It is difficult for hxc to recognize and read / write self created empty images on FM-TOWNS II FRESH

HxC Floppy emulator support for all others computers...
SOUKIN
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Re: A test that attempts to create a floppy disk image using the emulator

Post by SOUKIN »

Jeff wrote:
Fri Apr 01, 2022 9:48 pm
The main issue is that the current AT32 based Goteks don't have enough RAM memory to temporary store a complete formatted track, so the emulator must write/flush the formatted track to the USB stick in real time. Unfortunately if the USB stick write latency is too important, part(s) of the track may be lost/corrupted.
This is the major hardware issue since the STM32 was replaced by the AT32 parts due to the electronic components shortage.
The latest HxC firmware version try to mitigate this issue with a special SWAPFILE.BIN file to flush the data as fast as possible but you anyway need to have a decent USB stick to make it work properly... ( You should anyway try a different usb stick :wink: )

Regarding your case i think that the current workaround to apply is :

- Try to format the blank images with all the mentioned games.
- Share all HFE files here, even if the format has failed.
- I will make good pre-formatted images from your files with the HxC software.
- Disable the format support in the firmware to avoid to destroy the tracks and just use the new and clean pre-formatted images as user disk.
I will send you firmware with a new menu option to disable/enable the format support.
With this scheme you should have reliable operations, even with the low memory AT32 Goteks.

Please note that Gotek System are currently preparing a more powerful Gotek model based on an bigger AT32 with more memory to address these issues. I should receive a prototype quite soon to port the HxC firmware to this new design.
Sure enough, the reason is that the ram of at32 is too small. I have seen in many places that this design of at32 will cause some problems

But now the price of STM32 has soared, especially in China, which has risen to more than 80 yuan/each chip (I come from China). At32 is a good cost-saving alternative product. I'm afraid that with covid-19 continuing to rage, gotek in the future will always be at32


But buying an GOTEK in China is far more convenient than buying hxc (the hxc-max sent by DHL charged me 100 yuan of tax)

Now I try to buy some STM32 gotek from a store with inventory, but I don't know when the inventory will be sold out, so the small ram problem of at32 is inevitable.

In addition, I have many Japanese computers (Japanese computer games are very popular in East Asia). I found that those models using Shugart floppy drive do not have these problems. Even if they use at32 gotek, only computers using 1.23m 8-sector 77 track 3.5 "floppy disk (fm-towns and PC98) encounter formatting problems. Maybe it is because they need to write all new tracks and sectors when formatting?So is it OK to equip these "1.23m 77 Track 8 sector" standard computers with STM32 or original hxc? Other machines can use at32?

Jeff
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Re: A test that attempts to create a floppy disk image using the emulator

Post by Jeff »

Please update to the attached firmware.
HxCFEUSB_V4_2_9_1a.UPD
(91 KiB) Downloaded 98 times
And try to format the images with each game (Dinosour, The legend of heros2 , Princess maker 2 and Townsos)
Please use the blank images from this post : viewtopic.php?p=24524#p24524
(Important : please take a new file for each game, don't overwrite a previous attempt)

Once done please share all the hfe here.

SOUKIN
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2022 6:14 pm
Location: China-beijing

Re: A test that attempts to create a floppy disk image using the emulator

Post by SOUKIN »

Jeff wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:43 am
Please update to the attached firmware.

HxCFEUSB_V4_2_9_1a.UPD

And try to format the images with each game (Dinosour, The legend of heros2 , Princess maker 2 and Townsos)
Please use the blank images from this post : viewtopic.php?p=24524#p24524
(Important : please take a new file for each game, don't overwrite a previous attempt)

Once done please share all the hfe here.
OK.I ll try it

SOUKIN
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2022 6:14 pm
Location: China-beijing

Re: A test that attempts to create a floppy disk image using the emulator

Post by SOUKIN »

Jeff wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:43 am
Please update to the attached firmware.

HxCFEUSB_V4_2_9_1a.UPD

And try to format the images with each game (Dinosour, The legend of heros2 , Princess maker 2 and Townsos)
Please use the blank images from this post : viewtopic.php?p=24524#p24524
(Important : please take a new file for each game, don't overwrite a previous attempt)

Once done please share all the hfe here.
Unfortunately, the experiment seems to have failed
If I change the interface setting to Akai s950 HD, all game images will not be read (it seems that they are in IBM PC HD format). If I change the interface to IBM PC HD, the game can read, but cannot format any images,And I didn't see any swap files in the USB flash drive



It seems that I have to give up gotek of at32.

Jeff
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Re: A test that attempts to create a floppy disk image using the emulator

Post by Jeff »

SOUKIN wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 12:34 pm
Unfortunately, the experiment seems to have failed
Which is at this stage totally normal !

