Greaseweazle - the cheap flux tool!

[Jeff_HxC2001]

Originally Posted by lesta_smsc

Like bamcopy on X-COPY

bamcopy apparently fill the disk with $00 to erase sectors. BUT this is quite different from removing any modulation/magnetic reversal from the disk with a magnet. these "$00" are probably MFM encoded


So no this is not like bamcopy

[lesta_smsc]

No BAMCOPY checks what sectors have any data and copies those tracks only. It ignores the blank tracks.

[Jeff_HxC2001]

Originally Posted by lesta_smsc

No BAMCOPY checks what sectors have any data and copies those tracks only. It ignores the blank tracks.

If so there is no point at all with the magnet erase method.

[lesta_smsc]

Great results with the writes. Apparently Hook game removes an object if copy protection is missing. I wonder how to test that without playing the entire game lol.

I copied it directly using xcopy and it seemed to boot ok! But the 1st track was probably the copy protection which still allowed booting.

I like the intro video. Very talented artists!

[lesta_smsc]

@kaffer - wondering whether you could implement a status via the onboard LED. I know your blinky will shine the yellow LED, and the power LED is always on when power is fed to it. I don't know if any other LED colours are possible or if simply these 2 but something like a blinking LED for 'write' and another pattern for 'done/finished' would be cool. Clearly not the most pressing of options at present, but just to put on the 'wish list' lol.

[Juz400]

Dupont cables,

I have the STM32 Blue Pill, USB TTL Programmer and a Sony MPF-920Z Drive

I thought I had F-F Duponts but I dont, only M-F ones (/Facepalm) so I need to order some.
Are we good to use 20CM F-F or are they too long?
TA

[solarmon]

Originally Posted by Juz400

Dupont cables,

I have the STM32 Blue Pill, USB TTL Programmer and a Sony MPF-920Z Drive

I thought I had F-F Duponts but I dont, only M-F ones (/Facepalm) so I need to order some.
Are we good to use 20CM F-F or are they too long?
TA

20cm Dupont cables are fine. Just make sure they make good contact as they can come a bit loose over time.

Connecting using Dupont cables technically works, but it better to upgrade and get at least a Greaseweazle F1 board, or push the boat out for a Greaseweazle F7 board:

https://github.com/keirf/Greaseweazl...eweazle-Models

[Juz400]

Thanks Solarmon,

Ive been looking out for F1 boards, prob grab one of those if I find one

[solarmon]

Originally Posted by Juz400

Thanks Solarmon,

Ive been looking out for F1 boards, prob grab one of those if I find one

If you are on Facebook, you can ask for, or find the sales post:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/greaseweazle

An F1 adapter board should only cost 50p + postage.

[lesta_smsc]

@Keir - just checked github and looks like ADF image script has been written!

Can't wait to test it out when officially compiled and new version out.

I know this probably may not work, but given the flexibility of Android OS, is there a way to connect GW to Android phones and run Python script?

[solarmon]

The ADF support is still under testing - it hasn't got a stable release just yet. But the testing I have done with it, it's awesome!

[Mikerochip]

Yeah, Android would work, but the bigger problem is getting access to the android shell to install the stuff in the first place.

If you have a device without root access, I imagine it's not going to easily work.

(In it's current state anyhow)

[lesta_smsc]

I think getting drivers installed is possible without root. But not sure how to go about that.

Alternative is to run lite version of Linux on Android and run it via that?

[Mikerochip]

Does it need drivers? I thought it was just via a COM port.

It should be easy enough to test, right now...

I do have a few rooted devices :P

I guess, a powered hub might be needed though.

[lesta_smsc]

I'm sure I installed drivers for Windows. However, if they are not required then provided you can create COM port (or somehow mount to port which can be used in Python) then you should be able to run it. I need to test this too... been meaning to do it but not had time lol.

Termux may do it as it has Python support and is Linux based interface.

[lesta_smsc]

@Keir - something new I came across today:

STM32F429IDISCOVERY

Has built in LCD! I'm wondering whether it would be possible to port Flashfloppy and/or Greaseweazle over to this board as it could then be 2 in 1 solution lol.

[lesta_smsc]

So I am using GW to write some .IMG and .HFE files. What I've noticed is:

1) .HFE will not really bother checking the disk image in comparison to the disk inserted e.g. it will let me write 1.44MB image onto 720KB disk.

2) .IMG will only write to 1.44MB if the disk is 1.44MB.

Unfortunately, what I don't know is which disks are 1.44 and which are 720KB as the images created are usually larger and so the above is probably incorrect in terms of the disk size, although I know that the same disk in a different format will not write on one size vs the other.

Anyway to overcome this? I'm writing some disks for a friend and they are for his sampler so it's not even something I can test. If I use Omniflop I suppose it would avoid this issue but I'm keen not to take out my DOS laptop and try and do this via my current laptop which has GW connected.

[Jope]

HFE has flux transitions in it, IMG is a cooked stream. The floppy drive will be quite badly overclocked if you write a 1.44MB HFE to a DD disk, most likely the drive's filters will eat some of the signal.

If you have HFE images, you can analyze them to see how many and what size sectors per track, also the transition frequency can tell you whether it is a DD or a HD image.

[solarmon]

Load the images in HxC Floppy Emulator Software and it should show some details for it.

[lesta_smsc]

Thanks guys. I'll put them into HxC and see what they show - not sure why I didn't think of it and I've spent the last hour trying to overcome this!

One thing I do know is that one of the images is actually 720k disk but it still only writes to 1.44 and not 720K.

Does the disk have to be formatted prior to being able to write back the .img?

Also I've noticed writing flux is much faster than normal write but I suspect that is due to verify which is absent on flux.