Got the HXC today and been reading the manual and was planning on using it as the main drive on one 6128 which has a working 3 Inch drive I do not want to disable
So what does this mean in practice?
Note : In this case the internal floppy
disk drive must be disabled.
To do this you can connect wire 23 of
the external floppy cable to the
ground (wire 24), or simply unplug
the floppy cable from the internal disk
drive.
http://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/SDCard_HxC_Floppy_Emulator_User_Manual_ENG.pdf (http://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/SDCard_HxC_Floppy_Emulator_User_Manual_ENG.pdf)
And found this suggestion:
http://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/HxC_CPC6128_connection.jpg (http://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/HxC_CPC6128_connection.jpg)
Make an ABBA Switch (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/ABBA_switch) instead?
This swaps the driver allocations of A & B over, so you won't need to disable your 3" drive.
would it be simpler just to use |B and run the dsk and hfes off that?
And just found this too
Guide for HxC SD Version - CPCWiki (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Guide_for_HxC_SD_Version)
Judging by this picture all I have to do is set the jumper as sown in this picture to have this as the main A:drive?
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/File:SDSETTINGS.jpg (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/File:SDSETTINGS.jpg)
I got my HxC on Saturday. I had time to have a bit of a play about with it before I had to shoot up to the smoke to work for a couple of days.
Do you still need to fudge the ready signal by having a jumper in the cable, or can you do that on the HxC? The reason I ask is that I'd modified the ready signal direct on my 3.5" drive instead. My CPC has an AB/BA switch. Drive A always works correctly regardless of where the AB/BA switch is set, do a |B though and drive B always returns crap regardless. I didn't really want to solder the ready signal up on the brand new HxC device!!
Quote from: dcdrac on 19:31, 24 April 13
would it be simpler just to use |B and run the dsk and hfes off that?
The problem with using the HxC as |B is that most commercial games will only run from A:, so the usefulness of the HxC is then very limited.
Bryce.
Quote from: MartinW on 20:13, 24 April 13
I got my HxC on Saturday. I had time to have a bit of a play about with it before I had to shoot up to the smoke to work for a couple of days.
Do you still need to fudge the ready signal by having a jumper in the cable, or can you do that on the HxC? The reason I ask is that I'd modified the ready signal direct on my 3.5" drive instead. My CPC has an AB/BA switch. Drive A always works correctly regardless of where the AB/BA switch is set, do a |B though and drive B always returns crap regardless. I didn't really want to solder the ready signal up on the brand new HxC device!!
The HxC supplies the ready signal as required, you don't need to add jumpers or make any other mods.
Bryce.
Hmm, thanks. I wonder why I'm getting odd results on drive B then?
Maybe I'll start my own thread later when I've got a bit more time :)
I have it reading the CFG file and the HFEs, however it does not appear to be picked up by the CPC.
Is there a simple a b an c for getting these things going?
When I plug the SD in it has something called RA flashing what does that mean?
Have you set it as A or B? What's the exact setup (hardware mods, jumpers etc)? What happens when you choose the drive and CAT the disk?
Bryce.
I have the jumper set to the picture I found and linked to, when I CAT it nothing cannot find the disc and yes it is connected to the edge connector
I t does come up with the missing HXC.cfg file message although there is one on the SD, and then it shows the lsit of HFE files.
What would an ideal HXC config be like? I have the software I just need to know the settings
Quote from: dcdrac on 21:25, 24 April 13
I t does come up with the missing HXC.cfg file message although there is one on the SD, and then it shows the lsit of HFE files.
What would an ideal HXC config be like? I have the software I just need to know the settings
Was the config file copied on immediately after formatting the SD card? I noticed that the HxC doesn't see files in alphabetic order or anything like that but rather the order they were copied to the SD card. Therefore I might guess that unless the config file is copied first it may not find it. As for what it would look like, it's a binary file so it's not readable with a text editor.
The config file doesn't need to be the very first file, but it does need to be at the beginning sectors of the SD Card, so I'd advise only copying it to a freshly formatted Card. If the HxC isn't reading the config file successfully, then it's not going to react with the CPC.
Bryce.
Ok so step 1 Format the SD
Step 2 Use the emulator software to create the config file what should these be set to, to get the CPC to read the drive as either A or B?
Step 3 Set the jumper settings?
The A and B part is selected with the jumpers, not the config file. Jeff also supplies a default config file, that should be fine to test with.
Bryce.
ok So what is the jumper configuration to make the floppy emulator Drive A?
I may have not the newest version of the handbook, but it it is missing there, then we should ask Jeff to include it there. Sorry, can't help more, I'm off my laptop.
Stupid question but who is Jeff?
Its begining to look like I have to nobble one of the 6128s by unplugging the internal floppy connector, The picture below shows the jumper setting I have on as far as I can tell it is the correct one for the emulator to be a B:drive or am I missing something?
(http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/dcdrac/HXCfloppyjumpesetting.jpg)
As far as I can tell from the manual tis is the correct setting for the HXC to be seen as the b:drive by a 6128
(http://s564.photobucket.com/user/dcdrac/media/HXCfloppyjumpesetting.jpg.html)
He invented the HxC...
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/profile/Jeff_HxC2001/ (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/profile/Jeff_HxC2001/)
The handbook can be found here...
HxC2001 HeadQuarters : HxC Floppy Emulator (http://hxc2001.free.fr/floppy_drive_emulator/)
I have looked at the handbook and set the jumper to what I think its stating I need to for setting it as Drive B:
(http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/dcdrac/HXCfloppyjumpesetting.jpg)
Quote from: Bryce on 20:37, 24 April 13The HxC supplies the ready signal as required, you don't need to add jumpers or make any other mods.
