Gotek Floppy emulators and Amiga computers now working together! :)

[alexh]

Originally Posted by hansel75

When it's done as nicely as this, you can't beat the HXC and LCD Panel for looks and ease of use!

How can text on an LCD navigated with buttons beat the TV screen, navigated with keyboard & mouse / joystick? Especially if you have hundreds of ADF's. The HxC and Gotek native Amiga disk mangers both offer the opportunity for box artwork & stills with an I game style disk manager and I just can't see why you'd want an LCD?

[lukassid]

Does it look uncut for you???

From what I can see if you don't cut you can't see display or push buttons.
But I'm not sure as I don't have gotek yet.

[lukassid]

Shit I just have some idea. Gotta order gotek now

[johnim]

I put mine in the 1200 but the center peice gets in the way as it is set back slightly
So looks a mess but will know next time

[Starglider 2]

Originally Posted by Starglider 2

Thanks everyone. What is the best link directly to the exact HxC I should order to get 'plug and play' operation? I see lots of different ones at their website.

I trust it just screws into place without case modding? Or not...?

Anyone?

[hansel75]

Originally Posted by alexh

How can text on an LCD navigated with buttons beat the TV screen, navigated with keyboard & mouse / joystick? Especially if you have hundreds of ADF's. The HxC and Gotek native Amiga disk mangers both offer the opportunity for box artwork & stills with an I game style disk manager and I just can't see why you'd want an LCD?

Obviously you have never used a HXC before. You can have all your roms sorted into A-Z Folders for easy browsing. The HXC allows browsing for as many folders as you want to setup.

Also with the HXC there are 2 ways to browse through the roms on the LCD panel, you either press the select next button to skip through each rom one at a time, for fine selecting.

Or you can hold the select next button down and it will rapidly browse through 100's of roms on the LCD panel, it literally takes seconds to find any floppy i want to play out of the complete collection of amiga games i have on my sd card. And once you find the rom you want, press a button to select it and it boots.
Have a look at this video, about 1 minute into it to see how browsing works on the HXC LCD with buttons, not my video but a good example-
[ Show youtube player ]

My A1200 also has the sd card slot were the floppy drive used to be, so it's easy to hotswap cards.
Also the text on the LCD panel actually scrolls so you can read the entire name, you can also set the scroll speed to your liking in the HXC cfg tool, which is really easy to use.

And if you need to swap a disk in a game, you simply press the select next or previous button and it mounts the next disk for you, all it takes is one button press.

Plus if you wanted an Igame style floppy manager with screenshots, as you have mentioned the HXC has the alternative boot menu you can display on your monitor as well.
But this takes longer, as you have to boot up the boot menu, then pick a rom to boot.
Where is having the LCD and buttons lets you skip that first stage of having to boot up a menu, it's much quicker!

Also if your worried about having- "The opportunity for box artwork & stills with an I game style disk manager" when using a floppy emulator solution, why wouldn't you simply use a cf card and WHDload/Igame instead or floppies??

I have WHDload and all the games on my Amigas as well, the HXC is only used for stuff that hasn't been converted to WHDload yet.

The one negative thing about the HXC is that you have to convert your adf roms into the HXC's custom rom format.
But you can use the HXC utility to do mass rom conversions in one go, so it's not that much of an issue.

I'm not knocking the Gotek solution, simply clarifying how quick and easy it is to use a HXC with LCD panel and buttons.

If the Gotek had this option it would fantastic!

Originally Posted by Starglider 2

Anyone?

Unless you are installing an LCD screen and buttons, to my knowledge you should be able to put a basic HXC in to replace your original floppy drive, without having to do any major modding or cutting, and then use the onscreen boot menu to select your floppies. I see they have quite a few different HXC's in there store now, it's really just personal preference, and whether you want a screen or not etc.

[Zetr0]

I think you will find that the addition of LCD's and Buttons to the Amiga Chassis will be a personal preference.

