :D I will test the firmware on this S220, another S220 and a S10 as soon as its updated.
attached the new fw (3.4.1.7)

please write to the images and post them back here (even if working ;) )

newfw3.zip
And finally since i am totally unsure about the normal ready size window, i prepared more QD files with 4.5 seconds, 4.7 seconds and 5 seconds ready window. If the QD in the newfw3.zip failed (they are set to 5.5 seconds) , please try the following QD files. According to the graph in the S220 service manual the window appears to be 4.5 seconds and the track seems shorter than with the MO5 (This one almost need a 5.5 seconds ready window..).

QD_4_5_seconds_window.zip
(1.55 KiB) Downloaded 200 times
QD_4_7_seconds_window.zip
(1.55 KiB) Downloaded 193 times
QD_5_0_seconds_window.zip
(1.55 KiB) Downloaded 187 times

AMSynths
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by AMSynths »

Not successful...traces below. 4.5 seconds and above look better with the reads but still 2 write cycles.
Attachments
4.7 seconds
4.7 seconds
4_7 seconds.jpg (94.21 KiB) Viewed 4603 times
4.5 seconds
4.5 seconds
4_5 seconds.jpg (94.31 KiB) Viewed 4603 times
New firmware 3.4.1.7
New firmware 3.4.1.7
FW 3_4_1_7.jpg (90.36 KiB) Viewed 4603 times

AMSynths
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by AMSynths »

5 second timing trace
Attachments
5 seconds
5 seconds
5 seconds.jpg (95.04 KiB) Viewed 4603 times

Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 8092
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:12 am
Location: Paris
Contact:

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by Jeff »

AMSynths wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 11:30 am
Not successful...traces below. 4.5 seconds and above look better with the reads but still 2 write cycles.
Can you add the ready trace ?

Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 8092
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:12 am
Location: Paris
Contact:

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by Jeff »

Jeff wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 11:32 am
AMSynths wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 11:30 am
Not successful...traces below. 4.5 seconds and above look better with the reads but still 2 write cycles.
Can you add the ready trace ?
And very important : please post the images back. :wink:

AMSynths
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by AMSynths »

here we go....
Attachments
DSKA0000.zip
4 files written to with latest fw
(6.47 KiB) Downloaded 168 times
Read and Ready trace
Read and Ready trace
5 seconds Read and Ready.jpg (55.74 KiB) Viewed 4595 times
Write and Ready trace
Write and Ready trace
5 seconds Write and Ready.jpg (52.61 KiB) Viewed 4595 times

Jeff_HxC2001
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:31 am

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by Jeff_HxC2001 »

AMSynths wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 12:12 pm
here we go....
Thanks. The tracks appears to be fine now. We can see the track structure with the 12 bits samples ; )
Now the question is xhy there 2 write and xith you can t read back them. Probably another ready issue . have you a working qd drive ?

AMSynths
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: 2.8" QD Disk Emulation

Post by AMSynths »

Looking at the 5 second trace, the first write cycle is taking longer than 5 seconds and the ready off cuts the data off. Looks like it takes 5.2 seconds to check disk and then write the data.
Attachments
5 second ready signal with write data
5 second ready signal with write data
5 seconds Write and Ready2.jpg (51.83 KiB) Viewed 4589 times

Post Reply