Ripley's Believe it or not: Thinking of buying a Catweasel

Photon · 14 October 2007, 22:10

Well, considering some problem threads here it seems a non optimal solution. But maybe it has satisfied users too? Please tell me (us) what you did to make it work if you want!

Basically, I want to

1) write (with verify) floppy disks about as fast as the dms or adf utility under WB 2.0 does. That's sorta my benchmark for considering to buy it at all.

2) Not make my PC unstable.

Is it impossible with CW? I will ofc get any driver versions and buy any floppy drive brand you recommend.

Specs:
C2D, 2GB, Radeon X1950Pro, 320GB SATA
Win XP Professional SP2

musashi5150 · 14 October 2007, 22:25

Once I got over my initial problems everything is now working well. ADF writing is fast and the joysticks work well with WinUAE. SID playback is a little disappointing and a "squeal" can be heard until the drivers init (solved by muting SID output when not in use).

But on the whole I'd recommend it - certainly nicer than transferring ADF files to Amiga for writing.

EDIT: btw I'm running XP Home 32Bit.

Marcuz · 14 October 2007, 22:29

well... since i'm author of the last catweasel' problems threads...

2) it will prolly not make your pc instable: it is a pci card littler than most, i've put it even next to my radeon (same model than yours) and there is still space for the air to flow through the radeon' fan.
you will prolly have some hard time installing it, even with the new drivers: differently as the manual says, in my case i have gone through the install process 3 times (3 times * 5 or 6 different parts of the catweasel: disks, joysticks etc); every time the install says it has finished, but the catweasel don't work properly anyhow; you reset and restart and then, lo! new drivers for the next batch of parts, gets installed... it's awkard and tiresome. but in the end, it works.
provided that your windows is, strictly, 32 bit.

important: not all the floppy drives work, you should check for incompatibility on the catweasel site.

then there is the unsolved matter in my last thread in winuae problems:
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=32629
that is not solved and the ever amiable toni wilen is not interested in solve it, so that with winuae probably they joysticks are safe to work with tvicport instead than with the normal drivers.

lastly, check if your floppies are still working (on a real amiga) if they are ruined already, imho catweasel is a waste of money.

Photon · 14 October 2007, 23:16

Thanks for the input so far! Any other tips, like floppy drive brands and where to buy them, and which is YOUR stable driver version?

About checking floppies -- well, unless you buy brand new ones this is needed for normal adf writing (on Amiga) as well

But if someone feels CW 'seems' unreliable in this respect, ie. verified disks not reading properly in an Amiga, please report!

Surely with an Amiga that runs all error free org. Amiga disks properly, the CW verify function will ensure it's OK? Both dms and adf utilities for CW have verify, right?

Magno Boots · 15 October 2007, 00:27

I can recommend the Catweasel Mk4 if you are looking to buy one.

I had many problems with the initial drivers (XP blue screens) until version 4020407 was realeased.
Installation of the Imagetool hotfix was required also.

Now it runs great with error free reading / writing and no lag on the joystick when on WinUAE.

As for disks.. it doesn't matter which type as long as they are Amiga compatible and free of errors.

You can only write .adf files to disk as far as I know.

Go on.. treat yourself.

Jope · 15 October 2007, 07:36

Yeah, like I said on IRC, you must convert .dms to .adf on the PC with xdms before you can write.

Marcuz · 15 October 2007, 11:32

out of curiosity, do you use the last drivers + imagetools hotfix or was that already in the last drivers?

Jope · 15 October 2007, 12:44

The last drivers have the hotfix integrated to my knowledge.

I have those installed with my CW3.

Photon · 17 October 2007, 23:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magno Boots

I can recommend the Catweasel Mk4 if you are looking to buy one.

I had many problems with the initial drivers (XP blue screens) until version 4020407 was realeased.
Installation of the Imagetool hotfix was required also.

Now it runs great with error free reading / writing and no lag on the joystick when on WinUAE.

