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XT-FDC project level of interest

Dekay said:
Hi,

sorry, for jumping in, not reading the two existing threads completely...
I put the questions in a way that they are easy to answer with yes/no :)

Will the controller support 4 floppy drives?
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yes
Dekay said:
Do I need a special cable for this? (I'm so bad in building...)
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no, you need standard floppy cable
Dekay said:
Does the controller work with all testfdc scenarios (especially 128 byte sectors)?
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According to this screen it could work with the PC8477.
http://www.8bity.cz/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/XT-FDC_PC8477BV_525DD360.jpg
Dekay said:
Can I buy an already built FDC?

How much is it? (Did not find a website for ordering it)

Overseas, possible? Europe?
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If you do not see one here
http://marketplace.vintage-computer.com/auctions_show.php?option=recent

probably not. You could mail Andrew Lynch and see if he still has PCBs available and build one yourself.
 
Thank you very much for the precise answers! Hmmm, need to register the marketplace...
 
Hi

There aren't any XT-FDC PCBs left but am I considering another run later this fall. I would like some of the other projects to settle down a bit first though. After a bit of a hiatus earlier this year and I fell way behind on the S-100 and ECB boards. Those seem to be catching up of late. Also the demands for XT-IDE V2 assembled and tested boards seem to be receding which is good. I used to get a lot of email on the subject and some of it was quite nasty on the lack of pre-built XT-IDE V2 boards.

As for XT-FDC assembled and tested boards, I may consider doing some of those as well. Due to time constraints I can't spend much time on soldering etc. However there were some many people asking about the XT-IDE V2 boards I felt I had to do something. Now those seem to have been more or less settled. For the XT-FDC board there are also a lot of people asking for assembled and tested boards. Probably higher than the XT-IDE V2 as a percentage of requesters but fewer since the overall numbers are a lot less in comparison. XT-IDE is just a very popular board and has generated much more interest than I ever expected. XT-FDC seems more like what I'd expect in terms of appeal to hobbyists and enthusiasts.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
Thank you, Andrew! Sorry, I got confused with XT-IDE and XT-FDC, the board is looking real similar on the small pictures... :blush:
So count me in for interest, please.
 
So they get nasty about the lack of pre-assembled boards, as though that will encourage you to be nice and build them one? Wow... I was very thankful to (I think Hargle) who built me one of the original XT-IDE cards a few years back. Now I'm getting brave and trying to build myself...we'll see how that works out. :)

Are the XT-IDE v2 PCB's (or the originals for that matter) still available anywhere?

I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the later part of the XT-FDC thread...I'm guessing they all worked out OK and are working well? I probably should just spend some time reading the whole thread again! At any rate...if I'm successful in soldering up the XT-IDE stuff I've got here now, I would likely be interested in an XT-FDC as well...

Thanks again to everyone who has put such hard work into these great projects! I continue to be amazed at what you guys are capable of...

Wesley
 
I would be interested in a XT-FDC board to go along with my XT-IDE V1 that I soldered together from a kit that is still humming along nicely in my 8086 Compaq Deskpro. I would be interested in a bare board, kit or an assembled unit. I would love to be able to boot from a 1.44 mb drive in the old Compaq.
 
I'm sorry that I missed this thread for so long! Seems there are so many things I never knew existed that actually do! This is something I also would be interested in, although no hurry. Sorry that some have been making you feel pressured. :(
 
Al Hartman said:
I'd be interested in a PCB if any were available. I saw a .png for OSHPark on the website. Can one order boards from them?
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Indeed you can order boards from OSHPark. Expect a few weeks waiting time, however, and no choice in color.
 
That was just wrong. If I didn't know what Oshpark was, and how to find it, why would I even know what it was to ask for a link to a page I could order the board from?

Going to Oshpark does not get you to a place you can order the board (I spent an hour the other day searching). Searching the available boards does not turn up the XT-FDC.

Is there a link to the Oshpark site to order this board?

Other people who have produced boards through Oshpark provide links to the Oshpark site that take you to a page where you can order their board(s).
 
Then you should have clarified your original question with the same level of detail as your most recent reply rather than being critical of me for answering your very vague question with a more detailed answer.

To answer your more detailed question, OSHPark is a general board fabrication service. Step one, go to Sergey's XT-FDC page here:

http://www.malinov.com/Home/sergeys-projects/isa-fdc-and-uart

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the link that says, "ISA FDC - gerber - 1.0.zip" and download it.

Step two, goto OSHPark, click the get started link. The next page will ask you for a zip file containing Gerber art work. Upload the file above.

Step three, wait ~2.5 weeks for your boards to arrive.

You are welcome.
 
I believe that eeguru is saying that there isn't a shared project link at Oshpark, so you would have to order it there the hard way.
 
The card supports both EPROMs and EEPROMs. You simply need to buy an Atmel 28C64 or equivalent and you can program the ROM directly through the card. You could always attempt to sell the extra two boards via eBay to recover your initial investment.
 
Like I said, there's no guidance on how to do that. I've built JJ_Pearce's Lo-Tech XT IDE adapter, and I was able to program the needed BIOS quite easily. He provided instructions and the software to program the card with.

I've already ordered an 8-bit controller on eBay. If this one won't let me make TRS-80 Model I disks using Imagedisk on my XT, I'll think about ordering this board and building one up for me. I'd build up the other two and resell them to get some of my money back, and to help others who can't build these boards.
 
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