Hxc2001 emulator in Kaypro 2X won't boot from SD card

HxC Floppy emulator support for all others computers...
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Bert
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2016 8:57 am

Hxc2001 emulator in Kaypro 2X won't boot from SD card

Post by Bert »

Hello,

I received my package today and wasted no time setting it up in my Kaypro 2X. I was able to use an existing Kaypro 4.84 IMD image from this board to start me off, and used the emulator to create an HFE file on the SD card. I am able to switch to that drive in CPM, browse it, run programs off it, etc. but I cannot boot from the SD card no matter what I try. I feel like I'm close, and that I'm missing something simple, but maybe someone can help.

The only configuration I can make work with the emulator is my regular floppy drive as the A drive (it has the DS0 jumper set to make it A), and the HXC device chained on as drive B. In this configuration it always boots off the regular floppy disk.

I've tried disconnecting the regular floppy disk, leaving the HXC device as the only one but the Kaypro will not boot from it, no matter what I try. I have verified that the disk image on the SD card is bootable; it contains the proper system image on track zero, and the directory starts on track one just as it should.

I'd appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you!

Cheers, Bert

Jeff
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Re: Hxc2001 emulator in Kaypro 2X won't boot from SD card

Post by Jeff »

Which images are you using ?

Bert
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2016 8:57 am

Re: Hxc2001 emulator in Kaypro 2X won't boot from SD card

Post by Bert »

Hi Jeff, good to hear from you.

I used an image that you supplied to another user back in 2010, who was also trying to get a Kaypro going (a 4/84 in this case). I believe that image is directly usable in my 2X. I converted the https://hxc2001.com/floppy_drive_emulat ... KAY4D1.IMD to a HFE file and had no trouble reading it as the B drive in the Kaypro 2X.

Knowing I had a good copy on my PC, I then tried to copy the 5 1/4 in floppy in my A drive to that image, and it worked perfectly. I was able to SYSGEN to it, and verified (via SUPERZAP) that the image was copied accurately, and that the disk parameters were correct for this machine: (If I remember correctly: 80 tracks, 27 sectors, 512 bytes per sector = 390K formatted capacity). The copy was done with a Kaypro utility which has worked successfully just prior to preserve a bunch of floppy disks.

So the only configuration that I can make work is to have a regular 5 1/4in floppy in my A drive, and the HXC as the B drive, so that it boots off the floppy. Not exactly ideal. :-) :-) :-) If I can only get the HxC to boot the Kaypro, I'll be a really happy camper. I know I'm close, I feel like there's just something simple that I'm missing.

Cheers, Bert

Bert
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2016 8:57 am

Re: Hxc2001 emulator in Kaypro 2X won't boot from SD card

Post by Bert »

Update: ignore my disk dimensions, clearly the math does not work for 390K diskettes, but I do know that kaypro 4 disks work on my 2X and the disk image you supplied did work except I cannot boot from it or any other disk image I manage to create.

Cheers, Bert

Bert
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2016 8:57 am

Re: Hxc2001 emulator in Kaypro 2X won't boot from SD card

Post by Bert »

Hi,

Update: Real disk dimensions are 80 tracks, 40 sectors per track, 128 bytes per sector for a total of 409600 bytes or 400K. The CPM system reserves the first two tracks for itself and the directory, using up 10K, leaving 390K (as advertised). I am reasonably sure these dimensions are identical in the Kaypro 4 image I pointed you to earlier.

I tried various combinations of AUTOBOOT settings in the config file; none of them worked. Even enabled the "Force load of STARTUPA.HFE" option and renamed my image to that name; again, no joy. I really don't have any idea what to do next. I expected the image to be able to boot the Kaypro from the HXC but this has me stumped.

Cheers, Bert

Bert
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2016 8:57 am

Re: Hxc2001 emulator in Kaypro 2X won't boot from SD card SO

Post by Bert »

Hello,

As I suspected it was something very simple. In the end, I just started trying different switch configurations on the HxC board until something worked. I think I have a good configuration now although it does not match any configuration in the user manual, so I may just fiddle with it later. For now though, setting switches 1 and 8 allowed me to boot off any selected image, and allows me to select any image I like for disks A and B, provided I do the requisite Ctl-C to warm boot, or reset button for cold start. All the disks that I have are now preserved as HFE files.

Anyway, just wanted to post to let folks know I did finally figure it out. Thanks.

Cheers, Bert

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