In case dcdrac is using the cable made by ikonsgr, or anyone is reading this who might use the cable, it supplies Ready too. Of course, the thing to be wary of with this is that it has to send Ready all the time, so if you attempt to access the drive when it's not actually ready, the CPC will lock up. I think this might even apply to both drives on the cable if you have two, meaning you would need to have a disk in both in order to use only one of them, but I can't remember the exact details. Anyway, none of this stops anything working; it just needs a bit of care. ;)
@dcdrac: It needs to be set to A: not B: to work on the CPC (even when you are using it as B).
@db6128: If your cable has a Ready switch included, it should definitely be left open at all times when using it with the HxC. The HxC provides this signal when it's really ready.
Bryce.
Quote from: Bryce on 21:15, 25 April 13
@dcdrac: It needs to be set to A: not B: to work on the CPC (even when you are using it as B).
@db6128: If your cable has a Ready switch included, it should definitely be left open at all times when using it with the HxC. The HxC provides this signal when it's really ready.
Bryce.
Thank you for the replies so far, and it is appreciated.
What is a ready switch and what does it look like/
Swapped the Jumper to what I think it should be for Drive a: the 6128 is still telling me that the disc is missing when I try to access |B all the LEDS do light though when I type |B
(http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/dcdrac/IMAG0030.jpg) (http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/dcdrac/IMAG0030.jpg)
Now I'm not sure myself anymore! Maybe I'm confusing it with one of my other setups. Let me go and check mine...
Back in a minute...
Bryce.
Edit: Doh, I knew I was confusing them. The jumper settings in your first picture is what mine is set like. It's connected to a 6128 as B: (and works).
Quote from: Bryce on 21:15, 25 April 13
@db6128: If your cable has a Ready switch included, it should definitely be left open at all times when using it with the HxC. The HxC provides this signal when it's really ready.
Yes! That's VERY IMPORTANT advice. On the CPC a lot of good software used the Ready signal. It shall be intact :)
The solution
http://torlus.com/floppy/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1184&p=8198#p8198 (http://torlus.com/floppy/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1184&p=8198#p8198)
And now to learn the gentle art of getting working hfe files got some going
Ah, the old "34way flat cable the wrong way around" problem :D
Bryce.
When I am less beer influenced I shall try to write an A B C guide
I got mine today and after some trial and error decided to RTFM
Everything you Always wanted to know about HXC but you were afraid to ask (http://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/SDCard_HxC_Floppy_Emulator_User_Manual_ENG.pdf)
The man says everything you need to make it work right there, but lazy me never reads instructions :p
I have the ikonsgr cable and I will post a pix when my camera is charged.
Pretty much you have to put the cable with the red wire on the left of the hxc (as the manual says), put the jumper in ID1 (Emulator as the second disk drive), and from the 2 switches on the cable, pull down the rightmost one.
That will make the HxC as drive A and the internal as drive B.
It is pure awesome...
I do have a couple of questions though
a) can you convert a tape image to hfe like you convert the disc images (using the hxc floppy emulator program) ?
b) I used the sample amstrad file and replaced around 80ish of the empty images with mine. I saw that the sample one had 100 images total, can I put more than 100 (and click select for ever) or 100 images is the most it can get (my sd is 16 gig so storage will never be an issue).
thanks
There's no direct CDT to HFE convertor. The HxC doesn't do tape images, it would need to be converted to a disk format first.
You can have way more than 100 files. Mine has around 450 files at the moment. You can also use sub-directories. It'll save you an awful lot of scrolling when you have 100's of HFEs installed.
Bryce.
Just got golden Axe going using the HXC, some of the games I have tried revert to Drive A so unless there is a simple change to the cable I could make it looks like I have to disconnect the internal drive to force the emulator to work as A?
An added bonus is I am starting to pick up french
mine works as A and the internal as B. I have the ikonsgr cable though which has a switch I pulled down to make the swap (and HxC changed from S:1 to S:0).
At the link with your solution though Jeff sent you a picture and somewhere says that you need to make a contact between the two rows at position 6 to revert hxc to A .
my hxc setup is below, I used the switches on the board to set it as B and from the cable I used the switch to set it as A.
View image: Hxc (http://postimg.org/image/j20512zw5/)
Thank you for the reply where can I find an ikonsgr cable?
Ask there:
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/profile/ikonsgr/ (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/profile/ikonsgr/)
Thank you message sent
O a, getting one of these cables and so in theory should just be able to use the switch to flick the driver to A:?
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e94d9e3d661012e7&id=E94D9E3D661012E7%21197&authkey=!AIXIqCJ2vzQI4QI#cid=E94D9E3D661012E7&id=E94D9E3D661012E7%21193&authkey=%21AIXIqCJ2vzQI4QI (https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e94d9e3d661012e7&id=E94D9E3D661012E7%21197&authkey=!AIXIqCJ2vzQI4QI#cid=E94D9E3D661012E7&id=E94D9E3D661012E7%21193&authkey=%21AIXIqCJ2vzQI4QI)
Yeah that is the one I have. Btw the switch you have to flip was the green circled one for me. But you can easily find it out because when you flip the switch you will see HxC displays S:0 at the bottom right corner instead of S:1 that must display right now for you.
Got the A B cable and now HXC is a A: drive thank you one and all for all the help