Please read and follow my previous advises and procedure ! :
And try to format the images with each game (Dinosour, The legend of heros2 , Princess maker 2 and Townsos)
Please use the blank images from this post : viewtopic.php?p=24524#p24524
(Important : please take a new file for each game, don't overwrite a previous attempt)

Once done please share all the hfe here.
Please share the formated HFE files, even if failed, for each games ! I need them to figure out the disk format used !

SOUKIN
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2022 6:14 pm
Location: China-beijing

Re: A test that attempts to create a floppy disk image using the emulator

Post by SOUKIN »

Jeff wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 3:08 pm
SOUKIN wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 12:34 pm
Unfortunately, the experiment seems to have failed
Which is at this stage totally normal !

Please read and follow my previous advises and procedure ! :
And try to format the images with each game (Dinosour, The legend of heros2 , Princess maker 2 and Townsos)
Please use the blank images from this post : viewtopic.php?p=24524#p24524
(Important : please take a new file for each game, don't overwrite a previous attempt)

Once done please share all the hfe here.
Please share the formated HFE files, even if failed, for each games ! I need them to figure out the disk format used !
I made a mistake before: only firmware can format images, while cannot format any images,I mistakenly took the HFE generated by firmware as formatted in hxc firmware

software mfm image from arrchive.org is generally recognized as Shugart DD interface,But it can only work in IBM PC mode,and have 84 tracks, they perhaps are actually a bad dump。

But so far, on the hxc firmware, these images (including software image, IBM PC HD 1.44M, and the Akai s950 image you provided to me)cannot be formatted and will stop at 0 track, 0 sector and 0 side,If Akai s950 is selected as the interface cfg, even the software cannot be loaded

Jeff
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Re: A test that attempts to create a floppy disk image using the emulator

Post by Jeff »

Just to know : Are you using google translate ? It appears that you don't understand/follow my advises / recommendations ?

Here is my last support attempt :

( :? )
Jeff wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 3:08 pm
SOUKIN wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 12:34 pm
Unfortunately, the experiment seems to have failed
Which is at this stage totally normal !

Please read and follow my previous advises and procedure ! :
And try to format the images with each game (Dinosour, The legend of heros2 , Princess maker 2 and Townsos)
Please use the blank images from this post : viewtopic.php?p=24524#p24524
(Important : please take a new file for each game, don't overwrite a previous attempt)

Once done please share all the hfe here.
Please share the formated HFE files, even if failed, for each games ! I need them to figure out the disk format used !

SOUKIN
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2022 6:14 pm
Location: China-beijing

Re: A test that attempts to create a floppy disk image using the emulator

Post by SOUKIN »

Jeff wrote:
Sun Apr 03, 2022 2:58 pm
Just to know : Are you using google translate ? It appears that you don't understand/follow my advises / recommendations ?

Here is my last support attempt :

( :? )
Jeff wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 3:08 pm
SOUKIN wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 12:34 pm
Unfortunately, the experiment seems to have failed
Which is at this stage totally normal !

Please read and follow my previous advises and procedure ! :
And try to format the images with each game (Dinosour, The legend of heros2 , Princess maker 2 and Townsos)
Please use the blank images from this post : viewtopic.php?p=24524#p24524
(Important : please take a new file for each game, don't overwrite a previous attempt)

Once done please share all the hfe here.
Please share the formated HFE files, even if failed, for each games ! I need them to figure out the disk format used !
OK, OK, please don't be angry

Here are the HFE files I have formatted. Take a look.
Attachments
HFE.zip
(101.66 KiB) Downloaded 94 times

Jeff
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Re: A test that attempts to create a floppy disk image using the emulator

Post by Jeff »

SOUKIN wrote:
Sun Apr 03, 2022 4:14 pm
Here are the HFE files I have formatted. Take a look, but I have forgotten that they are formatted by hxc or FF firmware.
Attached the fixed user data HFE. Now with the latest HxC Firmware (attached too), enter the embedded menu (press both buttons without usb stick), select "Swap File" then "Disabled" and finally "Exit"/leave the submenu.


After this you be able to use the user data.

You can also change the floppy interface into the embedded menu ("Interface CFG" sub menu) to try other configurations.

hfe_fixed.zip
(82.86 KiB) Downloaded 88 times

SOUKIN
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2022 6:14 pm
Location: China-beijing

Re: A test that attempts to create a floppy disk image using the emulator

Post by SOUKIN »

Jeff wrote:
Sun Apr 03, 2022 5:33 pm
SOUKIN wrote:
Sun Apr 03, 2022 4:14 pm
Here are the HFE files I have formatted. Take a look, but I have forgotten that they are formatted by hxc or FF firmware.
Attached the fixed user data HFE. Now with the latest HxC Firmware (attached too), enter the embedded menu (press both buttons without usb stick), select "Swap File" then "Disabled" and finally "Exit"/leave the submenu.


After this you be able to use the user data.

You can also change the floppy interface into the embedded menu ("Interface CFG" sub menu) to try other configurations.

HxCFEUSB_V4_2_9_1a.UPD
hfe_fixed.zip
Thank you very much

I'll try

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