Have a look at this, it's the Vortex F1-D controller on a MX4 expansion card:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/266837430605?itmmeta=01HZ4WGKM0PBY239GTB72PH42V&hash=item3e20c0114d:g:uxYAAOSwXmRmWH2m&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0PUvk1N%2BYTfhVpjXVWhO5mB4zERjUZACSfSIPhDObnwhDe4CMasK8NgQsmbxAPU%2B4TgxWJafU2Xtz5chCs4qgcMqtv7vlYUEcqq3xag3IUvdWdQgVhha9Dlg70daJUhtrrCaUP7%2Ba0nb1Q%2BAEYESa1IT4Pft%2B8%2BhZBn%2BdNwTCvmGAOrltc2VXibhhEhIS6e8Bj04wpFlfLvF2Ye6CMWdDtTxqwsoB%2BECLAVEkcstRRR3lByxgonogqyoRyY%2FX5rseBiGOW3KjrUYlQoSf6tm%2Frw%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5K6wpz5Yw
Since somebody asked on ebay: This controller works for CPC464/664/6128 and 6128plus. It provides the feature to work with four floppies or floppy emulators at the same time. In addition you can use the internal floppy A and the B-drive of the internal FDC / DDI-1 on CPC464.
I guess this only works if you add a ROM with another expansion?
Really nice old school design, even the traces! Only the crystal and the caps on the back let's you know it's a modern design. Pity about the "Bodge-wires" on the back. Hopefully he can resolve those on the next batch of boards.
Bryce.
There are ideas for an expansion card with FDC to read HD floppies, but this is very early pre-pre-everything brain storm stage ;-)
Well, I should add this information: Basically this 100% working prototype of the Vortex-Kontroller-MX4 is especially for collectors. It's the only one existing unit. And it's a small piece of CPC history. :)
You mean it's a prototype for this project?
https://github.com/hanshuebner/cpc-floppy-controllers
And if I understand it right, it's purpose is to attach up to 4 more floppies to a CPC but I need a specifically patched ROM for this? Where do I get the patched ROM?
There are the following ways:
- Use FutureOS (works 100%)
- Patch ParaDOS by yourself
- Or use the decoded VDOS (didn't test it up to now)
- Ask the ParaDOS maker to add Vortex I/O port
- Wait for me to do the alteration of ParaDOS (which can take some time, because I'm pretty busy right now).
In other words, except for FutureOs it was not tried with anything else?
No, not now. And I see no need to do that, because I don't have the time.