HxC working with X68000 !

[Namida88]

There have been numerous posts of people trying to connect HxC to a X68000.
Here is a little tutorial for those who haven't succeed yet
A big thank you to Jeff and kitahei88 for their continious help.

If you plan to use the USB version of HxC, you'll need 2 boards (otherwise X68000 won't startup).
Also if you have (or plan to buy) a X68000compact or X68000pro, sorry this tutorial won't work for you (you'll have to build a different cable, which is not an easy task).

If you plan to use the SD version of HxC, it will work with two boards or a single board (emulating 2 drives).

First you need to get a floppy cable (standard one with three 34 pins ports) and have to cut the following wires (1 is the red/pin 1 wire) : 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 on the straight part of the cable.
Be sure to not cut other wires !
Here are some pictures if you are not sure (cut part 1):
http://www.retrospecies.org/upload/Cable.jpg
http://www.retrospecies.org/upload/Wires.jpg

After that open your X68000, and locate the floppy cable.
Remember where is pin 1 (red wire) then remove floppy cable from the mother board (you don't need to disconnect floppy drives).
Then connect instead your new home made cable (part 1 connected to the mother board).
Be sure to reconnect the red wire on pin 1.
Now connect to HxC (again, be sure you connect the red wire on pin 1).

If you are using SD version, adjust jumpers according to the manual (shutgart) : pin 0 for drive A (part 2 of the cable) and pin 2 for drive B (twisted part 3 of the cable), or pin 0 for drive A and pin 1 for drive B in you are using only one HxC (connected with part 2 of the cable).
Be sure that SD cards are set to "Shugart".

If you are using the USB version, follow these recommendations :
- connect both boards to the same PC (yes, it works !)
- do not use a USB hub
- do not connect on the same port
- use latest version of HxCFloppy Emulator software (v1.5.0.0)
- open two sessions of the software at the same time
- set the first one to "Generic Shugart" and DS0
- set the second one to "Generic Shugart", "Twisted cable" and DS1
- increase packet size to 2048 for both

Load your game and enjoy !

What is still not working :

A. HDM files (I don't know why but it takes 10 minutes to start).
So be sure to use XDF images.
Jeff, can you have a look at this ?

B. Softwares using auto-eject (it enters in endless loop as it cannot verify that floppy has been removed).
kitahei88 is working on this already and is thinking about two solutions :
1. Making a simple board to emulate this feature.
2. Connect the needed wires to the real floppy drive.
But in both cases, we need to find a way to automatically eject the image disk from HxC (SD or HxC software for USB version).
Jeff, do you think this can be added to HxC ? (if we provide you the required information).

[Jeff]

What is still not working :

A. HDM files (I don't know why but it takes 10 minutes to start).
So be sure to use XDF images.
Jeff, can you have a look at this ?

Retry with this version:

https://hxc2001.com/floppy_drive_emulat ... t_beta.zip

But in both cases, we need to find a way to automatically eject the image disk from HxC (SD or HxC software for USB version).
Jeff, do you think this can be added to HxC ? (if we provide you the required information).

[/quote]

Not easily.
It's really needed ? a signal feedback to the x68000 isn't enough to make it believe that the floppy is ejected?

[Namida88]

Jeff,

I tried with the beta version but it doesn't change anything.
To be more precise, almost all games converted from HDM will stop loading on sector 4 for a few minutes.
After that game is working.

[Jeff]

Jeff,

I tried with the beta version but it doesn't change anything.
To be more precise, almost all games converted from HDM will stop loading on sector 4 for a few minutes.
After that game is working.

Stop loading means no floppy access ?
Can you put the x68000 floppy pinout here ?

[Namida88]

Here is the pinout for internal drives (and what was done to make HxC working) :

2 DISK TYPE SELECT (1 TO 19 NOT CONECTED, USED FOR VFO ?)
4 N.C. (HEAD LOAD) (CAN BE DISCONNECTED TOO ? TRIED BOTH)
6 DRIVE SELECT 3
8 INDEX
10 DRIVE SELECT 0
12 DRIVE SELECT 1
14 DRIVE SELECT 2
16 MOTOR ON
18 DIRECTION SELECT
20 STEP (CONNECT 21 TO 33 TO GROUND)
22 WRITE DATA
24 WRITE GATE
26 TRACK 00
28 WRITE PROTECT
30 READ DATA
32 SIDE SELECT
34 READY

When it stops on sector 4, the middle orange light is on, but HxC makes no noise.

PS: For external drive, the pinout is there > http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:floppy_pinout

[Jeff]

Here is the pinout for internal drives (and what was done to make HxC working) :

2 DISK TYPE SELECT (1 TO 19 NOT CONECTED, USED FOR VFO ?)
4 N.C. (HEAD LOAD) (CAN BE DISCONNECTED TOO ? TRIED BOTH)
6 DRIVE SELECT 3
8 INDEX
10 DRIVE SELECT 0
12 DRIVE SELECT 1
14 DRIVE SELECT 2
16 MOTOR ON
18 DIRECTION SELECT
20 STEP (CONNECT 21 TO 33 TO GROUND)
22 WRITE DATA
24 WRITE GATE
26 TRACK 00
28 WRITE PROTECT
30 READ DATA
32 SIDE SELECT
34 READY

When it stops on sector 4, the middle orange light is on, but HxC makes no noise.

PS: For external drive, the pinout is there > http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:floppy_pinout

mhhh which signal are used for the eject feature ?

Can you send an problematic HDM file (with the "slow loading" problem)?

[Namida88]

Jeff, you're right ^^;
Here is the complete pinout (X68ONLY not connected to HxC).