As for disks.. it doesn't matter which type as long as they are Amiga compatible and free of errors.

You can only write .adf files to disk as far as I know.

Go on.. treat yourself.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Too bad you have to convert to .adf, but then again, dms is not kosher, adf is the real thing. Which is why sites like Kestra aim to provide .adf only. OK, </shameless plug>

Beautiful 'coppershade' evenings when the sun goes down and the air is cold... Amiga feeling coming on... [only available in the North of the northern hemisphere hehe]. Not that SCSI zipdisks+adf util is slow going, but a CW will leave more of my Xmas break time available for other things ...

Still catching up on what happened on the Amiga from 92 onward

So, all that remains is tips for compatible floppy units, is there an official list released by Jens somewhere? I think good old TEAC drives should do the trick?

Thinking of buying it from Amigakit.

BippyM · 17 October 2007, 23:47

It'd be nice if winuae had a batch convert feature built in considering all the code is in place to read all these formats already!

Photon · 18 October 2007, 01:25

Well, it's not primarily about just 'converting' dms files. DMS lets through r/w errors, so you'd have to have a file you can trust first. It could be from a disk with a r/w error, or from a disk which was "Doscopy+"ed with X-Copy from a disk with a r/w error.

To be quite honest, I haven't had more than a quick glance at the formats, so I don't really have a reason for why I trust ADF more.

Maybe it's because people making ADFs as a rule have better disks or check more thoroughly? Dunno. Anyway our team has a flag that alerts admins to prods where only a DMS file exists.

Me, I have CLI commands to write both DMS and ADF with verify... doesn't mean the original disk was error free though ... "doscopy+", bah

All I know is I got my first working version of Ice Cold Coke from a packdisk on Kestra \o/ Another Phenomena packdisk has a r/w error on the Twins' "Spaceman" demo, and it's DMS... still searching for a proper ADF/DMS for it...

stainy · 30 October 2007, 15:51

Seems like Amigakit have none in stock atm

amigakit.com · 30 October 2007, 22:55

We sold out temporarily today - we will have more stocks soon.

Smiley · 31 October 2007, 19:58

I always thought a catweasal would be cool, but the price always put me off. I await a 2nd hand one on EbaY

14 October 2007, 22:10	#1
Photon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Eksjö / Sweden Posts: 5,602	Ripley's Believe it or not: Thinking of buying a Catweasel Well, considering some problem threads here it seems a non optimal solution. But maybe it has satisfied users too? Please tell me (us) what you did to make it work if you want! Basically, I want to 1) write (with verify) floppy disks about as fast as the dms or adf utility under WB 2.0 does. That's sorta my benchmark for considering to buy it at all. 2) Not make my PC unstable. Is it impossible with CW? I will ofc get any driver versions and buy any floppy drive brand you recommend. Specs: C2D, 2GB, Radeon X1950Pro, 320GB SATA Win XP Professional SP2 Last edited by Photon; 14 October 2007 at 23:17. Reason: more exact specs

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14 October 2007, 22:25	#2
musashi5150 move.w #$4489,$dff07e Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Norfolk, UK Age: 42 Posts: 2,351	Once I got over my initial problems everything is now working well. ADF writing is fast and the joysticks work well with WinUAE. SID playback is a little disappointing and a "squeal" can be heard until the drivers init (solved by muting SID output when not in use). But on the whole I'd recommend it - certainly nicer than transferring ADF files to Amiga for writing. EDIT: btw I'm running XP Home 32Bit.

