Gotek and HxC working together

[demolition]

Cool, I might need to try that.

One question - what would be the benefit of removing a feature since there iis room for everything to be enabled?

[Jeff_HxC2001]

Originally Posted by demolition

Cool, I might need to try that.

One question - what would be the benefit of removing a feature since there iis room for everything to be enabled?

There is many reasons :

Many resellers and users are asking me to "rebrand" the firmware, disable some menus to avoid problem with sensitive end-users, add very specific and "strange" features, etc etc. More and more features are becoming "conflicting" each others and some features are quite challenging to integrate with others. With the compile time options this solve these kind problems and don't take any flash space .


On the other point, yes the current features fit in the flash but this might be not the case in the future. I am just preparing this future.
Another benefit/example : Avoid bad raw file detection. Currently the firmware try to support all machines in one binary. This make the raw format detection quite challenging because many machines have a raw file having the same size, the same file extension but not the same internal format. Again with compile-time options you can (soon ) disable the disks format you don't care. I am sure that Akai S950 users don't care at all about Acorn images for example. There is many many others examples like this.

I know that from experience that having too much options/features in the final binary is counterproductive.

And also and this is the most important, you can now add your nickname on the lcd if you want !! : https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

[BarryB]

Will the HxCFloppyEmulator Export > SPS IPF file (WIP) (*.ipf) ever get past the Error : Disk format doesn't match... message

[Jeff_HxC2001]

Originally Posted by BarryB

Will the HxCFloppyEmulator Export > SPS IPF file (WIP) (*.ipf) ever get past the Error : Disk format doesn't match... message

This is a very very very very low priority task (and i am now unsure of its usefulness. This was maybe interesting some years ago).
But if someone want to work on this all is on Sourceforge.

[Jeff_HxC2001]

Some more options (Direct access) and some fixes (email format + fix in the firmware) :


https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

[Jeff_HxC2001]

New Firmware update :

03 February 2019 : Firmware STM32 USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.1.36.1a ( -> In the "Next_WIP_Alpha_Firmware_And_Tools" Folder !)

    - Direct access mode : New functions
        - Select mode (0x5) :
            Mode 0 - Flash sector access mode (Default)
            Mode 1 - Plain text browser, Entries format : "IIII;T;SSSSSSSS;File name\r\n"
            IIII = Object ID (ASCII HEX Number).
            T = Type -> 'F'=FILE, 'D'=DIRECTORY
            SSSSSSSS = File Size  (ASCII HEX Number).
            Mode 2 - Slot list mode.
        - Change Objects list ID base (0x6) (Plain text browser).
        - Select/Enter Object (0x7) (Plain text browser - Image/Directory selection or File tranfert mode).
        - Set file base offset (0x8) (File transfer mode).
        - Get current selected image (0x9).
        - Select file with path (0xA) (Select image with a plain text file path).

        - MFM & FM support. (see the customization page : https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/)

        With these new direct access API functions small file selector/browser/swapper/loader can be developed without
        the need of any FAT32 library on resource-limited machines.
        The protocol specification document will be updated soon at this address :
        https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/SDCard_HxC_Floppy_Emulator_Direct_Access_mode.pdf

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...a_firmware.zip

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...ease_notes.txt

[Jeff_HxC2001]

And some fixes :

04 February 2019 : Firmware STM32 USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.1.36.2a ( -> In the "Next_WIP_Alpha_Firmware_And_Tools" Folder !)

- Direct access mode : Some fixes for the auto disk swap ("AutoSwap") support.

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...a_firmware.zip

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...ease_notes.txt

[oissery77]

Thanks Jeff for all recent FW improvments

If i understand well with a CFW it permits to free space by excluding some features we don't need and to integrate some others in the future for exemple for amiga classics OCS/ECS. So it's promising!
Does it permit to increase access R/W speed too?
And about Direct access mode, how can we access to it in WB ? we discuss earlier about a UI to transfer file but it is "extremly slow"...

[demolition]

Originally Posted by oissery77

Does it permit to increase access R/W speed too?
And about Direct access mode, how can we access to it in WB ? we discuss earlier about a UI to transfer file but it is "extremly slow"...

It emulates a floppy drive so the speed is also the same as a real floppy drive. The floppy drive interface in the Amiga cannot handle higher speeds which is also why HD drives in Amigas are special as they would normally (e.g. in a PC) output data at twice the speed of DD drives. The direct access mode is also limited by this floppy interface speed, so I doubt there is any way to change that.

