If you like Gotek drives and A500s I think you'll be interested in this.

[Mounty]

[Vot]

Mounty.. This is far too thick in my opinion. You should be aiming to have the case no thicker than the usb connector (maybe a few mm higher so you can have a gap between the connector and the amiga case so all usb thumb drives fit), maybe house the gotek pcb in the computer case and just put a flat ribbon through the slots in the case for the display and buttons etc. Also you could make a pcb for inside the computer to select between the gotek and the inbuilt floppy. IMHO this would add a lot more value to to your project.

[Mounty]

Originally Posted by Vot

Mounty.. This is far too thick in my opinion. You should be aiming to have the case no thicker than the usb connector (maybe a few mm higher so you can have a gap between the connector and the amiga case so all usb thumb drives fit), maybe house the gotek pcb in the computer case and just put a flat ribbon through the slots in the case for the display and buttons etc. Also you could make a pcb for inside the computer to select between the gotek and the inbuilt floppy. IMHO this would add a lot more value to to your project.

Commments noted, but I don't think anyone would use a regular floppy if they had a Gotek installed. As for making the case smaller, it will be quite cramped inside there as it is.

[Vot]

Originally Posted by Mounty

Commments noted, but I don't think anyone would use a regular floppy if they had a Gotek installed. As for making the case smaller, it will be quite cramped inside there as it is.

The gotek cant emulate protected discs. It only supports adf,s which have been deprotected... The hxc can however... (If your wondering why people may use real disks)

[Mounty]

Originally Posted by Vot

The gotek cant emulate protected discs. It only supports adf,s which have been deprotected... The hxc can however... (If your wondering why people may use real disks)

Thank you.

[Total Eclipse]

My 2p's worth - Mounty, as you say, not many people will use the internal drive if they have a Gotek installed (though I did consider the idea on an earlier posting).

What I'd be looking for, and I suspect many others, would be a replacement shell for the PCB to install it inside the Amiga and replace the internal drive completely, without having to cut the Amiga case. Any external housing could be small enough to hold the track LED and disk change buttons, but a replacement shell would mean that the USB port is accessible from the centre of the floppy drive, and everything else is blanked off. As an alternative, the disk eject button could be replaced by the two buttons on the Gotek, similar to some of the solutions suggested for the Raspberry Pi floppy emulator.

[Mounty]

Originally Posted by Total Eclipse

but a replacement shell would mean that the USB port is accessible from the centre of the floppy drive

Why is it so important that the USB port is at the centre of the floppy drive slot? I don't get that at all.

Are you guys starting to see how difficult the life of a hardware developer can be?

Out of two people, one wants the floppy drive slot for floppy disc use, the other wants it for USB drive use?!?!

The old statement "you can't please everyone" is one of the truest statements ever made...

[Total Eclipse]

Originally Posted by Mounty

Why is it so important that the USB port is at the centre of the floppy drive slot? I don't get that at all.

Simply because on the Amiga, the centre of the floppy slot is usually wider than the edge or more recessed, so that it should able to accommodate slightly thicker pen drives more easily.

Originally Posted by Mounty

The old statement "you can't please everyone" is one of the truest statements ever made...

Very true, but then there will never be a single solution that meets everyones requirements for something like this. I'm very impressed with what you're trying to do though.

[DDNI]

For easy pen drive access, I would attach a female USB extension lead to the gotek.

[Predseda]

I am very curious how you will create a "yellowed A500 case" colour mixture for printing plastic to fit the most remaining A500s

[Lord Aga]

Mounty's on fire Good job !
I have several of your products on my "to buy" list.

[Mounty]

Originally Posted by Predseda

I am very curious how you will create a "yellowed A500 case" colour mixture for printing plastic to fit the most remaining A500s

Ha ha good question!

I can see it now......

"Mounty, my Amiga has been in sun too long, make it more yellow."

and

"No, I looked after my Amiga and it's nearly white, make it less yellow."

Ad infinitum....

