Gotek USB - What to do?

[Rissy]

So if you've seen my other threads, particularly the website review post, you'll know i've ordered a Gotek USB drive for my Amiga A500 (Rev 6).

My order (or should i say, a part of my order since items are missing from the box) arrived today. The Gotek drive was in the box (the ribbon cable and power cable was not). I also ordered a 32GB stick with "flash floppy" firmware (i think that's what it is!?) on it.

Now my question is, what do i do with it?

I have no idea, and there are no instructions with the thing.

Do i put the USB stick into my PC?

I ordered some time ago a pre configured 64GB stick with games on it from Ebay. I've never touched that either. Can that go into my laptop to add more games to it? Or does that only ever go into the Gotek (because if you put it in your laptop, you ruin the formatting of it for working with Amiga ....or something daft?)

I'm taking it I have to load the flash floppy firmware on to the Gotek before i can use it. What's the instruction on how to do that?

As you can tell. I've bought stuff blindly, and i'm hoping for you good people to now guide me.

Thanks (and sorry)

[Hercules]

Here's what I did... You will need a USB A to A cable from eBay, then follow this tutorial...

http://www.binarydevotion.com/?p=228

Connect pins 1,2, 3 and 7 will write enable the bootloader allowing you to flash the Flashfloppy firmware using a usb A to A cable using the software in the above tutorial.

[solarmon]

The USB stick us for storing the ADF files on - it needs to be formatted as FAT32 It doesn't contain firmware on it (other than for updates).

Is this a stock Gotek, that needs the firmware flashing? Or did you slr day buy it pre-flashed with FlashFloppy or Hx

[Rissy]

Thanks for the reply chaps.

This is the one i bought here: https://amigastore.eu/en/676-interna...nd-1200.html#/

I asked for the flashfloppy version with oled display.

It says it comes flashed with the latest firmware, but considering it took 6 weeks for me to get this order through from them, and even then they haven't included the power and data ribbon cable i paid for, my confidence of it actually being flashed for me, is nill. Is there a way i can check? I also hope they've actually given me what i need for flashfloppy on the 32GB stick i paid for too....!

Will this do for the USB cable?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372140138...Cclp%3A2334524

For the pins being linked out, is this the pins that would normally be used to connect the Gotek to the motherboard? i.e. the IDE ribbon cable pins on the Gotek board.

I'm guessing then, the 32GB stick that I got with the Gotek from AmigaStore.eu can then be plugged into my laptop and this will hold the software and appropriate firmware to flash down on to the Gotek circuit chips. Navigate to the USB on my laptop and do some clicking? I guess then this means i can just stick it into my laptop now, and take a look at its contents?

If the 64GB stick i bought from Ebay is just storing .ADF game images on it, then i can put this in my laptop now, and have a peruse i guess? Then if i want to, i can add to it straight from my laptop?

I'm now thinking to myself "how trust worthy are these two memory sticks before i put them into my laptop!?"

[Rissy]

I'm just looking at my Gotek compared to pictures on the internet. My Gotek seems to have TWO LEDs. One red, one green. both above the push buttons.

what are these to indicate?

[solarmon]

If you power up up without the USB stick in, you should see the version displayed on the OLED screen.

[Rissy]

Originally Posted by solarmon

If you power up up without the USB stick in, you should see the version displayed on the OLED screen.

Perfect thanks. I've just finished sheepdipping the two USB sticks i got for this Gotek from two different sources. No viruses thankfully. I had a quick look at the contents (only quick as i'm at work).

Each one seems to be a stick containing .ADF files, rather than either of them holding flashfloppy firmware for programming the hardware.

Each stick has the following two files in the root:

AUTOBOOT.HFE
HXCSDFE.CFG

Other than this, each has various folders containing content for running on the Amiga, although in the case of the stick received from AmigaStore.eu, there is also a folder called "Emulator Manager (Amiga, Atari, Amstrad)". Not sure what that is, but it doesn't look like anything flashfloppy firmware related.