Personally I don't see anything wrong with it, but to be honest its not my taste - for me I would modify an external 3.5" FDD chassis to accommodate either device and then modify the motherboard to see DF1 to be DF0 at the flip of a switch or key press on boot.

In regards the HxC, while it is a good little device it does have some issues with disk format and conversions. I think its a great solution to an otherwise devoid format for mass storage - especially for the CPC and MSX range of computers.

Forgive me for discussion on price points, but I have seen the HxC continually increase while the chip count and foot print decreases, Knowing what I know, I find them an expensive solution considering the same sort of money on an Amiga will get you an internal mass storage solution.

Knowing what I know, one could easily produce a HxC clone for not much more (perhaps even the same price) as the Gotek devices to the consumer and still make a tidy profit.

[hansel75]

Well said Zetro!

And i agree, the HXC while nice, is a little expensive. Your suggestion for someone to produce a cheap Gotek Emu plus LCD and buttons for the Amigas would be a very popular solution i think.

Also the thing is it's quite easy to pickup an Amiga case of ebay etc, use that for modding and cutting and keep your original case spare and in prestine condition, for if you ever wanted to revert back to your original non modded one.

Or as you mentioned make an external boxed unit of some kind.

[Jeff_HxC2001]

Originally Posted by Zetr0

In regards the HxC, while it is a good little device it does have some issues with disk format and conversions.

Seriously ? Which ones ?, i will be happy to be aware of this, this may help me to improve the product...

Originally Posted by Zetr0

Forgive me for discussion on price points, but I have seen the HxC continually increase while the chip count and foot print decreases,

Please put some concrete prices increasement please... Because i wasn't aware of this too... And the chip count decreases story make me laugh... Do you want see the diff between the schematics ?

Originally Posted by Zetr0

Knowing what I know, one could easily produce a HxC clone for not much more (perhaps even the same price) as the Gotek devices to the consumer and still make a tidy profit.

Did you count the development and support time and the various costs to be able to design,build and put a product on the market ? As often you only count the BOM part cost, but forgot all the others aspects...

Originally Posted by Zetr0

for not much more (perhaps even the same price) as the Gotek devices to the consumer and still make a tidy profit.

Sorry but i don't call winning 5$/10$ per device "make a tidy profit", expecially when you know which support time consomption this may generate.
But anyway i still wonder why this doesn't happened since 8 years... Maybe that the profit isn't so interesting finally.?.

Originally Posted by Zetr0

Knowing what I know,...

What exactly ?

<<En voyant ce que je vois et en sachant ce que je sais j'ai des raisons de penser ce que je pense...>>


One thing is sure : We are not interested at all to make some competitions with devices like the Gotek for almost nothing, so don't expect any price decreasement anymore from us!

So have fun and good luck with the hacked Gotek !

[Zetr0]

I don't want to start any war or bad feeling Jeff, I do admire your work.

My statements are not in any way an attack on you, my appologies if I have offended you.

In my personal (and professional) opinion the HxC is over priced compared to other solution at a similar cost. It is only in this comparison that I can say this - 69 Euros is a lot of money when for about half of this I can get mass storage and 8MB of FAST RAM on my A500.

My work and hobbies are micro-electronic in nature so I know associated costs, in my humble opinion your exclusive license with Lotharek for assemble / distribution is while your right, has increased the cost of the HxC quite a bit since you originally brought it out.

But that just my take on it.

I do think the HxC is a wonderful product, and one I would be happy to support, but I do have reservations and my opinions.

[mr.vince]

Jeff, I can absolutely understand your frustration. Everyone apparently could make a better device for a fraction of the price.

We both know good software does not grow on trees...

[Jeff_HxC2001]

@Zetr0 : I just remember that you write to me on amibay 2 years ago for a production of the hxc under licence, so i now understand your position . I just cannot manage 2 differents producer in the same time, expectally for the same product. Maybe for a next time ?
EDIT : The slim cost is 59E

Originally Posted by mr.vince

Jeff, I can absolutely understand your frustration. Everyone apparently could make a better device for a fraction of the price.

