Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

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basicmark
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Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by basicmark »

What a great piece of hardware. I have successfully installed the HxC Floppy Emulator Rev F in our Sodick K1CN small hole EDM machine. This unit is great because it allows us to replace the clear cover on the drive bay since the SD card does not protrude beyond the face of the emulator.

The K1CN machine utilizes a Fujitsu FM77AV40SX computer with two generic Shugart floppy drives at 300 rpm. I have configured the HxC Floppy Emulator as drive 0 and drive 1, therefore handling both the “system” disk and “user” disk.

To create the “system” disk image for the emulator, I had to use software from http://www.dunfield.com called “Image Disk 1.18” running under DOS on an IBM PC300. The image software that the HxC Floppy Emulator Software uses did not want to read the disk running on our Windows XP machine. Once I had created an .IMD image file of the “system” disk, I imported it into the HxC Floppy Emulator Software and created an .HFE file. I then created a “user” disk image the same way and loaded both .HFE files onto a SanDisk 2GB SD card.

I then disconnected both floppy drives in the FM77AV40SX (power and data connectors), removed only Drive 0 (system drive) and fasten the HxC Floppy Emulator Rev F into the drive carrier and placed it where the original Floppy unit was located. It installs neatly into the computer as you can see from the attached pictures.

Thank you,
basicmark
K1CN1.jpg
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K1CN2.jpg
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Jeff
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by Jeff »

Thanks a lot for the feedback ! :D

borislavs
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by borislavs »

Hi basicmark,

Could you please write a little bit more detailed description of how to use the emulator.
What setting do you use in Image Disk utility?
What are the settings to convert it to HFE file?
Do you need some another files, besides the HFE, in order to get the image readable on the emulator?

Thanks in advance!

borislavs
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Joined: Thu May 09, 2013 1:23 pm

Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by borislavs »

basicmark,

Some additional questions.
How did you generate the CFG file for the emulator, I mean the settings?
Alternatively, can you share the HFE files that you made?

Thanks

Jeff
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by Jeff »

Use the default cfg file.

For the HFE files i strongly recommend you to generate them with your floppies : each machine may have an different software version.
You can use the HxC software or another third party software to do this (ImageDisk under DOS is a good one).

basicmark
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by basicmark »

borislavs wrote:basicmark,

Some additional questions.
How did you generate the CFG file for the emulator, I mean the settings?
Alternatively, can you share the HFE files that you made?

Thanks
Jeff wrote:Use the default cfg file.

For the HFE files i strongly recommend you to generate them with your floppies : each machine may have an different software version.
You can use the HxC software or another third party software to do this (ImageDisk under DOS is a good one).
Hello borislavs,

I have to go back in my notes to get most of your answers, but for now, yes I agree with Jeff. I could easily offer you the HFE files, but it would not be correct for your machine. The K1CNs are all set up precisely at the factory individually. The HFE file would contain information specific to my machine's servo and screw's accuracy and errors that would not be the same as your's. So you must use your machine's "disk" to generate the HFE files.

The only way I could generate my HFEs were by using the software I noted in my first post. All the other programs I tried said the disk was full of errors and would not read it properly. Give me a day or two and I'll get my notes in order and try to answer your other questions.

As for the emulator, it is basically transparent. Once you create your HFE files and setup the unit in the K1CN computer itself, you use the machine the same as before. It is just that now you don't have to worry about your floppy disk wearing out and you can easily keep backups of your HFE files on another computer.

basicmark

basicmark
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by basicmark »

borislavs wrote:Hi basicmark,

Could you please write a little bit more detailed description of how to use the emulator.
What setting do you use in Image Disk utility?
What are the settings to convert it to HFE file?
Do you need some another files, besides the HFE, in order to get the image readable on the emulator?