[oissery77]

Originally Posted by demolition

It emulates a floppy drive so the speed is also the same as a real floppy drive. The floppy drive interface in the Amiga cannot handle higher speeds which is also why HD drives in Amigas are special as they would normally (e.g. in a PC) output data at twice the speed of DD drives. The direct access mode is also limited by this floppy interface speed, so I doubt there is any way to change that.

Yes it makes sense thanks for your answer
We can bet on all future functionnalities that will be impleted by Jeff

[Jeff_HxC2001]

More parameters on the firmware customization page :

https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

OLED font selection, sound volume and many new settings...

[Jeff_HxC2001]

v3.1.37.6a : More OLED screens supported and more nice & big fonts available, plus some fixes !







Available on the custom firmware page:

https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

[Jeff_HxC2001]

6 March 2019 : Firmware STM32 USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.1.37.8a ( -> In the "WIP_Firmware" Folder and https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/)

- More customization options :

- 16 different oled graphic fonts available.
- New oled screen models supported (128x32,128x64, SSD1306, SH1106...).
- Default raw system selection.
- And many more new options : sound volume, auto select delay, ...

To customize the firmware with all these new options : https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...a_firmware.zip

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...ease_notes.txt

[Jeff_HxC2001]

8 March 2019 : Firmware STM32 USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.1.38.2a ( -> In the "WIP_Firmware" Folder and https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/)

- More customization options :

-> Raw file image/disk format selection.

-> You can now define your raw file image/disk format !

-> Floppy Interface modes.

-> https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...a_firmware.zip

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...ease_notes.txt

[Jeff_HxC2001]

10 March 2019 : Firmware STM32 USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.1.39.1a ( -> In the "WIP_Firmware" Folder and https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/)

- Indexed mode files naming convention enhanced :
-> DSKAXXXX become a prefix : You can now add something after the prefix. e.g : DSKA0000_MyDiskName.IMG, DSKA0001_SaveDisk.HFE...
-> The prefix can be changed on the customization page if you don't like it : https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

- AUTOBOOT and config files names are now not case sensitive.

- And some more fixes (rotary settings...).

Customization page : https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...a_firmware.zip

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...ease_notes.txt

[Jeff_HxC2001]

17 March 2019 : Firmware STM32 USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.1.41.1a ( -> In the "WIP_Firmware" Folder and https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/)

- Blackberry trackball support.

- Track position display changed to when the screen line size is less than 16 characters.

https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...a_firmware.zip

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...ease_notes.txt

[Jeff_HxC2001]

21 March 2019 : Firmware STM32 USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.1.44.2a ( -> In the "WIP_Firmware" Folder and https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/)

- Some fixes in the user defined image feature.

- Custom firmware option : Display the current track number on the 7 segment screen.

- Custom firmware option : Debug output on the serial port (115200 8N1).

- Custom firmware option : Read pipeline buffer size.

- New system family support : Kawai.

https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...a_firmware.zip

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...ease_notes.txt

[Jeff_HxC2001]

24 March 2019 : Firmware STM32 USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.1.45.1a ( -> In the "WIP_Firmware" Folder and https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/)

- Custom firmware option : Blackberry trackball -> Single and double step support.

- Custom firmware option : Extra up/down buttons or navigation switchs on the rotary connectors.

https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...a_firmware.zip

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...ease_notes.txt

[Jeff_HxC2001]

26 March 2019 : Firmware STM32 USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.1.45.2a ( -> In the "WIP_Firmware" Folder and https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/)

- New Custom firmware option : File format -> support now images with tracks in opposite order on the side 0.
(Side 0 tracks file opposite order option)

https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...a_firmware.zip

https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_...ease_notes.txt

[Jeff_HxC2001]

Hello,

The previous release (v3.1.45.2a) i did 2 hours ago was indeed a "fake" release. This feature is a pure non-sens since no image exist with the side 0 tracks inverted/in the opposite order...

Nothing was changed in the code versus the v3.1.45.1a, just the release note and the webpage front-end : https://hxc2001.com/custom_fw/

This is not yet april fool but i wanted to test something : In how much time a new feature in HxC Firmware can be copied. I have now an answer : 50 Minutes !
Even if this one is completely useless .

See the commit time :

https://hxc2001.com/vrac/Screenshot%...2012-20-30.png
https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy...b9d8800450165e
https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy...-File/_history

I wasn't aware that i was a Jedi knight and that the force was so strong with me ! It seems that i can control you through my releases notes !

You make my day, really you do ! Thanks !