Originally Posted by Total Eclipse

Simply because on the Amiga, the centre of the floppy slot is usually wider than the edge or more recessed, so that it should able to accommodate slightly thicker pen drives more easily.

Which looks more appropriate though, a pen drive sticking out of a floppy drive slot, or a pen drive sticking out of my enclosure. Be honest...

Originally Posted by Lord Aga

Mounty's on fire Good job !
I have several of your products on my "to buy" list.

I am indeed on fire MiLord!

As you can see I have branched out into retro enclosures. Learning AutoCAD 2014 at my age is no mean feat, but I'm more than up for it!

[ADz]

I'm sorry but imo that just looks too big/bulk and tbh would annoy the hell out of me being sat on the top sticking up like that.

Much better solution would be to simply create a faceplate to go over the floppy drive that has the display/buttons incorporated into it. Alternatively for people who want to keep a real drive as DF1 and have the Emu as DF0 a slimmer case then the Gotek would be nice

[Amiga1992]

Why would I add this bulky thing outside if I can put the gotek drive inside???

[Mounty]

Originally Posted by Akira

Why would I add this bulky thing outside if I can put the gotek drive inside???

Because, as others have found, putting the Gotek drive inside the case means not being able to see the numerical display, and having to press the buttons with a matchstick.

Oh, and having to crane your neck around the side of the machine to see what the display says.

The advantage with the ExoShell is everything is there in clear view. Buttons are easy to press, and when it has been properly made (injection moulding) and in the correct colour it will complement the Amiga casing very nicely.

Having said that, if you have set your mind on hating it, don't buy it! Simples!

Originally Posted by ADz

I'm sorry but imo that just looks too big/bulk and tbh would annoy the hell out of me being sat on the top sticking up like that.

Much better solution would be to simply create a faceplate to go over the floppy drive that has the display/buttons incorporated into it. Alternatively for people who want to keep a real drive as DF1 and have the Emu as DF0 a slimmer case then the Gotek would be nice

No apology necessary! Don't buy it!

We had this argument back in the day with the old Amiga vs Atari ST arguments.

The Amiga had a big bulky unattractive power supply brick. The Atari had the psu neatly inside the case. Did that stop people buying the Amiga?

[TCD]

Select all posts you want to quote using this button and then click on quote please. Thank you.

[hansel75]

Mounty i think most peoples preference would be some kind of an internal setup similar to how i have my HXC mounted internally, see pic.

I do realize that it is probably harder to achieve with the gotek then it is with a hxc.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[Mounty]

Originally Posted by hansel75

Mounty i think most peoples preference would be some kind of an internal setup similar to how i have my HXC mounted internally, see pic.

I do realize that it is probably harder to achieve with the gotek then it is with a hxc.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

Much more difficult with a Gotek, for reasons I explained earlier.

I had all this "initial resistance" with the Amipad32. "OH MY GOD, IT'S GOT PAINTED BUTTONS! I THINK I'D DIE IF I TOUCHED A PAINTED BUTTON!"

Since then the Amipad has been a steady seller. Why? because it's a damned good alternative to whatever else was out there. In fact I sold two today, while I've been sitting here assembling some Gotek external adapters.

It's the same with this device. Of all the people who have seen this post (probably 200 or so), only a handful of naysayers have commented. The vast majority will have had a look, and thought "mmm, I'll keep my eye on that". That's how it works.

That's why I'm not too bothered if one guy says he doesn't like this and another guy says he doesn't like that. I gave up trying to please everyone long ago. It's all about pleasing the maximum amount of customers possible, and that's what I always try to do.

[Vot]

Mounty i still dont get it why is it so thick? The gotek pcb cant be more than 8mm high.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Mounty

Having said that, if you have set your mind on hating it, don't buy it! Simples!

You make it sound like if I have any sort of agenda against you, which is ridiculous.

You post about something you may want to build in a public forum. If you don't want to hear the opinion of those who may want to buy your product, that's great, your choice, but don't post it in a public forum then.