Thanks in advance!
Okay, first you need Image Disk 1.8 software from Dave Dunfield (see above post).
Run that on a compatible PC with a FDD (floppy drive) in DOS mode. Insert your K1CN "System Disk" in the FDD and make (select Read a Disk) an image (.IMD file). I named my image file "SysDisk." I used the IMD's default settings which should include 80 cylinders. This will create a usable image file for the HxC software.

Now run the HcX software "HxCFloppyEmulator.exe".
Click the "LOAD" button and load your "SysDisk.IMD" file.
Now the "EXPORT" button and this will create the HFE file needed for the emulator you installed in the K1CN to replace your system disk only.

Repeat the above steps with your "User Disk" from the K1CN.

Next you need to customize your config file. In the "HxCFloppyEmulator.exe" program, click the "SD HcX Floppy Emulator Settings" button.
Set the User Interface settings for you own preferences.
Set the Device standyby to around 115.
Select the "Load last loaded Floppy" box.
In the interface mode I have Generic Shugart with the "AUTO" box checked.
Now click "Save config file"

You now have three(3) files.
SysDisk.HFE
UserDisk.HFE
HXCSDFE.CFG

Load these three files unto your SD card and you have all you need to use the emulator on the K1CN.

Hope this is more helpful than confusing.

basicmark

borislavs
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by borislavs »

Thanks a lot basicmark,

I've managed to generate both system disk and user programs disk HFE file directly from HxC Emulator software under WINDOWS XP. I named them SODIKSYS.HFE and SODIKUSE.HFE.
I've generated CFG file with default settings as well ("Load last loaded floppy" is checked and "GENERIC SHUGART" selected with "AUTO" checked). It's called by default HXCSDFE.CFG.
Then I loaded all the files as you described.
However, only system image is currently working, i.e., the system starts up and I can select the menu options, but when I try to see list of files with "F" command, the machine responds with NO DISK.
I tried to change the DIP switches on the emulator. That did not resolved the problem.
Could you indicate the DIP switch positions of the emulator in order to get the system image loaded into the first drive and the user image into the second drive?
May it be a problem of CFG file. Should it be not default in order to get two drive working simultaneously.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by Jeff »

borislavs wrote:Thanks a lot basicmark,

I've managed to generate both system disk and user programs disk HFE file directly from HxC Emulator software under WINDOWS XP. I named them SODIKSYS.HFE and SODIKUSE.HFE.
I've generated CFG file with default settings as well ("Load last loaded floppy" is checked and "GENERIC SHUGART" selected with "AUTO" checked). It's called by default HXCSDFE.CFG.
Then I loaded all the files as you described.
However, only system image is currently working, i.e., the system starts up and I can select the menu options, but when I try to see list of files with "F" command, the machine responds with NO DISK.
I tried to change the DIP switches on the emulator. That did not resolved the problem.
Could you indicate the DIP switch positions of the emulator in order to get the system image loaded into the first drive and the user image into the second drive?
May it be a problem of CFG file. Should it be not default in order to get two drive working simultaneously.

Thanks in advance,
Try this :
- Set the switch to ID0-A + ID1-B
- Rename the system disk image to DSKA0000.HFE
- Rename the user disk image to DSKB0000.HFE
- Activate the Indexed mode into the CFG file with the HxC software.

basicmark
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Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by basicmark »

borislavs wrote:Thanks a lot basicmark,

I've managed to generate both system disk and user programs disk HFE file directly from HxC Emulator software under WINDOWS XP. I named them SODIKSYS.HFE and SODIKUSE.HFE.
I've generated CFG file with default settings as well ("Load last loaded floppy" is checked and "GENERIC SHUGART" selected with "AUTO" checked). It's called by default HXCSDFE.CFG.
Then I loaded all the files as you described.
However, only system image is currently working, i.e., the system starts up and I can select the menu options, but when I try to see list of files with "F" command, the machine responds with NO DISK.
I tried to change the DIP switches on the emulator. That did not resolved the problem.
Could you indicate the DIP switch positions of the emulator in order to get the system image loaded into the first drive and the user image into the second drive?
May it be a problem of CFG file. Should it be not default in order to get two drive working simultaneously.