OPTION SELECT 0(X68ONLY) 1
DISK TYPE SELECT------------ 2
OPTION SELECT 1(X68ONLY) 3
N.C/HEAD LOAD(X68ONLY） 4
OPTION SELECT 2(X68ONLY) 5
DRIVE SELECT 3--------------- 6
OPTION SELECT 3(X68ONLY) 7
INDEX--------------------------- 8
EJECT(X68ONLY) 9
DRIVE SELECT 0--------------- 10
EJECT MASK(X68ONLY) 11
DRIVE SELECT 1--------------- 12
LED BRINK(X68ONLY) 13
DRIVE SELECT 2--------------- 14
ISK IN(X68ONLY) 15
MOTOR ON--------------------- 16
ERR DISK(X68ONLY) 17
DIRECTION-------------------- 18
FDD INT(X68ONLY) 19
STEP--------------------------- 20
GND---------------------------- 21
WRITE DATA------------------ 22
GND---------------------------- 23
WRITE GATE------------------- 24
GND---------------------------- 25
TRACK 00---------------------- 26
GND---------------------------- 27
WRITE PROTECT-------------- 28
GND---------------------------- 29
READ DATA-------------------- 30
GND---------------------------- 31
SIDE SELECT------------------ 32
GND---------------------------- 33
READY-------------------------- 34

http://www.jcec.co.uk/X68Gallery.htm
Here you can find some HDM fro X68000.
I tried Gradius II and Dracula from this site, and I have same problem.

[Jeff]

Jeff, you're right ^^;
Here is the complete pinout (X68ONLY not connected to HxC).

OPTION SELECT 0(X68ONLY) 1
DISK TYPE SELECT------------ 2
OPTION SELECT 1(X68ONLY) 3
N.C/HEAD LOAD(X68ONLY） 4
OPTION SELECT 2(X68ONLY) 5
DRIVE SELECT 3--------------- 6
OPTION SELECT 3(X68ONLY) 7
INDEX--------------------------- 8
EJECT(X68ONLY) 9
DRIVE SELECT 0--------------- 10
EJECT MASK(X68ONLY) 11
DRIVE SELECT 1--------------- 12
LED BRINK(X68ONLY) 13
DRIVE SELECT 2--------------- 14
ISK IN(X68ONLY) 15
MOTOR ON--------------------- 16
ERR DISK(X68ONLY) 17
DIRECTION-------------------- 18
FDD INT(X68ONLY) 19
STEP--------------------------- 20
GND---------------------------- 21
WRITE DATA------------------ 22
GND---------------------------- 23
WRITE GATE------------------- 24
GND---------------------------- 25
TRACK 00---------------------- 26
GND---------------------------- 27
WRITE PROTECT-------------- 28
GND---------------------------- 29
READ DATA-------------------- 30
GND---------------------------- 31
SIDE SELECT------------------ 32
GND---------------------------- 33
READY-------------------------- 34

http://www.jcec.co.uk/X68Gallery.htm
Here you can find some HDM fro X68000.
I tried Gradius II and Dracula from this site, and I have same problem.

Someone have any idea how works these new signals ?

[Namida88]

Someone have any idea how works these new signals ?

Is it something we can understand with an oscilloscope ?

[Jeff]

Someone have any idea how works these new signals ?

Is it something we can understand with an oscilloscope ?

Maybe a schematic.

[caius]

I reopen this thread because I want to try to to connect my X680000 XVI Compact to HxC SD emulator.
The pinout of the X68000 Compact internal floppy connector is this:

http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValle ... c_fdd.html

so the right diagram with HcX emulator should be this:


X68000 Signal HcX connector
17 Disk type select 2
8 DS3 6
31 Index 8
5 DS0 10
6 DS1 12
7 DS2 14
12 Motor On 16
14 Direction 18
15 Step 20
10 Write Data 22
13 Write Gate 24
29 Track 00 26
30 Write Protect 28
33 Read Data 30
16 Side Select 32
28 Ready 34
1-9-11-32-34 Ground 1-3-5-7-9-11-13-15-17-19-21-23-25-27-29-31-33

Can someone confirm this?Anyway I'm still waiting for my HxC emulator so I can't test if it's correct for now.

[Namida88]

All I can say is : compare and try by yourself !
No one who succeed with a X68000XVIcompact has made a feedback so far.

From what I heard, the pinout for compact is so different that you have to build your own cable.
Connecting a HxC to the normal X68000XVI is much easier as you just have to cut some wires.

If you're succesful, please post a picture of your cable

Also even you manage to connect a HXC to your compact, don't forget you won't be able to play multi disks games because of the eject feature not emulated.
Some said that connecting required wires to the internal drives and then insert dummy disks could do the trick, but this is theory (no one reported, and I don't have the skills to build the proper cable myself).

I am sure Jeff would like to add X68000 support, but as far as I know this cannot be done on the current HxC.
So someone has to build a device that could emulate the special features of the X68000 floppy drives.

[caius]

Ok, thanks.My system is a X68000 XVI Compact not the Expert as you said in your post

[Namida88]

Thank you. I have edited my post to be sure we're talking about the same thing.
There is no problem with the Expert.

Ok, thanks.My system is a X68000 XVI Compact not the Expert as you said in your post

[Giger]

Hello,
I will get the SD version soon and I was wondering where I exactly have to connect the device with the mainboard? Or won't the SD version work with the PRO? (see first post...its a bit confusing)


The marked should be the correct one I have to remove, right? Its a 68k PRO. Can I ignore the one on the other end?

Never had any of the other models but is it normal that you can't pull the whole floppy connector from the board? I only menaged to pull the flat cable out of the connectors on the 68k's mainboard.