14 October 2007, 22:29	#3
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	well... since i'm author of the last catweasel' problems threads... 2) it will prolly not make your pc instable: it is a pci card littler than most, i've put it even next to my radeon (same model than yours) and there is still space for the air to flow through the radeon' fan. you will prolly have some hard time installing it, even with the new drivers: differently as the manual says, in my case i have gone through the install process 3 times (3 times * 5 or 6 different parts of the catweasel: disks, joysticks etc); every time the install says it has finished, but the catweasel don't work properly anyhow; you reset and restart and then, lo! new drivers for the next batch of parts, gets installed... it's awkard and tiresome. but in the end, it works. provided that your windows is, strictly, 32 bit. important: not all the floppy drives work, you should check for incompatibility on the catweasel site. then there is the unsolved matter in my last thread in winuae problems: http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=32629 that is not solved and the ever amiable toni wilen is not interested in solve it, so that with winuae probably they joysticks are safe to work with tvicport instead than with the normal drivers. lastly, check if your floppies are still working (on a real amiga) if they are ruined already, imho catweasel is a waste of money.

14 October 2007, 23:16	#4
Photon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Eksjö / Sweden Posts: 5,602	Thanks for the input so far! Any other tips, like floppy drive brands and where to buy them, and which is YOUR stable driver version? About checking floppies -- well, unless you buy brand new ones this is needed for normal adf writing (on Amiga) as well But if someone feels CW 'seems' unreliable in this respect, ie. verified disks not reading properly in an Amiga, please report! Surely with an Amiga that runs all error free org. Amiga disks properly, the CW verify function will ensure it's OK? Both dms and adf utilities for CW have verify, right?

15 October 2007, 00:27	#5
Magno Boots Zone Friend Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hertfordshire Posts: 688	I can recommend the Catweasel Mk4 if you are looking to buy one. I had many problems with the initial drivers (XP blue screens) until version 4020407 was realeased. Installation of the Imagetool hotfix was required also. Now it runs great with error free reading / writing and no lag on the joystick when on WinUAE. As for disks.. it doesn't matter which type as long as they are Amiga compatible and free of errors. You can only write .adf files to disk as far as I know. Go on.. treat yourself.

15 October 2007, 07:36	#6
Jope - Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Helsinki / Finland Age: 43 Posts: 9,861	Yeah, like I said on IRC, you must convert .dms to .adf on the PC with xdms before you can write.

15 October 2007, 11:32	#7
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	out of curiosity, do you use the last drivers + imagetools hotfix or was that already in the last drivers?

15 October 2007, 12:44	#8
Jope - Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Helsinki / Finland Age: 43 Posts: 9,861	The last drivers have the hotfix integrated to my knowledge. I have those installed with my CW3.

17 October 2007, 23:47	#10
BippyM Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Derby, UK Age: 48 Posts: 9,355	It'd be nice if winuae had a batch convert feature built in considering all the code is in place to read all these formats already!

18 October 2007, 01:25	#11
Photon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Eksjö / Sweden Posts: 5,602	Well, it's not primarily about just 'converting' dms files. DMS lets through r/w errors, so you'd have to have a file you can trust first. It could be from a disk with a r/w error, or from a disk which was "Doscopy+"ed with X-Copy from a disk with a r/w error. To be quite honest, I haven't had more than a quick glance at the formats, so I don't really have a reason for why I trust ADF more. Maybe it's because people making ADFs as a rule have better disks or check more thoroughly? Dunno. Anyway our team has a flag that alerts admins to prods where only a DMS file exists. Me, I have CLI commands to write both DMS and ADF with verify... doesn't mean the original disk was error free though ... "doscopy+", bah All I know is I got my first working version of Ice Cold Coke from a packdisk on Kestra \o/ Another Phenomena packdisk has a r/w error on the Twins' "Spaceman" demo, and it's DMS... still searching for a proper ADF/DMS for it...

30 October 2007, 15:51	#12
stainy Zone Friend Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Concord, NC, USA Age: 52 Posts: 1,712	Seems like Amigakit have none in stock atm

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

30 October 2007, 22:55	#13
amigakit.com Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: www.amigakit.com Posts: 2,015	We sold out temporarily today - we will have more stocks soon.

31 October 2007, 19:58	#14
Smiley Amiga-less! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: UK Posts: 1,350	I always thought a catweasal would be cool, but the price always put me off. I await a 2nd hand one on EbaY