Thanks in advance,
Great. Follow Jeff's advice on setting the switches. As for your files names, I don't think that is your problem. As long as you have disconnected the data ribbon cable from the "User" Floppy Drive and only have the emulator connected, I think the only thing we neglected to setup was the emulator itself.

After you start up the machine and get to the menu screen and are no longer accessing the drive, perform the following on the emulator:

Push and HOLD the center button.
It should then read "Function Menu / Change Drive"
Select that option by pressing the center button again.
It should read ">Disk Drive A<"
Select that option. You will then be asked to choose a file.
Use either the left or right button to find your "System" file.
Once you find your file, select it with the center button.
Repeat the above steps again, but when you get to the ">Disk Drive A<" screen, use a left or right button to find ">Disk Drive B<" and select it with the center button, and finish like before this time setting it for your "User" file.

NOTE: It appears that what ever drive you set up last, that drive's file name will continue to show on the display regardless of which drive the computer is currently reading. I ran through the procedure one more time for Drive A so that it would always show me the "System" file name in the display.

Now when your machine accesses drive A, you will see on the bottom line of the display an
"RA" followed by other disk information. When you access the "User" drive or drive B you should see "RB" which means "reading B"

Please let me know if this helped
Thanks,
basicmark

Jeff
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by Jeff »

basicmark wrote:
Great. Follow Jeff's advice on setting the switches. As for your files names, I don't think that is your problem....
The indexed mode use a particular file naming convention.
This mode is less prone to humain error cause it will automatically load both DRVA & DRVB image.

borislavs
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by borislavs »

Hi Guys,

Everything is working.
The problem was that I initially copied the User disk from original 2DD diskette to 1.44MB 2HD diskette and tried to make the image fro the 2HD diskette.
When I copied the User diskette from the original diskette, it worked perfectly.

Thanks a lot for your support.

tgmaster
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Joined: Thu Mar 09, 2017 2:11 pm

Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by tgmaster »

Hello Guyz,

We bought a machine like this with the same controller. Our problem that during the starting process we get a red error message on the top of the screen: "wrong disk error". The only way that gives us more than nothing, if we try to put the system disk into the drive 1 (left) first and after getting the error message to the right one (disk 0). So it seems to be working. The main menu appears, but that's all. It's unable to choose any command in the menu or continue the work. The system disk seems to be corrupt. But I read this topic and I tried to make a copy of the disk with the help of the Image Disk 1.18, and the program runs through without any error message and getting a finished image file in the end. If I try to make a copy of the disk from this image file, that disk absolutely doesn't run. So that's strange, and I cannot detect the origin of the problem.
The seller of the machine cannot help, he is only a merchant.
We've ordered a HxC Floppy Drive Emulator from Poland to avoid any problem caused by the floppy drive in the future. It will arrive next week I hope. Is it possible that somebody of you send us a copy of both disks or give us any advice or any solution? It would be great.

Many thanks,
Gábor from Hungary

basicmark
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by basicmark »

Hello Gábor,

I am not sure that a PC disk drive can generate a diskette that will be readable on the Sodick system. If you were able to retrieve an image from your system disk, it may work with the HxC Floppy Emulator once you install it.

Our machine developed the same problem you are having. I was able to get a good image from our disk and install it into the HxC Floppy Emulator.

As for using a copy of someone else's system disk image, it is not the best. Sodick embedded each system disk with the specific errors and accuracies of each machine's drive screws. So another machine's image would probably look to work, but would cause inaccuracies in your hole locations.

Please post back your results once you have installed and tried the HxC Floppy Emulator.

basicmark

tgmaster
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Re: Sodick K1CN with Fujitsu FM77AV40SX & HxC Rev F works

Post by tgmaster »

Hello,

Thanks for your fast answer. I'm happy to see that you have still contact with the forum. As we get the emulator I'll write my experience.

Thanks,
Gábor

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