HxC Floppy Emulator and/or Kryoflux: How To?

[ditabeardmemo]

Hi everyone:

I - like many people on this board, I assume - am very interested in installing either the HxC Floppy Emulator or Kryoflux connectivity in my Emulator II+ HD. Unfortunately, I'm not a technician or a computer expert, so I'm still unclear as to what options these devices actually provide, which device is best for my workflow and what parts are needed to install one of these in my machine.

Would it be possible for someone (esynthesist? multiple users?) to put together a definitive how-to guide for the HxC and/or the KryoFlux, just as people did for the CompactFlash card installation in the Emulator III? Those instructions were very helpful for users like me who, while technically adept, are by no means experts.

Also, if I understand correctly, the HxC device can hold floppy disk images (including boot software) that the Emulator II will recognize. What I don't understand is how to transfer those images to the HxC device, such as the Sound Designer .EII files from the OMI library. Can someone clarify?

Thanks in advance to everyone!

[who]

You may have seen the post I created here:

http://eiiiforum.com/index.php?topic=957.0

I did some research into the parts needed for a clean 5.25 install.  One user on the yahoo list has already done it and posted pictures.  Check it out:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/emulatorII-list/

[who]

Something else to keep in mind:  write to SD cards from the emulator itself.  E-Synthesist posted this to the Yahoo group:

"Update:

The SAVE BANK & COPY SOFTWARE support (i.e. "write" support) can be expected
very soon now in the SD HxC floppy drive replacement kit.

I have just been beta-testing the new firmware that Jeff from the HxC2001 team
is finalizing at this moment, and with the latest build I was able to save banks
to the SD card on both of my Emulator-II's.

FYI: this new firmware also supports write-activity on the Emulator-I. Those
tests were successful too !

So... keep an eye on http://hxc2001.free.fr/floppy_drive_emulator/ to see when
the new firmware will be released.

///E-Synthesist"

[midipuppies]

Anything new on this? Anyone installed one and made it look pretty?
I would really like to see the final result and steps needed.

[Futureman]

yes me.

It's not 100% finished physically, but it's looking damn good so far.

[8324689]

I also am a bit clueless so please excuse me.

I have purchased this unit

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180617542150#ht_6494wt_936

Would I be right in saying I follow the manual and replace one drive with this unit and attach the wires in the right place as the pictures do on the yahoo site and thats about it?

Read the manual on how the unit works etc, fit the unit so it looks snug and nice in place of the floppy dive and er.... thats it?


Is it that ...easy?


Any help greatly appreciated

[esynthesist]

Is it that ...easy?

Yes it is:
- remove one of the floppy drives (*0)
- attach its ribbon connector to the SD HxC (*1)
- attach its power connector to the SD HxC (*2)
Ready.

But... in practice:
- (*0) depending on the drive you have removed (1 or 2), you have to set the J3 jumper of the SD HxC accordingly
- (*1) you have to find/build a cable adapter for connecting the ribbon cable. The SD HxC needs a 34 pin 3.5 connector, while the original connector of the EII is a 34 pin 5.25 connector. If you solve the problem by using a new standard floppy drive ribbon cable (which often has both types of connectors for at least 2 drives), you will have to set the J3 jumper of the SD HxC correctly if you use the "twisted" side because standard EII cables are untwisted. Also, most of the time, these standard cables are too short for use in an EII... So this could  become a challenge...
- (*2) to connect the power cable, you need an adapter cable too (5.25 power --> 3.5 power). Fortunately these are widely available in local computer stores and on the internet
- build a case for it so that it fits nicely in the 5.25 space (--> quite a lot of work, quite a challenge...)

[8324689]

Thanks so much esynthesist that clears everything up.   

Any other London/UK based people here with any tips on where to locate a good case/floppy adaptor?


This site is the fantastic

I wonder if anyone was the lucky person that got the E2HD+ on ebay for £550!

[patchfinder]

Howdy.   Thanks to this thread I managed to get my single drive EII to work with an HxC device.   If anyone needs a hand putting it together I'd be happy to help (based in London).  One thing I haven't figured out is how to set the jumpers on the floppy drive to slave to the HxC.  Think this might require a really long and weird ribbon cable. 

[Elmbeatz]

that looks
FANTASTIC!

Gongratulations!

[kdk]

Patchfinder - that looks fantastic! Can you post some photos of the insides - like how you mounted the HxC to the back panel?

It looks great!
Kirk

[patchfinder]

The insides are not pretty. 

-Solder some leads to the switch mounts on the bottom of the HxC board
-Screw the HxC board onto a CD case with a thick sheet of latex (or anything soft and not conductive) in between
-Superglue some L-brackets to the EII chassis such that the SD card comes out in the right place
-Mount the CD case to the L-brackets using machine screws or tape
-Solder some leads to the switches and mount them in the faceplate somehow.  You can get original emu switches from digikey http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?x=0&y=0&lang=en&site=uk&KeyWords=EG1321-ND
-Mount the LCD in the faceplate and attach it to the HxC board with a standard ribbon cable and a female-to-male gender -changer. Don't use a twisted floppy ribbon cable for this.
-Crimp together the switch leads and enjoy

You will also need a really long floppy cable (like 1 metre) to reach the HxC.  And a 3.5/5.25 floppy power cable per ESynthesist's instructions. 

I have to say the EMXP software is what makes this worthwhile, especially in that it converts any WAV file to an EII floppy image, so good. 

[kdk]

Thanks! That's great.

I've been trying to find an extender for the SD card slot and not had any luck. Mounting the HxC on the back so you have access to the card and then jumpering the display to the front is a great solution.

Kirk