Kryoflux and HxC for Emulator 1

[Futureman]

I'm toying with the idea of purchasing Kryoflux so I can archive my library of E1 floppies.. Then installing HxC on the E1.

Who else here is thinking of doing the same?

It would be cool if we could get a data base of the floppy images so we could all share.

Any thoughts?

Cheers.
Mike

[esynthesist]

Good idea, I did the same thing.
It works like a charm.
The Kryoflux made perfect digital copies of my (limited) factory Emu-I disk library.
And now they are all on the SD card in the HxC.
I'm using the external cased version of the SD HxC now, with all cables accessible at the backside of the Emulator-I. I can still switch between floppy drive and SD HxC by re-plugging the cables at the backside.

I hope there will be a rather complete original Emulator-I factory library available for the few remaining owners of this great sampler!

///E-Synthesist

[Futureman]

Can you elaborate if this would work?

- You send me an image of an E1 disk. (or I make an image of a blank floppy)

- I load one of my disks via the E1's floppy drive.

- while still powered up, I switch to HxC and save my disk onto your image (formatted disk image)

(I also own the disk formatting disk)

Ie, do you think I can start making HxC images of disks without Kryoflux?

Cheers
Mike

[Elmbeatz]

Just to throw in:
I have NO library disks. So unfortunately, I can't offer anything to share or such.
BUT - of course - I' in !!!

[esynthesist]

while still powered up, I switch to HxC and save my disk onto your image (formatted disk image)

To be honest I never wanted to test this "tricky" approach before...
...until today I, after whispering a little prayer :-).

And...it works !
 
This is what I did:
- connect both the floppy drive and HxC to the power supply of the Emulator-I (with Y-split cable)
- connect the floppy drive ribbon cable to the Emulator-I digital board
- insert SD card with "empty" Emulator-I HFE file stored on it
- insert floppy disk and boot the Emulator-I -> bank is loaded into memory
- select the "empty" HFE file on the SD HxC device
- disconnect the floppy ribbon cable from the Emulator-I digital board, and connect the SD HxC ribbon cable to the Emulator-I digital board (while Emulator-I is still powered of course)
- press the "SAVE" button on the Emulator-I, and cross fingers :-)
--> The Emulator-I started to write the bank to the SD card !
I rebooted the Emulator-I then, to make sure the HFE file works fine and contains the floppy's bank. YES !

Of course I still think this is a kind of tricky way of working.
And I don't know how many floppy disks you have, but you have to swap ribbon cables all the time, so these cables/connectors will suffer for sure !
But since this is something you will do only once for each disk, it may be an alternative for buying a KryoFlux.
I will send you an HFE image.

PS: make sure you also copy the Sequences and perhaps also the OS, which - as you know of course - are additional copy procedures on the Emulator-I.


 

[esynthesist]

Just to throw in: I have NO library disks. So unfortunately, I can't offer anything to share or such.
BUT - of course - I' in !!!

Mmm... I'm starting to wonder where we will find the original library disks.
Because it seems that even today's Emulator-I owners don't have many of these disks.
So where on earth (literally :-) would these disks be now ?

Normally the disk collections should accompany the Emulator-I when it is being sold to new owners.
Maybe this didn't happen in the past. That's a shame.

Fortunately mine was delivered with disks. But they are part of the "production set", meaning the default disks which were delivered for free by E-Mu to new Emulator-I owners.

On E-bay there's this guy who seems to have almost all disks, but he's selling copies for big money (see other thread), so he will not be of much help I guess 

[Futureman]

Good news that is!

I'll order another HxC and see how I go.

I'm not sure exactly how many library disks I have, but I'd say approx 30 to 50.

i wonder if there is an easier way to swap drives, I will ask Jeff if he has any ideas.

Mike

[esynthesist]

i wonder if there is an easier way to swap drives, I will ask Jeff if he has any ideas.

A few weeks ago I have also tried a setup where both floppy drive and HxC are permanently connected (both powered, and both connected to motherboard with a ribbon cable having two connectors).
My idea was that if there's a floppy disk but no SD card, or an SD card but no floppy disk, the device holding the disk would react on Emu-I instructions while the other one would rest.
But... that didn't work, unfortunately.

but I'd say approx 30 to 50

Wow, that's nice !

[EdGs]

The stuff you guys are doing is awesome! 

I hope to get back to work repairing my E1, but I have no disks and my drive might not work (IF I ever get to the point of being able to try it), so I will most likely be getting the HxC for it. I hope I can bring it back to its former glory.

[Jeff_HxC2001]

i wonder if there is an easier way to swap drives, I will ask Jeff if he has any ideas.

A few weeks ago I have also tried a setup where both floppy drive and HxC are permanently connected (both powered, and both connected to motherboard with a ribbon cable having two connectors).
My idea was that if there's a floppy disk but no SD card, or an SD card but no floppy disk, the device holding the disk would react on Emu-I instructions while the other one would rest.
But... that didn't work, unfortunately.

but I'd say approx 30 to 50

Wow, that's nice !

In fact you have just to redirect the DS0 signal to the HxC or to the floppy disk drive with a switch:

http://torlus.com/floppy/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=786

Example :

This guy use a switch on its sp1200 to be able to use the original floppy disk drive and the HxC :
http://torlus.com/floppy/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=714

[Futureman]

So what do you people think would be the tidiest way of implementing it into the E1?
I was thinking of a panel on top of the disk storage box.. Something that fills up the hole with LCD and buttons.
I'd use the same style buttons as used in the E1.
Plus a toggle to flick between HXC and floppy operation.

I would prob have to cut a thin slot in the floppy holder to feed through the ribbon cable. (Where it joins the chassis)

I'm thinking it could look sharp. (and be reversible if for some reason I remove the HXC)

Any thoughts?