So when i get my cables for this thing (had to order some from Ebay since AmigaStore.eu didn't post me out what i ordered from them fully!) to get it powered up, i can check to see if it's been flashed already. If it hasn't, then i'll need to read the guide posted above and see about doing that myself. Although to be fair, i quite like gaining the experience of doing stuff myself anyway.

Do Gotek drives only read .ADF images? Not compatible with .SCP or .IPF?

[solarmon]

HxC and FlashFloppy support HFE and ADF files natively.

You would need to convert any SCP or IPF files to either ADF or HFE (which one depends on whether it is an AmigaDOS based image or not - ADF if AmigaDOS).

If you have an OLED then I wouldn't recommend AUTOBOOT.HFE - just use the OLED screen and rotary encoder (or select buttons) to traverse and select the ADF/HFE file image that you want.

[Rissy]

What does the AUTOBOOT.HFE file do then? This is on both sticks provided to me from different sources, including the source who also sold me the OLED displaying Gotek drive.

[solarmon]

AUTOBOOT.HFE is the original HxC based selector. It is really only applicable when you have an LED screen, rather than an OLED screen. It allows you to assign image files to a 'slot' - i.e. a number of the slot on an LED display.

This is not required on an OLED display (and rotary encoder) as you can easily read the image filename and not remember a slot number. If you organise your image files in to suitable directories then it is easy to manage and navigate those files.

[Rissy]

Ah right, so if i put all games, for instance, that begin with "A", into a folder called "A", then i can fast navigate to folder "A", and then fine search within that folder for the game i want to play?

[solarmon]

Yep, that is the usual thing you typically need to do with lots of game/tools/program images.

[XPD]

I'm looking to buy that exact same unit, hope they don't forget anything because I'm in NZ, will take forever for stuff to arrive

[Rissy]

...I'm back on to "Project Gotek" again.

My power and data cables arrived, and i've now installed the hardware into the Amiga in place of my floppy drive.

My god is it a tight squeeze! I had to adjust the coloured LEDs and even use pliers on the USB slot to bend the outer edges a bit to allow the case to fit back into place properly, but i managed it. I've had a quick power up test of it with and without a USB stick in place.

It is indeed already flashed with FlashFloppy V3.25. Is that the latest? If not, what advantages do any later revisions bring?

So am I right, i think someone said this thing only works with .ADF images, is that right?

If so:

Can i convert other image type (.SCP, .IPF etc) into .ADF and put them in a GOTEK and have them work?

Or is it a case that I have to hunt down cracked copies of my imaged disks instead where I haven't done so already?

[solarmon]

FlashFloppy supports ADF and HFE images, among others, but these two are relevant for Amiga.

If an SCP or IPF image is of an AmigaDOS disk, then you can convert to ADF. Otherwise convert to HFE v3.

FF v3.25 is the latest version. You can check for the latest version at the following location, along with release notes for it:

https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy/wiki/Downloads

[Rissy]

Originally Posted by solarmon

FlashFloppy supports ADF and HFE images, among others, but these two are relevant for Amiga.

If an SCP or IPF image is of an AmigaDOS disk, then you can convert to ADF. Otherwise convert to HFE v3.

FF v3.25 is the latest version. You can check for the latest version at the following location, along with release notes for it:

https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy/wiki/Downloads

Ah right thanks. How will i know if the .SCP or .IPF is AmigaDOS or other in order to know if I can convert them? Is there a rule of thumb when to convert to .ADF or .HFE v3?

Also, Do I just use HxC to convert to .HFE v3 considering that says it's "experimental"? or is that another use for washing files through linux?

Also, can you save games using a GOTEK? Pinball Dreams, Fantasies, Cannon Fodder etc?

[solarmon]

Yes, use HxC to do the conversion and don't worry about the 'experimental' label.

In terms of the save games, it will depend on the game and how it does it, but essentially yes. However, for certain games like Cannon Fodder you need to make sure it is an extended ADF format, which HFE is effectively is. Specifically for Cannon Fodder, there is already and example/template HFE save game file as part of the FlashFloppy image library:

https://github.com/keirf/FF_Images