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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Disk Support mmbasic
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Plasmamac Guru  Joined: 31/01/2019 Location: GermanyPosts: 567 |
Plasma |
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| Plasmamac Guru Joined: 31/01/2019 Location: GermanyPosts: 567 |
Pete’s great Cmm2 Device remember me on an old idea. I like floppy Disk support on the Mmbasic. Found the Arduino Fdc from DHansel on GitHub and bought an old Drive. After some problems I’ve got finally some results Format /Dir on Floppy So I think with minimal hardware we can get floppy 💾 on mmbasic via xmodem (atm). Maybe I can converting the Arduino code to a pico to become the full support with. Gtx Plasma |
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| Plasmamac Guru Joined: 31/01/2019 Location: GermanyPosts: 567 |
Some infos:Infos Plasma |
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| Plasmamac Guru Joined: 31/01/2019 Location: GermanyPosts: 567 |
My phone sux.. sorry Edited 2025-04-07 17:16 by Plasmamac Plasma |
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| Amnesie Guru Joined: 30/06/2020 Location: GermanyPosts: 521 |
I like this idea and asked (1 or two years ago) whether floppy drive support will be available on MMBASIC, but as far as I remember Peter said no. It brings some retro vibes  ... I have a lot of floppy disks and don't know what to do with them  Greetings Daniel |
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Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7433 |
If you really, really want a floppy drive the best way is probably to hang a FDC chip onto a Raspberry Pi then write some COM port routines to connect to the Pi. Very much like the old Commodore drives worked. It needs nothing doing to the PicoMite, there are no buffers needed and only ASCII commands and data to be handled. The PicoMite USB system won't handle a USB connection to drives so the Arduino system isn't suitable. You'll just have to work at it though. :) Start here. Don't even consider what is effectively writing a FDC into an Arduino. It's not worth the effort and a proper FDC chip will get all the timings right. Floppy handling can get messy even with a FDC and personally I'd recommend not bothering. SD cards are so much better. Last time I had a big clear out I must have binned over 200 3.5" disks. :) . Edited 2025-04-07 18:44 by Mixtel90 Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Frank N. Furter Guru Joined: 28/05/2012 Location: GermanyPosts: 931 |
You could also sell your old disks here: https://forum.classic-computing.de/forum/ Frank |
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| dddns Senior Member  Joined: 20/09/2024 Location: GermanyPosts: 211 |
I'd like to interpret this idea as I would like to access my PC drive. So I think about doing this with a library providing the commands and attach it via a USB serial converter and the second UART to the PC. The PC side is running a small receiver program acting as server. Ideal would be, if this could also be integrated/used with @Javavi file manager.. Edited 2025-04-07 19:15 by dddns |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7433 |
The Pico has insufficient resources for the full USB stack that is needed for data devices. That's why it is limited to keyboards, mice and controllers. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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PeteCotton Guru Joined: 13/08/2020 Location: CanadaPosts: 522 |
This is very cool/exciting. I will follow along with great interest. Oooh - that is also an excellent idea. A while back I toyed with the idea of using RFID cards to "store" data like a floppy. The way it would work would be that you'd have an ESP-01 chip on the CMM2 motherboard providing a cloud link. Putting the RFID card in the reader (like putting a floppy in a drive) would identify which files in the cloud to load into the computer. Given that CMM2 files are so tiny, they would load quickly. Of course, you would need software to read that - so I was going to build it into my old File Manager program, so that it would appear on the desktop like a normal disk. https://www.thebackshed.com/forum/ViewTopic.php?TID=17452&PID=229772#229772 I know what you're thinking - that sounds like a waste of time - and you're right. In my defense, I didn't day it was a "good" idea  Another alternative was to 3D-print a floppy disk and embed an SD card in the tip. Then build a corresponding 3.5" drive, that is really an SD Card reader in disguise. You put the 3.5" floppy in the drive, with a satisfying "clunk" like the old days. And hey presto - you can read the "disk". |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9440 |
Now that's a clever idea! Kinda pointless in the scheme of things, but a brilliant way to disguise an SD card as a floppy in an old floppy drive! Might have to look into doing something like that, just for the nostalgia of it!  Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7433 |
if you do, some sort of wiping contacts might be an idea. The contacts on the SD card may not last long with continual use. Actually, maybe something like the Sinclair Microdrive size or a 2.5" disk might be better than a 3.5" system. Less plastic yet still large enough to hold. Or just a "kerplunk" sound effect triggered by inserting or removing a SD card. :) . Edited 2025-04-09 00:52 by Mixtel90 Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| PeteCotton Guru Joined: 13/08/2020 Location: CanadaPosts: 522 |
And a grinding sound as you read/write to the disk!  |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7433 |
To simulate a hard disk you could have the squealing sound of tortured bearings just before all the data is deleted forever! :) Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Plasmamac Guru Joined: 31/01/2019 Location: GermanyPosts: 567 |
To become shure my disk are ok I’ve got another drive for testing. 7 from 11 Disks are working, the rest not , even format can’t help . Like the Disk drive idea but I fear the end of Disks is near maybe creating some Fake with scard inside . 🤪 The monitor command with the read option show’s error stats if you can’t read from your Disks. Plasma |
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| WhiteWizzard Guru Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2925 |
Quite a few people have posted on the internet regarding SD card in a 3.5” disk then being read by a converted FDD. Here is just one example… For everything Micromite visit micromite.org Direct Email: whitewizzard@micromite.o |
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| PeteCotton Guru Joined: 13/08/2020 Location: CanadaPosts: 522 |
Oh wow - that is very cool. They're using an original drive - which I feel would need more work modding than just building a "new" 3D printed reader from scratch. As Mick suggested, it looks like they are using wiping contacts. that seems like the logical choice. |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7433 |
Thanks WW, that's really cool! But doesn't a 32GB 3.5" floppy seem just a little unnatural? You wouldn't get the fun of changing it very often. :) I'm not sure if the contacts are actually wiping, but that design will probably wipe well enough for the contact to be reliable. I wonder if pogo pins would work here? Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Plasmamac Guru Joined: 31/01/2019 Location: GermanyPosts: 567 |
Bought a new pack of Hd. 3,5 Disks, all working 👍 Just a info Plasma |
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