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Modify a GOTEK floppy emulator

Hans01 said:
Thank you Chuck(G) for this remark, you are totally right.
But of course I mean all Floppy diskdrives.

@MikeS If your floppy interface use a different cable (fewer wires), you have to build an interface cable between the USB- or SD-HxC adapter to connect to
your floppy diskdrive. (34 to 26 pins)

To complete my answer, our Australian friends has started a project to use the HxC emulator as a replacement for a hard disk.
It could use the images made for the FreHD interface and works on the Model 3, 4 and 4p. I used the latest available drivers to give it a try.
The interface works well and could replace a harddisk.
As there are some technical problems to solve and a lack of interesting from the Trs 80 community the project has stopped as far as I know.
Click to expand...


This is already done, but not by an Australian :

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/TRS-80/files/GmESoft/HXCHARDx_0.0b2.ZIP
http://torlus.com/floppy/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1858
 
I'm going to need to try this out. I have had great luck using the Gotek with other XT class PC machines, especially in emulating a 99 track floppy which results in tons more space, even when running in double density mode. (99 tracks, 9 sectors per track, double sided.)

shirsch said:
Are you saying that the Gotek / HxC can emulate two drives at the same time, or do you mean it can be either one of 0 and 1? The documentation on the hxc2001 web site mentions that the Gotek can emulate only a single drive (unlike the Lotharek units).
Click to expand...

It really isn't clear but as others have pointed out, the Gotek running HxC firmware can't. You have to set a jump on it. Luckily buying two is cheap enough :)

If I ever get my floppy only no-floppy drive Model 3 working, I will likely internally mount a Gotek and connect it to the Aerocomp disk controller board I found so I can turn the machine into something usable. Now.... if only I can fix the garbage on screen issue...
 
MikeS said:
Looks like as far as replacing a PC drive is concerned it's almost always a 3.5HD drive; does anybody have experience replacing a 1.2M 5.25HD drive in a PC?

TIA, m
Click to expand...

Yep. Works great in a 3.5" to 5.25" bay converter. I've even made DSDD 2.5MB custom disks as well as 3.5" 720kb & 5.25" 360kb disk images.
If my Tandy 1000 EX supported DSHD disks, I'd be able to mix and match those too. :D

PS, I added an OLED display to mine too.

Vs7JuwGl.jpg
 
For a model 1 to a gotek, what cable do i need? I cannot find any discussion on what cable would be needed for a model 1/EI to a gotek.

I have been playing with a gotek on a 486 and it works well. The TRS-80 expansion intercase edge connector is not 'notched' like my floppy/IDE cables, so i'd guess it is not as simple as modifying a PC floppy cable (remove the notch in the connector) so it will fit the EI.
 
Dokken said:
For a model 1 to a gotek, what cable do i need? I cannot find any discussion on what cable would be needed for a model 1/EI to a gotek.

I have been playing with a gotek on a 486 and it works well. The TRS-80 expansion intercase edge connector is not 'notched' like my floppy/IDE cables, so i'd guess it is not as simple as modifying a PC floppy cable (remove the notch in the connector) so it will fit the EI.
Click to expand...

Which firmware are you using?
 
Dokken,
If you have a TRS-80 Model 1, then you have Card Edge connectors on the cable at the Floppy drives. You can either add
a 34 Pin connector or use an adapter like this.


P1030300.jpg

Thanks.

Larry
 
It is not all that hard to put a IDC type connector on. You do need something to crimp it on with. A bench vise works well. It does seem to take 3 hands.
I've found a trick that helps. I push the back piece down on the cable and then put a small drop of supper glue between the cable and the back piece. This will keep the ribbon cable from sliding out or twisting while putting it in the vise.
Make sure you dress the cable out from the drive the way you want it first and that the band is on the right end of the connector. If you are using a PC cable, check to see if it has a twist in the middle. If it is in the part you are using, it will need changing of the select jumpers. If that is inconvenient, you can separate the swapped section and swap it back at your connector. Using the super glue method helps keep the 3 pieces of ribbon cable in place while crimping.
Always get two needles and do an end to end check as well as an adjacent wire check, with an ohm meter.
Dwight
 
ldkraemer said:
Dokken,
If you have a TRS-80 Model 1, then you have Card Edge connectors on the cable at the Floppy drives. You can either add
a 34 Pin connector or use an adapter like this.
View attachment 51083

Larry
Click to expand...

Thank you Larry and Dwight.

For clarification, this connection goes into a PC floppy cable with the twist at the end for the primary drive? I'm surprised the TRS-80 is pin-for-pin compatible/mapped to the gotek floppy.

I've ordered a second gotek and the TTL USB cable. I'll work on a cable from the EI to the gotek.
 
dJOS said:
Which firmware are you using?
Click to expand...

I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm using the default firmware that came on the device with a 486 for now. it works great for that.

I understand I'll need to change firmware for the TRS-80. Still trying to learn what's up with that, but I have a friend who has done it lately with a paid flash program (not for TRS-80). I understand there's also a free flash option. so much to learn.

I ordered the programming cable and a second gotek. I plan to leave my 486 version as stock for now.
 
