GoTek as DF1 on an A500

[demolition]

Originally Posted by JoeJoe

Its clear... i think the ACA modify the trackdevice too. Any line go from device to the CIAs..

You think? For your information, Toni is one of the designers of ACA500plus, so I'm sure he knows very well how it works.

[JoeJoe]

If the data is nanipulated before "going" to the CIAs, why is there no ADF Support.

[Jope]

Originally Posted by JoeJoe

If the data is nanipulated before "going" to the CIAs, why is there no ADF Support.

The bitstream from the floppy data bus never passes through the CPU, it is fed directly into Paula.

What gets manipulated is when software code wants to set the drive selects in the CIA registers. The hardware intercepts this write to the register and shuffles the bits around before the data goes to the bus.

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by Jope

What gets manipulated is when software code wants to set the drive selects in the CIA registers. The hardware intercepts this write to the register and shuffles the bits around before the data goes to the bus.

Exactly. Similar trick is used to enable 1M chip RAM without hardware modifications (as long as Agnus is 1M capable). It is sort of advanced form of map rom feature.

btw, aca500/plus hardware register documentation is available from wiki.icomp.de.

[c0dehunter]

My idea is to connect GoTek on the external (as DF1) floppy connector, write .ADF games/demos onto real floppy inserted in my internal floppy drive (DF0), then boot these floppies via the floppy drive at a later date.


Do I need to get special connector for the GoTek in order to connect it to my external floppy drive connector in the back of my A500?


Would this adapter work?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gotek-Flopp...4AAOSwsnNcctp8

[Jope]

It should work for a Gotek.

[JoeJoe]

Thanks for the explanation. Now I don't think so, I know it now

[c0dehunter]

Originally Posted by Jope

It should work for a Gotek.

Ok, I just received Floppy Disk Drive Boot Selector Switch A500

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Floppy-Disk...72.m2749.l2648

1) Once the kit installed, if I connect my external drive (real floppy drive) it boots fine, but my internal drive (DF0) is disabled! (confirmed by X-Copy, as it only lists just ONE drive)

2) If I connect my GoTek drive (as external drive, using Gotek Floppy External Drive Adapter) it does not boot at all. I even moved the jumper from S1, back to to S1 on the GoTek, still no go.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gotek-Flopp...72.m2749.l2649

(NOTE: When I use my Gotek Floppy External Drive Adapter (as an external drive), I HAVE to move the jumper from S0 to S1, otherwise my Amiga 500 does not detect it.


So the issues remain:

Why DF0 is disabled when I use Floppy Disk Drive Boot Selector Switch A500?

and

Why my GoTek drive does not boot any .ADF files, when used in conjunction with my Floppy Disk Drive Boot Selector Switch A500?

My ultimate goal was this:

A) Keey my internal floppy drive (Df0) as it is, as I love to boot game/demos off it from a real floppy diskette)

Then:

B) To use GoTek as DF1, be able to *boot* from it, and then copy (write) .ADF files onto my real floppy diskettes.

As you can see, my GoTek has to be connected as DF1, and be bootable in order to accomplish this goal.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated!

[solarmon]

Unfortunately, with that boot selector, the internal drive is disable when the external drive is used as DF0 - that is stated in the description.

Regarding the Gotek issue, make sure your adapter settings/jumpers are set correctly - the listing image shows several jumpers that need to be set. Normally, the Gotek jumper should be left on S0.

[c0dehunter]

Normally, the Gotek jumper should be left on S0.

Thanks for confirming this: Well believe me, if I want to use m GoTek as DF1, I have to move the jumper from S0 to S1, otherwise my A500 won't see it as DF1.

[solarmon]

Originally Posted by c0dehunter

Thanks for confirming this: Well believe me, if I want to use m GoTek as DF1, I have to move the jumper from S0 to S1, otherwise my A500 won't see it as DF1.

That probably means the jumper settings on the adapter is wrong. What jumper options do you have on it?

[c0dehunter]

http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=85886

I came across this post. After reading the entire thread, I came to the conclusion that indeed it is possible to use the GoTek as Df1, and boot from it, and seems like that there is another seller, who has a "newer"? solution:

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/273053625803...84.m1558.l2649

He also claims that (and I quote):

"Apparently there is an easy "Trick" where you can use both drives in switched position, it's tested ,and works with Workbench, Xcopy utility, and some games too:

Boot normally from internal drive, and after disk initialization, change to "Switched position".

That way you can use both External drive as DF0 and internal as DF1"!


Fully tested using an Amiga 500 with 1.3 Kickstart!

I can confirm that this trick works with my internal drive, and a real physical external drive. It does not work with a GoTek however (connected to the back of A500 via the Gotek Floppy External Drive Adapter)

[TjLaZer]

Throw in a 3.1 ROM, it has a nice early startup menu where you can select DF1: to boot.

[c0dehunter]

Shoot, I just remembered that my A500 is on 1.2 ROM! Is it the reason that GoTek is not bootable as Df0 using the Floppy Disk Drive Boot Selector Switch?


The seller specifically says that is compatible with Amiga Gotek drives.

[solarmon]

Originally Posted by TjLaZer

Throw in a 3.1 ROM, it has a nice early startup menu where you can select DF1: to boot.

Most games won't work off DF1. They either won't boot, or are hard coded to look for DF0 in certain parts of the boot sequence or within the game.

[c0dehunter]

OK, here are high-res images of the adapter board, that I just uploaded onto my Flikr account:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/905104...57713593894688


As you can see, there are 4 jumpers total on this board:


JP1 (AM PC)

JP2 (DF1, DF2, DF3

JP3 (PC AM)

JP4 (AM PC)


I have contacted the seller numerous times, but he has not responded back to me.


Can anyone tell me what these jumpers do? (besides the obvious JP2, which seems to change the status of the drive, from DF1, up to DF3)


Thanks!

[demolition]

My guess is that it selects what kind of floppy drive you are connecting (Amiga or PC interface). For FF/HxC, use the Amiga setting (FF defaults to this when using Amiga floppy images).

[c0dehunter]

Originally Posted by demolition

My guess is that it selects what kind of floppy drive you are connecting (Amiga or PC interface). For FF/HxC, use the Amiga setting (FF defaults to this when using Amiga floppy images).

Unbelievable! I just checked his eBay posting, and the jumpers in his picture, they are all set to AM!

I have loaded it to my Flickr account:

https://flic.kr/p/2iH4qxn

Let me move them to AM, and test, I hope it works!

UPDATE:

Ok, A500 boots externally from GoTek, and I see the FloppyFlash screen, but I get an error:

Error: writesector -> failure while seeking the track 00!

Now this error message only appears when I boot to AUTOBOOT (on the USB Flash stick), if I press the next button on GoTek and select another .ADF image (game/demo), it load it just fine.

The thing is that I NEED to be able to boot in AUTOBOOT, in order to add .ADF images to the USB stick, etc.

Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!