We both know good software does not grow on trees...

Yes, the BOM cost @10K/100K units is often used to tell you that your device is too expensive... just irrelevant...And the most important part still missing -> The software. How many days/months/years this will take to make it work properly ? Not any easy question to answers for sure, especially when the software is constantly improved...

But this is not the subject of this thread so now back to the topic.

[Zetr0]

@Jeff

yes indeed I did, I thought an alternative sales outlet would be good for the community. I understand and respect your decision then as I do now, multiple projects are tricky at best to juggle.

I can appreciate that when others compare products you have developed it can feel negative towards you. This was not my intention I was only comparing the product to existing products in regards to final costs to the user.

As a software engineer I can understand where you are comming from as software sadly doesn't write itself. I have indeed recommend HxC's to many people as one of the shining things about the HxC is the software support and its compatibility for multiple machines and it is this that your customers will value most.

[desiv]

Many projects with many options are generally good for Amiga hobbiests, although not necessarily for the people selling the devices..

The HxC is a great looking device I have recommended to many people as a polished solution.
When I saw the thread on the Pi powered device with the LCD, I was intrigued.
I can see the value with that LCD (I even bought one of those LCDs and have used to hook to some devices here at home), and it's a nice size and the text would be readable.
I do have concerns about number of files, but I feel that's the same with all of these devices, and there are mitigations, such as folders or just not trying to put every ADF on the device. ;-)

This project also interests me, especially as it leverages another mass produced device which can bring the price way down.
Now, the way I look at it, if I want a full mini screen LCD, I'll go with the Pi method. If I want a polished package (which I basically consider retail), the HxC is the choice.
If I want the "basic model" that just works, this looks good.

Also, from what I've seen, there are "choices" in most of these models that involve cutting your case, but that is not required with any of them.
I've ordered the parts for this option, as I'm cheap :-), and I like the thought that there is some work (minor soldering to get the header pins, etc. Not required, but right at my level) in this one...

I wouldn't cut my Amiga case. I can take the GOTEK out of its case, move the LCD and buttons to get it to line up without doing that.
Of course, that's more work than some people want to do..
Guess what, there is the great product called the HxC (and soon the Pi based one with Kipper2k's board) where you won't have to do that...

Aren't options a great thing? ;-)

desiv

[H.M]

Yes please back to the topic now...

A new firmware&selector version ! :

1.03a 2K14/03/02 - Up to 999 images pre-selection support, some graphicals glitches corrected, keyboard delay is now timer driven, Amiga MFM encoding corrected, Index timing corrected, track length corrected, disk change delay set to 4seconds,Firmware version printed at startup.

Note :Both selector.adf and firmware need to be updated !

http://cortexamigafloppydrive.wordpress.com/

[lukassid]

Nice features!

[johnim]

Thankyou that was quick

@H.M I hope you done mind i have copied your post on Amibay

[voyager]

If you use the selector to assign a ADF's to a slot number, out of curiosity where is the assignment stored? Is it in the memory of the gotek? Is it in de selector.ADF? if so do you always have to run the selector file for the gotek to know which adf go's with what number? How does it work?

[H.M]

Originally Posted by voyager

If you use the selector to assign a ADF's to a slot number, out of curiosity where is the assignment stored? Is it in the memory of the gotek? Is it in de selector.ADF? if so do you always have to run the selector file for the gotek to know which adf go's with what number? How does it work?

Inside the selector.adf. But the emulator doesn't need to "run it", it just read it .

[Retrofan]

Originally Posted by H.M

... Up to 999 images pre-selection support

That's a good improvement.

Hey I've got the HxC and it's wonderful. The thing is that soldering things and so (things that you don't need to make) I must have done something wrong, perhaps a short, and I don't want to buy another (will try to fix it though). The Gotek is cheap and I've bought one. I would like to use it externally like I was doing with the HxC and it's nice to have an screen if you don't have to cut the miggy.

The Pi is still under development.