The twist is always for the last drive on the cable. It may be in the line where the cable has multiple connectors types for the last drive. The twist was done to make assembly easier for the drives. All drives came from the factory with the same jumper locations. If the cable was straight, someone would have to look up where and how to set the jumpers for the second drive. This was error prone and required someone to pull the jumper off and put it back for the different drive. With the twist, one could put the drive in either location and it would work as it came out of the box. I should note that later drive no longer even have jumpers for the drive select. If they have anything at all, it would just be a surface mount 0 ohm resistor.
Dwight
 
Dokken said:
I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm using the default firmware that came on the device with a 486 for now. it works great for that.

I understand I'll need to change firmware for the TRS-80. Still trying to learn what's up with that, but I have a friend who has done it lately with a paid flash program (not for TRS-80). I understand there's also a free flash option. so much to learn.

I ordered the programming cable and a second gotek. I plan to leave my 486 version as stock for now.
Click to expand...

Ok, flash floppy in shugart mode should work well and it's free. Hxc is great but not worth 11€ in comparison.
 
TRS-80 gotek Screen Shot 2019-02-06 at 4.58.26 PM.jpgthis floppy cable should work? it'a a PC floppy cable with an edge card connector AND 34 pin connector for each floppy. the edge card has the notch which i could cut out.
 
i made a cable using the floppy cable above. 34 pin edge card to floppy. continuity is good.

My current gotek is stock, working on a 486. someone above mentioned shugart firmware for the TRS-80, but as i understand shugart is the default firmware on goteks.

i hooked up my TRS-80/EI with the gotek (powered by a PC next to it) and a USB key formatted the first few disks as MSDOS bootable. I know this will not boot, but i wanted to see what happened.

The TRS-80 gives the garbage screen that i was never able to get past due (I believe) to non-working floppies. The 16K model 1 does show 48K when the EI is connected, and the internal relay clicks as expected. I have 2 His and they behave the same, so i am going to assume they're working.

power EI, gotek, keyboard in that order.

I tried the floppy/gotek cable both ways (flipped the connector). one way it lights up the green LED on the gotek, the other way it doesn't.

I still get the garbage screen.

Any suggestions? thanks
 
When you say stock firmware, what FW is on your's?

You can tell by powering it up with no USB stick in the drive - the 3 Digit LED will show:

HXC = hHc
F-F = Flash Floppy
stock = (i cant recall)

if you dont have HxC or Flash Floppy you will not be able to use it on your TRS-80.
 
dJOS said:
When you say stock firmware, what FW is on your's?

You can tell by powering it up with no USB stick in the drive - the 3 Digit LED will show:

HXC = hHc
F-F = Flash Floppy
stock = (i cant recall)

if you dont have HxC or Flash Floppy you will not be able to use it on your TRS-80.
Click to expand...

thanks, i figured that was the case.

my gotek just shows 3 zeros with no stick.

my second gotek will be here tomorrow, and my programming cables arrived today. i'll dig into it this weekend. it's all new to me, i was thrilled to get it working on a 486. if i get these working i still need to get my xt-ide working on my 5150. it kinda works, but is flakey and the CF card gets corrupted after a while. but it will boot to the CF. that's another project for another day after i get some goteks working.

thanks for your help.
 
If the Gotek LED comes on with power-on, you've got the cable on upside-down. My recollection is that the Goteks are factory-configured to use the second drive select (DS1), while the TRS-80 is expecting the first drive select (DS0).

That's according to my faulty memory.
 
Chuck(G) said:
If the Gotek LED comes on with power-on, you've got the cable on upside-down. My recollection is that the Goteks are factory-configured to use the second drive select (DS1), while the TRS-80 is expecting the first drive select (DS0).

That's according to my faulty memory.
Click to expand...

thanks, very helpful, and I was sure the cable was reversed when the light came on. with the red stripe to pin one on both sides, no LED. i was just looking for signs of life and not too familiar with TRS-80 floppy drives. A model 1 with dual floppy drives was my first computer in the 80s, but i've forgot most of what i knew about it.

like many things in this hobby, this gotek is arcane and documentation is scarce. especially for the TRS-80.
 
Dokken said:
thanks, very helpful, and I was sure the cable was reversed when the light came on. with the red stripe to pin one on both sides, no LED. i was just looking for signs of life and not too familiar with TRS-80 floppy drives. A model 1 with dual floppy drives was my first computer in the 80s, but i've forgot most of what i knew about it.

like many things in this hobby, this gotek is arcane and documentation is scarce. especially for the TRS-80.
Click to expand...

I have a Gotek on my Model 4 hooked up on a cable externally (no twists, of course). I have the two (original) internal drives as 0 & 1 (those have the typical ID'd cables), and I have the external drives in a powered case with a Gotek as 0 and another Floppy Drive as 1 (full 50 pin cables, not ID'd). It never worked for me with stock firmware, it does work with either Flashfloppy or HXC, both of them are looking for files in the names of 'DSKA0000.HFE' (0000-0999). If you're using it as a secondary drive, the typical TRS-80 nuisances apply like making sure the Gotek disk is the same OS as the one you booted from (Trsdos, lsdos, etc).
 
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