Sinclair QL Version

Post by **Jeff** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 1:59 pm

rwap wrote:Jeff, I was wondering if you had made any progress on this, or whether you would share the sources, so we can amend the software to import programs from qxl.win files.

Many thanks

Rich

Hi,
no progress for the moment (very busy...)

sources are available since the beginning of the project here :
https://hxc2001.com/floppy_drive_emulat ... ft_src.zip

https://hxc2001.com/floppy_drive_emulat ... pyemulator

To be easily integrated into the hxc floppy emulator software the code should output a raw floppy image.

rwap · Post by **rwap** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 6:48 pm

I have now got around to trying one of these with the Sinclair QL and am hitting problems...

For some reason, the QL appears to need the cable to be reversed - no idea why as it works with pin 1 on most disk drives! At least now it seems to try to access the disk, and I get the sound of the disk access at boot up on the QL and when I try and get a directory.

However, the QL fails to read the disk image.

I am basing it on a raw disk image, which I know works when written out to a DD disk (the latest QL emulator can also read the raw disk image without any problems).

For the software conversion, I am using

IBM MFM (not sure what IBM FM is - but that does not allow to load a raw file), 80 tracks, 9 sectors per track, Sector ID start 1, RPM 300 (tried 200 also), sector size 512, bit rate 250000, GAP3 length (note the typo in the software which says lenght), interleave 1.

What else could I try?

Post by **Jeff** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:01 pm

rwap wrote:I have now got around to trying one of these with the Sinclair QL and am hitting problems...

For some reason, the QL appears to need the cable to be reversed - no idea why as it works with pin 1 on most disk drives! At least now it seems to try to access the disk, and I get the sound of the disk access at boot up on the QL and when I try and get a directory.

However, the QL fails to read the disk image.

I am basing it on a raw disk image, which I know works when written out to a DD disk (the latest QL emulator can also read the raw disk image without any problems).

For the software conversion, I am using

IBM MFM (not sure what IBM FM is - but that does not allow to load a raw file), 80 tracks, 9 sectors per track, Sector ID start 1, RPM 300 (tried 200 also), sector size 512, bit rate 250000, GAP3 length (note the typo in the software which says lenght), interleave 1.

What else could I try?

Which image are you trying to read ?

rwap · Post by **rwap** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 11:43 pm

The http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk/downloads/qlraw.zip image - that is the one which works when written as a raw image to a real floppy disk, and also within the QL emulator.

I am using the latest version of the software to convert this to a .hfe file on the SD card.

Post by **Jeff** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 12:01 am

rwap wrote:The http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk/downloads/qlraw.zip image - that is the one which works when written as a raw image to a real floppy disk, and also within the QL emulator.

I am using the latest version of the software to convert this to a .hfe file on the SD card.

Can you try to dump a ql floppy disk with ImageDisk to create an IMD floppy disk image ?

rwap · Post by **rwap** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 12:21 am

Hi Jeff - we started with this discussion - as I don't have access to a real floppy drive on my PC we are going around in circles - I can post you a disk if you send an email with your postal address to the email on my website www.rwapsoftware.co.uk

Post by **Jeff** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:06 am

rwap wrote:Hi Jeff - we started with this discussion - as I don't have access to a real floppy drive on my PC we are going around in circles - I can post you a disk if you send an email with your postal address to the email on my website www.rwapsoftware.co.uk

Post by **Jeff** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:09 am

Another point : did you change the interface mode to "Generic Shuggart" before converting files ?

rwap · Post by **rwap** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:40 am

Ah no I did not realise I needed to do that - it now works...

Although it is a mystery as to why my QL floppy disk interfaces need the cable the other way around!

Post by **Jeff** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 10:16 am

rwap wrote:Ah no I did not realise I needed to do that - it now works...

Although it is a mystery as to why my QL floppy disk interfaces need the cable the other way around!

No often this happens : On amiga for example the floppy disk cable are reversed too.

rwap · Post by **rwap** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 10:42 am

Well at least now I know it works - I will have to see if I can get HD and ED floppy disk images to work too..

rwap · Post by **rwap** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:06 pm

The issue I have now come across is when I want to test a HD raw disk image.

For the QL I need to change the number of sectors per track to 18 - however, when I do this in the Raw file format configuration, the Load Raw Image button becomes inoperable - how do you read a raw HD disk image into the software?

Post by **Jeff** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:22 pm

rwap wrote:The issue I have now come across is when I want to test a HD raw disk image.

For the QL I need to change the number of sectors per track to 18 - however, when I do this in the Raw file format configuration, the Load Raw Image button becomes inoperable - how do you read a raw HD disk image into the software?

change the bitrate to 500000

rwap · Post by **rwap** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:11 pm

Jeff wrote: change the bitrate to 500000

OK that allows me to copy the raw image to a hfe file - however, it is extremely slow on the QL when trying to read the disk image (almost one track per second) and it fails to load some of the files. There must be something amiss?

Post by **Jeff** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:32 pm

rwap wrote:
Jeff wrote: change the bitrate to 500000
OK that allows me to copy the raw image to a hfe file - however, it is extremely slow on the QL when trying to read the disk image (almost one track per second) and it fails to load some of the files. There must be something amiss?

try to set the interleave to 2 or more.