Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

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Gothmogoth
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2021 7:14 pm

Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

Post by Gothmogoth »

I can open the following A2R disk image in Track Analyzer (HxC software version 2.5.5.1):
https://archive.org/download/sdancer_a2 ... sk%201.a2r
However only 39 tracks and only side 0 are accessible.
This is a disk image of an Apple IIGS 3.5" floppy disk, using the same format as the Macintosh 800K format. It does contain 80 tracks and 2 sides (visible in Applesauce running on macOS).
Is this a bug or am I missing something?

Jeff
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Re: Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

Post by Jeff »

Gothmogoth wrote:
Tue Jan 05, 2021 1:50 am
I can open the following A2R disk image in Track Analyzer (HxC software version 2.5.5.1):
https://archive.org/download/sdancer_a2 ... sk%201.a2r
However only 39 tracks and only side 0 are accessible.
This is a disk image of an Apple IIGS 3.5" floppy disk, using the same format as the Macintosh 800K format. It does contain 80 tracks and 2 sides (visible in Applesauce running on macOS).
Is this a bug or am I missing something?
Probably a bug / specifications understanding issue. (i was targeting the Apple II machines)

will fix this.

(Set A2RLOADER_SKIP_INTER_TRACKS to 0 you will have all the tracks, but all at the side 0.)

(Nice weakbits protection at the track 1 btw :
Screenshot at 2021-01-05 09-16-18.png
Screenshot at 2021-01-05 09-16-18.png (61.97 KiB) Viewed 2918 times
)

Gothmogoth
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Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2021 7:14 pm

Re: Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

Post by Gothmogoth »

Thanks for your reply.
I know about the weak bits and analyzed them with Applesauce:
http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/1601

Gothmogoth
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Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2021 7:14 pm

Re: Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

Post by Gothmogoth »

I made a Kryoflux raw disk image of the Apple IIGS disk of 'Dungeon Master' (same game as the image above, but from a different original disk).
When I open this image in HxC 2.5.5.1 Track Analyzer and enable the 'Apple' analysis format, tracks 16 to 79 are analyzed on both sides, but tracks 0 to 15 are not analyzed at all. Moreover, in some tracks, some sectors appear in red while they should not: I believe the disk does not have any of those errors because the sector image produced by kryoflux dtc.exe is perfectly fine (no corruptions and identical to other copies that I have).
If you need to check the disk image for yourself, here are the kryoflux raw files: http://dl.free.fr/vdrStQLEh

I suspect an issue regarding drive speed: I dumped the disk on a PC drive with constant 300rpm, and as you know on Macintosh/Apple IIGS the 3.5" 800K disk drives used constant linear velocity instead of constant angular velocity. There was a variable angular speed with 5 zones of 16 tracks each:

Code: Select all

         Sectors per
Tracks      Track     rpm
00 to 15      12      394
16 to 31      11      429
32 to 47      10      472
48 to 63      9       525
64 to 79      8       590
Is what I am doing supposed to work? Or do I need to change the speed of each track myself (and if so, how)?

Maybe there is a link with the other question I posted about (where I also suspect a drive speed issue): viewtopic.php?f=21&t=3962

Jeff
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Re: Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

Post by Jeff »

Set the "FLUXSTREAM_IMPORT_PCCAV_TO_MACCLV" variable to 1 with these kind of dumps.
I still see some sectors with error in disk view, but they appears clean and good in the stream views. So i suppose that there is a bug to fix :wink: .

Gothmogoth
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Re: Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

Post by Gothmogoth »

Thanks for your fast replies. Sorry to raise new bugs...
And thumbs up for this otherwise very good software!

Jeff
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Re: Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

Post by Jeff »

Gothmogoth wrote:
Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:20 am
Thanks for your fast replies. Sorry to raise new bugs...
And thumbs up for this otherwise very good software!
New version
https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_dri ... t_beta.zip

(now you need to set FLUXSTREAM_IMPORT_PCCAV_TO_MACCLV to 300, this is the rpm used to dump the disk)

(the a2r issue and an issue in the mac sectors decoding still need to be fixed)

EDIT : the mac sectors decoding is now fixed.

Gothmogoth
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Re: Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

Post by Gothmogoth »

That was fast, thanks!

Another, more general question: is there a way to view or export the raw MFM / GCR data as hex, before it is decoded into sectors?
For example to view the MFM gap contents to check for write splices or hidden data.
or to view the raw data in the strange sector on your screenshot above of Dungeon Master for Apple IIGS, which cannot be decoded using GCR 6and2 rules.

Pitou
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Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:05 pm

Re: Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

Post by Pitou »

Hi Jeff,

I know this is still a WIP, but I'm trying to convert some .a2r to .scp to write the images to real Apple 2 disks using the supercard pro.

No stress. When you get time!

Thanks!

Pitou!

george
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon May 25, 2020 9:53 pm

Re: Track Analyzer does not show all tracks from A2R disk image

Post by george »

Before achieving writing a2r images back to magnetic media it would be a bit easier to be able to run a2r images in any floppy drive emulator like HxC! I guess a2r images are not "playable" in any emulator. These a2r's are fossils that are of doubtful usefulness.

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