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Just some minor things:
Folks are reporting not being able to format a blank image (as opposed to using an existing image of a formatted diskette), apparently because of the different track densities used on track 0 vs. the rest of the tracks. Others have suggested that there's a way to address that, but I'm not clear on the details yet. Even if this isn't just a matter of training the user, it sounds to me like something that could be addressed in firmware on existing HxC hardware.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<!-- HxC Floppy Emulator Disk Layout -->
<disk_layout>
<disk_layout_name>AUTOGENERATEDLAYOUT</disk_layout_name>
<disk_layout_description>Auto Generated Disk Layout</disk_layout_description>
<prefered_file_extension>img</prefered_file_extension>
<interface_mode>GENERIC_SHUGART_DD_FLOPPYMODE</interface_mode>
<file_size>0</file_size>
<layout>
<number_of_track>35</number_of_track>
<number_of_side>2</number_of_side>
<format>IBM_MFM</format>
<start_sector_id>1</start_sector_id>
<sector_per_track>1</sector_per_track>
<sector_size>128</sector_size>
<formatvalue>0</formatvalue>
<gap3>255</gap3>
<bitrate>250000</bitrate>
<pregap>0</pregap>
<rpm>300</rpm>
<track_list>
<track track_number="00" side_number="0">
<format>IBM_FM</format>
</track>
<track track_number="00" side_number="1">
<format>IBM_FM</format>
</track>
</track_list>
</layout>
</disk_layout>
Jeff, good to see you here.
However, the TRS-80's can have some really abnormal density mixtures thanks to their use of the Western Digital 1771/1791-derived floppy controllers. The 1791/1793/2793/2797 are capable of mixed density operation within any single track as well as on different tracks; I have disks that have both MFM and FM sectors on the same track, and on more than just track 0; with these controllers it is possible to have essentially two half-tracks on one track, one half FM and the other half MFM, with overlapping sector numbers, even. David Keil's DMK format acknowledges and supports this ability. I would like to see a discussion of HxC true intermixed density support; what would be the best place to do that? Over at the HxC forums?
The DMK -> HFE conversion support mixed density tracks. At least it was last time i tested it.
The DMK -> HFE conversion support mixed density tracks. At least it was last time i tested it.
Good to know. What about the creation of mixed-density tracks in-system? Can I take a blank HFE and have the host system format mixed-density tracks on the HxC itself, or must I use a piece of physical media, do the DMK read, then convert to HFE? I guess I need to either buy another HxC or take my one HxC off of my CPU280 and put in my TRS-80 Model 4P and try it.
I have a working master of PowerTool from Radio Shack.
PowerTool is one of the weirder ones, for sure. I have two copies of it, and attempted to read with my CatWeasel to DMK a while back of both of them. I don't think I was successful; I'll have to review my DMKs to see. I tried 9 separate reads, it looks like, and none of them match any other's checksums.
A Kryoflux may be able to read it and make a copy.
When you say you 'learned how to make one using Kim's tools' which tools are you referring to?
I dont remember how I learned, but it requires a disk, you prep that disk using a different disk, then you can copy that disk to other disks, but you cant use that disk.
Its so convoluted. This was all Kim's stuff.